Spider Plant

Hi,

I'm a bit stumped as to what the problem is; I gave my boyfriend a spider plant (he's had it a few months now) and all of a sudden its just drooped, the leaves won't stand up on their own. Does anyone know what it could be?

It was a long shot but I suggested re-potting it just in case (it wasn't too big for the pot). It's now been moved closer to the window (not that it didn't get light before) and has been moved closer to the radiator (his effort to make sure its warm enough). I have spider plants, sometimes they go a little bit droopy but never ever as much as his. Mine seem to have a growth spurt and go droopy then pick up again.

I thought spider plants were supposed to be hard to kill :(, this is the second one he has had; the first went to spider plant heaven!

Thanks.

Spider Plants are very commonly sold as house plants here in the U.S. I don't have one now but I have a friend nearby who grows them in the ground in her yard. If I remember correctly they like a lot of water, like humidity, so misting might help. I wonder if the problem could be that your boyfriend's plant is in a drafty location? Sometimes hot or cool drafts will make plants unhappy.

Here's the link to Plant Files with different kinds of spider plants and growing information: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=chlorophytum&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

Thats what I thought but it wasn't in a drafty spot or in a dark spot or anything. It wasn't constantly wet and it wasn't dry.

I have loads of them and all of mine are fine. I put two in the garden in the summer, they grew from a 3" pot to a 6" pot within a few weeks so they went in the garden and unfortunately the frost got to them. I'll leave them until next spring to see if they grow again but I don't think they will. But thats not a worry.

If he's moved it close to a radiator it could be drying out way too quickly, which could be causing the drooping. The soil shouldn't get totally dry between waterings. Misting will help raise the humidity and plants love that.

Drafts and being near the radiator definitely could be problems if it was doing fine before he moved it there. But I would check the watering too--even if a plant likes moisture you can still overwater it and in my experience they're fine if they dry out a little bit between waterings (at my old house I had a couple planted in my garden and another one in a pot outside and I did not water them any more frequently than the rest of my garden--we've got a very dry climate most of the year so if they really had to have tons of water they would have died)

He's only moved it closer to the radiator since it drooped quite badly.

Well an update, he killed it! Well it died anyway. Thats the second spider plant he's killed. I do think that the pot on this one was just too big when it got repotted. RIP Spider plant.

Spiders do love to be potbound. I do not know why because with all of the leaf surface area they dry out very quickly. You would think they would like a nice big pot that holds a lot of water. They thrive on neglect. I helped empy out an office building that was to be remodeled for another company. In one of the offices was a large spider plant with tons of children and grandchildren. This building had been unoccupied for months. The leaves felt like they were fabric. I took it home and was going to spray it off and see what it looked like clean. It was in a pretty pot so it was worth taking home just for the pot. Imagine my surprise to discover it was a living plant. A good shower and watering and it started new growth! It is a very hardy plant but thrives more on neglect than careful care. Maybe your friend is just taking too good care of it to please you.

Is the pot draining properly? As the last poster said, these are tough plants. I'm just wondering if the roots are sitting in water and rotting.

As the last 2 poster wrote they love to be root bound. They will not Put out baby's until root bound.
They will grown in low light, can thrive on neglect. Prefers for have weekly water but will do ok with out.
May be you should get him Sansevieria also known as Mother-in-Laws Tounge or Snake plant. The only way to kill these over water.
My thirteen year old daughter has had one for 4 years. She only waters once every 2 months.
Hope this helps you

My mother has a snake plant. She is notorious for killing everything. She forgets about them. I do mean totally forgets they exist. Her snake plant is clost to 4 feet high and blooms regularly. They defitiely thrive on neglect. I have a lush jungle growing in my house. I love plants. I can get things to grow and bloom that fail other folk. I have never had a snake plant bloom! This is the ideal plant for someone who want a low maintainance plant. It is not so good for someone who wants to nuture and love their plant lol.

Sansevierias can tolerate infrequent watering and low light, but that doesn't mean they don't respond to proper care. Proper care is whatever a given plant prefers. Plants often bloom when they think they are dying- it's a mechanism to keep the species going. So a blooming sansevieria probably is getting minimal care- as you said, neglect. If the soil is dry when you stick your finger down into it, it's not too soon to water. The plant will appreciate it and respond. It is true that as a succulent overwatering probably is the cause when one dies. Moderation is the key here. If the plant is variegated, the colors will be better in moderate light than low light. In low light, the plant is forced to produce more chlorophyll in order to produce enough plant sugars to live. That means more green.

DP, my sanseverias are suffering and I don't know what to do. They did well in their old pot until they broke it from the force of their growth. I transplanted them into three smaller pots and that is when the trouble started. It has been 2 1/2 years now and it seems like every time that I water, some of them rot. I only water them every month or so in fall and winter. I have never gotten these three pots to "grow". The leaves get a bit wrinkly, so I water, - a few leaves rot. This cycle is repeated over and over...
What can I do to get these pots healthy?

The belief is that they do like to be potbound, although when they break a pot it's time to do something! I think they do better when close to potbound because there's not much extra soil to hold water and cause root rot. If I remember right, they originated in Madagascar or Zanzibar, and it's almost desert there. Do they have good drainage holes, and you're not letting them sit in a saucer of water, are you? Could I suggest that you don't water by the calendar but by how the soil feels. If you stick your finger down in it and it's bone dry, then water. When you water, water good and let lots of water run out the drain holes. In the winter you'll need to do it in a sink or something. A few grains of granular fertilizer on the surface of the soil when you water is a good idea. They like to be in the shade or mostly shade outdoors in warm weather.
Your description of their symptoms does sound like a watering issue- too much or too little. These plants are almost immune to disease or pests. They can survive long periods without water, when they will more or less go dormant. But they cannot take being waterlogged. I wish I had more info., but I think the answer to your problem lies somewhere in this paragraph. Could you possibly post a photo of the one that is doing the worst? And also the best? Oh, one more thing. A lot of growers put fine gravel or crushed granite on top of the soil. That prevents the leaves at soil level from staying in contact with wet soil when you water. I'm sure you've seen succulents at stores with fine gravel on top of the potting mix. And one more thing, is your potting mixture loose? If it has a lot of clay, it can retain moisture and contribute to root rot.

I think it is the potting soil. MG with the water crystals....... DUH! I will re-pot them in something different, with crushed rock on the surface.
I never thought about the potting soil! It is waay too heavy for these guys.

Thanks DP

Water crystals are BAD for just about anything! (except bog plants) They work good for some plants when there's a dry spell, but when there's a wet spell, or when you're growing plants that must dry out between waterings, root rot is always patiently waiting.
Scotts are brilliant marketers but sell some products that make them rich but aren't what most gardeners need. Like the potting mix with fertilizer mixed in. Every time you water, fertilizer is released. (Or outside, every time it rains.) That can mean too much fertilizer in too short a time and the plants burn. Fertilizer should be applied by the gardener so he can control how much and how often. For your sansevierias, a plain loose potting mix that drains well should be fine and won't break the bank. You might even mix in 1/3 of a fine bark mulch with 2/3 potting mix if the mix seems a little on the heavy side. If you will water with a can with a fine spout and avoid splashing the leaves, the crushed rock isn't necessary. The reason I mention that is that it's easier to do the finger test of the soil before you water if you leave off the crushed rock.
Good luck!

I agree on the water crystals--I might consider using them in a container that's outside baking in the summer sun all day, but for indoors it's way too easy to overwater houseplants anyway without putting those things in there to help!

They sure are great marketers. the last 2 times I have gone out to buy potting soil, that is all Wal Mart had. (soaked from rain and who knows how old...) I guess that I need to leave the confines of my little village and go out looking.

But it can be so hard to leave the confines of the village. They know me there. I hate to leave them. lol

LOl!!

I'm just lazy...
It's 30 miles down the freeway to the closest "town" and I somehow mind that more than I did the 30 mile trek across town when I lived in the city.

I hear that. I am the same way. I will walk all over creation but tell me to drive down the highway for half an hour and I cringe. It is not that I have anything against driving, I just spend the whole drive thinking of all of the things that I could be doing during the time I am just sitting in the car.

MeeeTwoo!

I may have to get some gals together for a shopping trip and let someone else drive!

With friends to chat it does not feel like you are wasting time sitting in the car.

Exactly!

Snake plants flower? I had no idea :) Maybe I should put one in the basement- out of site out of mind…

I inherited a variegated snake plant from someone moving. She had cut off the bottoms where babies’ would/might have formed. Recently my spider plant is now getting brown at the tips. I’ve been battling with spider mites and drenching all my plants in the shower then treating with spray. (I have mosquito dunks to water with for the upcoming fungus gnat invasion- Oh yeah, I let them all dry out before the mites to try to kill the gnats)

Should I cut off the brown ends? Let it dry out? Put it in the basement with the other thriving ignored plants?

Kagst29 you can leave the brown ends, its caused by salts in the water burning the plant I think. You can either cut them off or leave them.


I don't know what my bf was doing with the plant, I checked on it once a week, he did promise he'd get it a smaller pot but he never did and it died. I think the pot was just too big and the soil storing too much water. The pot was fully draining. He has a draceona tree which he'd had for a long time and it thrives and it isnt even in a draining pot - I've advised him to give it a draining pot but he won't. Well it was thriving until I dropped blinds on it and accidentally knocked two of the branches off. Apart from the loss of 2 branches it's doing brilliantly. I also don't understand how he's managed to kill two spider plants! I do have another one I was given which I was going to grow a bit and give it to him but I don't know if I will now.

I should add he doesn't like the mother in laws tongue plant. I did point it out to him at the weekend and he doesn't like them.

This message was edited Jan 5, 2009 4:22 PM