How Often Should You Water a Spider Plant? (Complete Guide)

You are currently viewing How Often Should You Water a Spider Plant? (Complete Guide)

Spider plants adore humid conditions in summer.

However, watering your Spider plant once a week is usually perfect. Check how dry the soil is in the pot before you water. And if it doesn’t feel parched, and then don’t water it.

Spider plants really like humidity in the air. Thus, you can have a mister close by and use that to keep the leaves damp. However, it is really important not to have the soil soggy for this plant.

A spider plant should be watered once a week, allowing the soil to dry out slightly between waterings. Over-watering can lead to root rot, so it’s important to avoid letting the plant sit in standing water.

Spider plants should be watered once a week, typically every 7-10 days, allowing the soil to dry out slightly between waterings. Proper drainage is important to prevent root rot, and monitoring soil moisture levels will ensure the plant is getting enough water.

If it is located in a moist bathroom, you may only need to water occasionally in winter. Always check the soil first, if in doubt. Read on for more detailed watering tips.

More:How Big Do Spider Plant Get?

Should I water my spider plant every day?

Definitely not! Do a weekly watering from spring to autumn.

But cut this back in winter, as evidence shows that this plant can happily survive 15 days without water in months where there is low sunlight.

Be guided by how warm you feel. In summer you drink more and indoors, a plant will need more water too. But if you water too much in winter, you will start to notice brown streaks on the leaves.

Indirect sunlight is essential for Spider plants (at least 8 and up to 10 hours per day) to ensure the plant stays healthy, not excessive amounts of water.

Check that the soil is not moist. If it is, then wait a couple of days and check again. Less is best if we are talking about Spider plants. Read on for how to avoid over-watering.

Also check: How Much Sun Does a Spider Plant Need?

What does an overwatered spider plant look like?

When the leaves of your Spider plant appear streaked with brown or sandy color patches, usually in winter, this is a sure sign of overwatering.

Normally, a healthy Spider plant is gleaming with spiky, arching green leaves and bright white stripes.

Streaking does not look healthy and if you notice browning also at the tips or mottling on the leaves, the first thing to do is to stop watering so frequently. After a few days, check to see if this has improved the appearance of your plant.

Another sign of overwatering is that your Spider plant loses its healthy glow and seems to wilt or flop over in the pot. To avoid excess water building up in the pot, use a drip tray or saucer to collect the excess after you have watered. Then empty this tray after 30 minutes so that the Spider plant roots are not sitting in damp, wet conditions.

There could be other reasons for brown streaks. Spider plants often get brown or yellow tips. See some more explanations for this in the next section.

Why are the tips of my spider plant turning brown?

Spider plantUnderfeeding a Spider plant is usually the reason why the leaves turn brown.

In a hot spell with bright sunshine and low humidity, ask yourself when you remembered to feed your Spider plant?

Also, check the lighting. Although they grow well in most spots, they really dislike direct sunlight and sometimes get leaf burn, which can appear brown or even black. Try moving your pot away from direct light and see if that helps. If strong sunlight occurs with low humidity, this could explain the brown tips of leaves.

Hot air temperature is another possible cause of brown leaves. Spider plants prefer a temperature above 45 degrees Fahrenheit in winter. However, they really thrive in a humid and warm location with a temperature of between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Is there fluoride in your tap water? This may be a reason for sandy-colored leaves so to eliminate this as a cause, by using some boiled water to see if this changes the appearance of your Spider plant.

The last check should be the soil. Perhaps excess salts are lodged in there. How long is it since you re-potted your Spider plant? Fresh compost will solve this problem in no time and should restore your plant to good health. Read below for how often you need to re-pot a Spider plant.

Do spider plants need misting?

In summer when it is hot and the plant is on a sunny windowsill, occasional misting is beneficial for your Spider plant.

They thrive in situations such as a moist bathroom or kitchen.

Direct, strong sunlight and low humidity are not what a Spider plant likes but misting the leaves will help you to counteract that. Be careful, though, not to soak the soil as well because Spider plants do not like wet roots, over a long period.

However, in winter you should cut back on the water in any case. The Spider plant likes to go almost dormant then so water a lot less from November onwards, and no misting is required either.

Watering Tips

Soil is the key to a healthy Spider plant and with excess salts in the soil, the plant will be unhappy.

So think of prevention when you water – is there enough goodness in my soil and is it moist? Check soil carefully before each watering.

Your Spider plant will also benefit from fresh soil and being re-potted every two years. This avoids a lot of problems like brown leaves, caused by insufficient feeding or salt build-up in the pot or even too much fluoride in your water.

You can tell if a Spider plant needs new soil if the plant has started to lift out of the existing soil. Think of it as a new spring outfit every couple of years and give it fresh, new compost to see it thrive.

FAQs

Can I bring an overwatered Spider plant back to life?

The first obvious thing to do is to stop watering the plant. Ensure that the plant is in bright but indirect sunlight for as many daylight hours as possible.Allow the soil to completely dry out.

You can also help to improve airflow in the soil by using a pencil to loosen up the soil particles. Check how the soil feels. If moist, do not water until it feels fully dry. If in doubt, change the entire soil by re-potting the plant in brand new compost. That should do the trick!

While you re-pot, check that the roots are white and healthy. If they are black or brown and they also smell bad, this could indicate root rot so you may need to plant a “Spiderette” mini Spider from your plant. Good luck!

Should I remove the brown leaves on my Spider plant?

Most people think the brown leaves look unhealthy on a plant, which normally boasts green and white leaves. I would cut them off and dispose of them because the plant looks better without them. However, it is not essential. It is nature’s way of visually showing you that there is a problem with your leaves.

Do Spider plants have flowers?

They do when you are watering, feeding, and treating your plant properly.

 They are delicate, star-shaped white flowers that are part of the mini “Spiderette” this plant produces instead of seeds. Blooms are rare and they only last 1-2 days, so enjoy them when they appear.

Mike Smith

I love Gardening and this is my site. Here you will find some really useful plant-related tips and tricks.