Chlorophytum comosum

If you ’re concerned in tote up a lot of greenery to your dwelling house quickly , and want a houseplant that is both soft to like for and nontoxic , the spider plant should be at the top of your list – I have a go at it it ’s always at the top of mine .

Though they are fairly old-hat as far as houseplants go , for me , spider plants have always instill a sensory faculty of awe . When I was a tike , my mom ’s friend Sue had a beautiful mature spider works . I ’ll admit , I fall in sexual love with it .

I recall going to her home , where I would gaze up at this houseplant advert from the ceiling , bathe in afternoon light , and look up to the seemingly countless good deal of little spider babies cascading down from it .

A close up horizontal image of a small spider plant growing in a pot set on a wooden table.

C. laxum

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In my child ’s mind , that houseplant seemed like some mysterious and otherworldly creature – and it always stands out in my retentivity as the idealistic representation of all that a houseplant could be .

These days , my own spider plants are n’t quite that awe - inspiring . Not yet , at least . Just wait – they ’re still vernal .

A close up vertical image of a spider plant with variegated foliage growing in a small white pot set on a wooden surface. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white printed text.

C. laxum

I ’m going to lead you through the good attention tip for this lovely and easygoing foliage plant , so you’re able to keep yours happy and respectable , and assist it grow into a houseplant desirable of admiration .

Here ’s what I ’m locomote to cover :

What You’ll Learn

If you ’re a newbie houseplant parent , you ’ve made a dear choice to set about with .

This is one of the light works you may handle for in your home – and learning how to give it right attention will set you on a good path toward growing more intriguing indoor vegetation .

And just to ensure we ’re all on the same varlet , this houseplant is not to be confused withcleome , the flowering yearly that is sometimes know by the same coarse name .

A close up vertical image of a spider plant with variegated foliage growing in a small white pot set on a wooden surface. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white printed text.

What Is a Spider Plant?

Chlorophytum comosum , more ordinarily known as “ spider plant , ” is an herbaceous tropical evergreen perennial enjoyed for its abundant leafage and ability to create plenty of plantlets .

It ’s known around the world by several other common name calling as well , including “ aeroplane flora , ” “ typewriter ribbon plant , ” and “ spider Hedera helix . ”

Some call it “ St. Bernard ’s lily ” but this common name is used for another extremity of the asparagus crime syndicate , Anthericum liliago , as well .

A close up horizontal image of various houseplants in pots and hanging containers pictured on a soft focus background.

This tropical species is grass - like , with slender , arching leaves that grow in a little potato form . Its leaves are either all green , or variegated in either green and snowy , or sometimes gullible and jaundiced , depending on the cultivar .

Long stalks raise in the midst of its leaves , on which it produces small , whitened , star - shape flowers , as well as tiny offset or “ spiderettes , ” as its vegetal babies are called .

This characteristic of producing baby that remain attached to the mother flora givesC. comosumyet another name , “ hen and chicks ” or “ hen and chickens ” – not to be obscure with the varioussucculent speciesthat go by the same common name .

A close up horizontal image of an offset spiderette produced by a spider plant that can be cut off and replanted, pictured on a soft focus background.

wanderer ivy can grow and nourish multitude of these child without seeming worse for vesture .

Cultivation and History

These generative houseplant are a familiar sight in our homes , but odds are you know little about where they actually come from . C. comosumis native to a wide swath of sub - Saharan Africa , wander from Cameroon and Ethiopia all the way down to South Africa .

Its wide native cooking stove is telling – C. comosumhas flexibility build into its genetics .

In its native home ground , it has conform to a diverse range of locations – growing on drop-off , in river valleys , and in flat thickets – as well as in a variety of different soil types and water consideration . This adaptability is what makes it such a live houseplant .

A close up horizontal image of spider plants growing outdoors in their native, tropical habitat.

With a glance at its grass - alike outgrowth habit , you would probably have a hard metre guessing thatC. comosumis concern to a common garden veggie – asparagus .

C. comosumis taxonomically classified as a member of theasparagus family , and in addition to asparagus , its congenator include agave , hosta , sansevieria , yucca , and imp grass .

The latter is also known asLiriope , and members of this genus bear a stiff household resemblance to the topic of this article .

A close up horizontal image of a potted Chlorophytum laxum plant set on an outdoor patio.

Other member of the same genus includingC. laxumandC. viridescensare also commonly called “ wanderer works . ”

The significance of this tropic specie ’ scientific name could n’t be more literal – “ Chlorophytum ” means “ fleeceable industrial plant ” andcomosummeans “ tufted ” or “ leafy . ”

Swedish naturalist Carl Thunberg was the first European known to roll up this species in the wild , and he gave it its scientific name in 1794 .

A close up vertical image of a Chlorophytum comosum plant growing in a hanging basket with numerous offsets pictured on a soft focus background.

As for its common name , some germ paint a picture that its long , slender leave are the divine guidance behind the name “ spider plant , ” while at least one writer claim the soubriquet is inspired instead by the offset , which resemble spider rappel down from a spiderweb .

C. comosumhas been enjoyed in the home – and shared – since at least the other 1800s . The German writer and poet Goethe reportedly had a specimen of his own and shared its showtime with his acquaintance .

But long before Europeans happen upon it , local population were probable usingC. comosumin a mixture of ways . The Nguni masses , who be primarily in South Africa , apply it medicinally , administering it to raw mother and young infants in particular .

A close up horizontal image of the root ball of a Chlorophytum comosum just prior to repotting.

And in addition to its traditional medicative use , this coinage is also considered edible and can be consumed like a veg .

While its dope - like , extremely fibrous foliage can be eaten , the really edible involvement ofC. comosumlies under the soil , in this species ’ sarcoid , tuberous roots .

These roots stack away both nutrient and water , and are the mystery to this plant ’s resiliency . I ’ll dig into how the theme aid to bolsterC. comosuma little afterward in the article , so keep read !

A close up horizontal image of Chlorophytum comosum growing outdoors outside a residence.

C. comosumhas naturalized in some countries outside of Africa , and many researchers have published study looking into this species as an authoritative likely source of locally available solid food .

One paperpublished in 2014 in “ Nutrition and Food Science Research ” by Ali Aberoumand , Associate Professor in the Department of Fisheries at the University of Technology in Behbahan , Iran , asserts that the eatable section of this species contain significant amounts of vitamin C and E.

Another newspaper by the same investigator , published in the “ Journal of Medicinal Food Plants ” in 2009 , claim the tubers ofC. comosumcontain “ good reference of plant fiber , potassium , Zn , lipide , protein and carbohydrates . ”

A close up horizontal image of Chlorophytum comosum fruit containing seeds pictured on a soft focus gray background.

As a wild solid food enthusiast , I ’m always concerned in adding new comestible plants to my tilt , but I ’m not quite ready to submit my wanderer English ivy to my kitchen knife just yet .

Perhaps when my plate is brimming with extra specimens propagate from first , I might give one for have a taste test .

Its comestible potential is for certain gripping , but spider ivy is used principally as a houseplant , and may be one of the most commonly cultivated houseplant in the world .

A close up horizontal image of Chlorophytum comosum seed set on a white tiled surface pictured on a soft focus background.

It ’s enjoyed primarily for its foliage and extensive population of pup , but its small delicateflowers can appearthroughout the year and add to its overall delightful appearance .

While most of us will savor this species from the tropics indoors , it can be grown outdoors as an evergreen recurrent inUSDA Hardiness Zones9 to 11 .

It can also be treated as a perennial in Zone 8 , but its foliage will be shoot down back in winter , and it will start producing novel growth in the spring .

A close up horizontal image of a hand holding a spider plant offset pictured on a soft focus background.

Spider Plant Propagation

While propagatingC. comosumfrom offsets is the most well - known method , it can also be propagated through part , and by sowing cum .

From Seed

Growing spider ivy from seeds is n’t what first come to head when one think of propagating this mintage , but cum are one of the plant ’s reproductive scheme , and we can take advantage of this as well to turn new specimens .

Before you launch into such a task , though , consider that if the specimen is a hybrid cultivar , the seedling may terminate up look a bit unlike from its parent .

If you do n’t have a parent plant to start with , verify to buy seeds from a reputable informant .

A close up horizontal image of a spider plant offset in water in a small glass jar set on a green surface and pictured on a soft focus background.

In order forC. comosumto produce source heads , it will need to be pollinated . If your medallion plant is flowering during the summer , place it alfresco where some friendly bees , wasps , or hoverflies can discover the monoicous flower and do the caper for you .

Once your spider ivy flower are pollinated , they will produce yield , which will contain the ripening cum you ’ll be harvest .

Wait for the yield to dry out to ascertain that the ejaculate are amply matured .

A close up top down image of two spider plants: a large “mother plant” in a big container and smaller potted offset.

Once the seed head are juiceless , you’re able to harvest the seeds .

Sow the harvested seeds in a sterile potting medium , and irrigate them gently with a Mr. to invalidate oversaturating the grime .

Repot the young plant as needed , as indicated in the repotting section of this clause below – and be cognizant that vernal plants may want more frequent watering than launch specimen .

A close up horizontal image of a rootbound plant removed from its container ready for repotting.

From Offsets

PropagatingC. comosumfrom offsets is probably the easiest way to create newfangled spider flora .

Since this mintage is so give – or from its point of prospect , so eager to propagate its factor – why not take advantage of the situation ?

If Mama Spider is get across with babies , and the babies have roots spring up from them , your work will be exceptionally loose .

A close up horizontal image of a garden nursery with several hanging pots of spider plants for sale.

All you need to do is to clip off an runner from the stalk , and pot it up .

Sometimes , your plant might have many branch on it that do n’t yet have root of their own . In this case , you may help a spiderette raise roots in a few different ways .

One option is to cut back it off and set it in a modest glass of H2O . With this method , you want the theme of the offset to be partake the surface of the water supply , but do n’t overwhelm the entire offset .

A close up horizontal image of a large spider plant growing in a terra cotta pot set on a wooden surface with light streaming in through a nearby window.

Another method acting of broadcast unrooted offsets is to mime what would happen in nature , and root the starting time while it is still attach to the parent plant .

plainly place a diminished pot with potting territory under the starting time , and allow it to rootle while it ’s still attached to its parent .

Or , you may snip it off from its stem and deal it up , allow it settle down in the soil on its own .

A close up horizontal image of a spider plant growing in a small white, hanging container with other foliage in soft focus in the background.

When using any of the method name here that involve grime orpotting medium , I recommend watering with a mister or spray bottle . This will help to keep the metier from becoming overly wet , allot your child a high chance of survival .

Once your offsets are steady down well , start out caring for them as you would for a potted plant .

Get detailed step - by - step instructions for settle spiderettes .

A close up horizontal image of a spider plant growing in a container indoors pictured on a soft focus background.

From Division

Since propagating offsets is so darn easy , you might be wonder – why would anyone bother with class ?

part can come in ready to hand when your industrial plant is outgrow its pot , and you want to limit its sizing . Rather than letting it continue to turn wider , you’re able to divide it , create two small specimen – or more , depending on your orientation .

To divide , you ’ll want to remove your plant from its pot and then work a thud away from the main works , with both leaves and roots intact .

A close up horizontal image of a man on the right of the frame watering a small indoor plant growing in a hanging basket, with a blue wall in the background.

regain more summit on divide spider plant here .

Continue by potting up as described in the repotting subdivision below .

How to Grow Spider Plants

Unlike the high - maintenance prayer flora , wanderer English ivy is passably undemanding in its care .

Choosing a Plant

You ’ll start up off on the best metrical unit with your wanderer ivy if you begin with a healthy specimen .

Here are a few crest on what to await for when choosing yours :

When you find a goodly - appear specimen , check the tummy . Does it have drainage holes ? If not , ensure to repot your spider ivy as soon as possible . You ’ll discover repot educational activity below .

A close up horizontal image of a hand from the right of the frame using a spray bottle to mist an indoor plant, pictured on a soft focus background.

Light

wanderer English ivy can adapt to conditions ranging from part sunshine to full shade . But what will give you the best result ? intermediate to burnished collateral sunlight .

Some lineal sunlight is okay , just check that your wanderer common ivy is n’t sitting in full sunlight all day long , or its leaves will scorch oreven fade and loose its variegation .

And while these houseplants can populate in shade , their farewell will not be as vibrant when grown invery depressed - spark conditions . Bright , indirect lighting will give you the best foliage color .

A close up horizontal image of various offsets and small white flowers of Chlorophytum comosum, pictured on a soft focus background.

burnished , indirect light is also what you should aim for if you want your wanderer ivy to raise lots of offsets .

Many people care to put their houseplant out of doors during the summer . If you do this , make certain to put your spider Hedera helix in a sheltered position where it receives dappled sunlight photo , and not too much verbatim sunlight .

Temperature

Being from the tropics , C. comosumdoes best in a “ goldilocks aster ” temperature reach – meaning it prize conditions that are not too hot and not too cold . Temperatures between 65 and 75 ° F are ideal .

If you will be placing your wanderer English ivy outdoors for the summer , remember to bring it back indoors before nighttime temperature fall to 55 ° fluorine . Temperatures get going in this kitchen range will be a bit too chilly for your houseplant .

C. comosumis not insensate unfearing , and can be killed when temperatures sink below freeze .

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When decide where to situate your spider ivy in your home , avoid draughty position such as areas next to exterior doors or drafty window , as well as post near heating and cooling vent .

Always adjudicate to keep your ribbon plant at a temperature below 80 ° F , both indoors and out . In hot stipulation , wanderer ivy becomes more susceptible to sure diseases . ( I ’ll get to that a bit later . )

Water

Now we come to one of the secrets of the spider flora ’s resilience :

C. comosumis capable to store body of water in its root , making it more liberal of discrepant lachrymation than some other types of houseplants .

While your spider ivy will be probable to forgive you if you miss a watering , in general , it should be watered when the top inch of its soil dries out .

A close up vertical image of a hanging basket containing a Chlorophytum comosum plant, showing an offset hanging off the edge of the pot.

However , rather than grok my finger into the potting soil , I try these houseplants for dryness by lifting their plenty – when they start to palpate light , I know it ’s time to water .

If the water you give your plants is supplied from your municipality and otherwise unfiltered , be aware that spider Hedera helix is quite sensitive to fluoride , and will demo browning tips in reply to it .

In fact , a variety of grass - like monocots ( poor for “ monocot , ” plants with seeds that contain only one embryotic cotyledon ) can suffer fluoride perniciousness that may lead to tip tan . Others includedracaena , andlilies .

A close up top down image of a small Chlorophytum comosum in a pot, with a larger pot to the right of the frame, set on a wooden surface.

water with rainwater instead , or filtered or distilled water , can help to forestall this . If you are using filtered H2O , double check to verify your filter is able to move out fluoride – not all H2O filters do .

If you ’ve been water with tap water comprise fluoride and your houseplant ’s foliage has lots of brown top , go ahead and switch your weewee supply .

you could also help the plant recover by removing the potting soil around its roots , soaking them in fresh percolate or non - fluoridated water , and then repot with clean soil .

A close up of a bag of de La-Tanks Soil Mix for houseplants isolated on a white background.

Humidity

Spider ivy is n’t aspicky as orchidsare when it come to humidity . It will thrive in environment where the relative humidness is between 25 and 49 percentage .

Unless you live in an highly dry climate , or your industrial plant is in a warm , juiceless room , you in all probability wo n’t need to take any additional whole tone to provide it with supernumerary humidity .

On the other hand , if you do be in an desiccate climate or your indoor melodic line is extremely wry during the wintertime , go ahead and give your spider ivy a daybreak mist from a spray bottle .

A close up horizontal image of a hand from the left of the frame filling a pot with soil.

Just verify to do this in the dawn while temperatures are warm up up , instead of at Nox when they are chill .

Fertilizer

With wanderer ivy , you ’ll want to limit your applications of fertilizer . There are a twosome of reason for this .

The first is to avoid unwanted side effects . This plant life is raw to the buildup of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks and other minerals that can hap if it is fertilize heavily , and it can demo brownish leaf crown as a result . Overfertilizing can also preventC. comosumfrom producing offsets .

Secondly , this houseplant has a built - in method for storing nutrient in its tuber . Unlike other plants that may be gravid feeders , these really do n’t require much !

A close up horizontal image of a spider plant in a small black plastic pot set on a wooden surface with an empty pot in soft focus in the background.

To protect my spider ivy from unwanted tip burn , I employ insect compost tea to fertilise them , which is a more easy , constitutive plan of attack to fertilizing in contrast to chemical - base products .

If you do n’t have aworm compost system of your ownyet , you’re able to purchase readymade louse compost and make your own “ afternoon tea . ”

For this purpose , I screw TeaDrops , which are “ tea ” bag that contain worm compost . To use them , you soak a bag in way temperature body of water , and use the result worm compost tea to both water and fertilize your houseplants .

A close up horizontal image of a hand from the right of the frame using scissors to snip off the tips of the leaves of a spider plant.

TeaDrops Organic Houseplant Fertilizer

you may purchase a pack of sixteen bags ofTeaDrops at Amazon .

Learn more about feeding your spider plant here .

A close up vertical image of a bright green C. comosum plant in a small plastic pot set on a wooden surface.

Growing Tips

Maintenance

Being the scummy maintenance houseplants that they are , spider ivy really only requires occasional repotting , and a morsel of shave if leaf tips turn brownish .

If you ’re shoot for to cultivate a lush works with trailing babies , you ’ll also want to get it on what to do to boost offset production . Let ’s take a feeling , starting with this suitable feature .

Encouraging Offsets

If , like me , your plans for your wanderer ivy include advance it to produce cascade of spiderettes that trail down from the parent plant , there are a few thing you’re able to do to encourage offset output .

First , these houseplants respond to change twenty-four hours duration , much likepoinsettiaandChristmas cactus .

WhenC. comosumis exposed to poor days and foresighted , dark nights for at least three weeks , it takes those farseeing nights as a cue to regurgitate . These condition will trigger your plant to send off out a farseeing stalk , on which it may produce both blossom and start .

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To copy these natural condition , seek to keep your spider ivy in a localization where it is n’t expose to hokey lighter in the even and throughout the night .

The next thing you’re able to do toencourage offset productionis to abstain from repotting frequently . Specimensthat are more or less pot boundare more likely to produce offsets .

Why ?

A close up square image of a ‘Vittatum’ plant growing in a small plastic pot set on a wooden surface.

From the plant ’s full stop of thought , if it ’s unable to proceed to stretch its roots through the soil , then it had better get busy ensuring another way of spreading its genes . And that way is through producing get-go .

Repotting

There will come up a time , however , when you ’ll involve to repot your plant life .

If it has become so pot - bound that its roots are break through the drainage hole in the bottom , or egress above the surface of the soil , these are absolved signs that it ’s meter to repot !

In general , you should plan to repot young plants once a yr and more ripe specimens every two years , but adjust this schedule to your plant life ’s surroundings – those placed in lower light-colored experimental condition wo n’t grow quite as tight .

A close up horizontal image of a mealybug pest pictured on a soft focus background.

Before you begin your repotting task , make indisputable you have a new gage that is only one or two inches larger than the current corporation .

If you are thinking of affect your plant up to a much grown pot to avoid having to repot so frequently , I invite you to reconsider . An oversized pot can be too slow to drain , and this may induce antecedent rot .

Stick with a pot that has just enough room for your spider ivy to grow over the next yr or two .

A close up horizontal image showing scale insects on the leaves of a houseplant.

Also , make certain the pot you choose has adequate drainage mess , also to invalidate blind drunk feet , aka soggy ascendant .

Once you havedecided on a muckle , select a potting soil . You ’ll want something that has a pH of around 6.0 to 6.5 , and will drain well , but that also has some H2O - hold up capability , to forbid your spider ivy from drying out too quickly .

While it does have those enchanting water supply - storing roots , it ’s not a cactus , after all . Standard commercial houseplant potting soil will form fine .

A close up vertical image of two plastic containers of neem oil pictured on a white background.

I likeDe La Tank ’s Houseplant Mix . It contains pumice for drainage , coco coir for water retention , and it ’s peat - detached . You canpurchase it at Arbico Organics .

De La Tank ’s Houseplant Mix

Once you have your soil and grass at the ready , it ’s clip to get down to the business of repotting .

A close up horizontal image of a hand from the left of the frame drilling holes into the bottom of a small plastic plant pot set on a wooden surface.

First , aim a piddling potting grunge in the bottom of your young pot .

Next , remove your plant from its sure-enough pot . relax up the onetime potting grime and try out to gently loosen the flora ’s ascendent .

Set your plant into the new mickle . Is it sitting gloomy enough in the new toilet that you ’ll have a half an inch to an inch of headspace at the top , below the rim ? If not , adjust the potting soil so that the plant is sitting at the correct level .

A close up horizontal image of a green houseplant growing in a hanging basket pictured on a soft focus background.

When the level take care good , fill up in with potting filth around the edges of the plant .

When filling in with fresh potting grime , ensure you do n’t bury the crown of the plant – keep the land surface at the same floor .

Water the soil , and give your houseplant to its premature location .

Need more advice?Read our guidebook to repotting wanderer plant here .

Pruning

Your spider ivy wo n’t ask to be pruned , per se , but you will want to trim back any brown baksheesh that appear .

Since the leaves of these houseplants are very fine and thin , a pair of garden pruners will belike be overkill for this project . rather , apply a pair of crisp , sterilized pair of scissors .

If you are seeing a lot of brown summit on your industrial plant , verify to review the sections on watering , temperature , and fertiliser above – the most likely causes of this Elizabeth Barrett Browning are underwatering , fluoridated water system , vulnerability to cold drawing , or too much fertilizer .

Get more pruning wind here .

Spider Plant Cultivars to Select

First , the basics :

In the beginning , there was green – just green . C. comosumis the artless species flora , and it boast no variegation . Its long leaves are medium to dark greenish , and it readily produces plantlet .

If you ’re curating a wanderer works compendium of your own , you ’ll want to check that to include a specimen of the basic species , whose immature leaves will contrast nicely against the variegated foliage of your other cultivars .

Surprisingly , the pure green metal money is now among the more rarefied and hard to find types of spider plants – so if you come across one , you might just want to snatch it up .

Most of the differences between the availableC. comosumcultivars are evenhandedly subtle – but they do offer features that are unique , and some are more surprising than you might anticipate .

Bonnie

‘ Bonnie ’ is a cultivated miscellanea that comes with a surprising twist – it has curled leave-taking ! At least to this author , ‘ Bonnie ’ look like a spider works that went out and got a perm .

The curled leave of this variety are variegated as well , with dark-green on the margins , and white run down the center .

While I ’ve always wished I had curly hair myself , I ’m not whole indisputable how I find about this variety … I suppose I wish the long , thin , wispy leaves of the mintage industrial plant and other available cultivars , and I do n’t really see a need to improve upon its growth use .

Or perhaps I ’m just too stuck on that particular incarnation of houseplant beaut , the wanderer works of my childhood .

But I will surely admit that bauble can be enticing !

So if you instantly find yourself stricken by the curly “ locks ” of ‘ Bonnie , ’ you could witness this cultivated variety available for leverage in a six - inch potfrom California Tropicals , via Amazon .

Ocean

‘ sea ’ is a newer cultivated diversity that has streaky green leaf margins , and a blanched stripe down the mall of its leave .

A more compact variety show , ‘ Ocean ’ foliation reaches just eight to twelve inch in length at maturity . Because of its myopic , broader parting , it has a passably spiky coming into court .

you may get hold ‘ sea ’ in a four - inch mountain fromHirt ’s Garden Store , available via Amazon .

Variegatum

‘ Variegatum ’ is a naturalize mixture that has green foliage with thin white margin . Its long , refined leaves can reach ten to sixteen column inch long .

This cultivar is also cry “ reverse variegated ” because its markings are the reverse of the most common kind , ‘ Vittatum , ’ which is coming up next in this cultivar list .

While this character can handle more unmediated sun than most others , it does not produce a consignment of beginning that is as heavy as what you would typically find with other varieties .

‘ Variegatum ’ make headway the Royal Horticultural Society ’s esteemed Award for Garden Merit in 1993 .

‘ Variegatum ’ lively Plant in 4 ” Pot

you’re able to encounter ‘ Variegatum ’ for purchase in a four - column inch pot fromHirt ’s Garden Store , available via Amazon .

Vittatum

‘ Vittatum ’ is the most vulgar cultivar ofC. comosumfound in garden nurseries today . It has foliage with pale green gross profit and a white stripe down the center .

Some raiser call this change “ variegate spider industrial plant , ” without credit of the species or cultivar name .

Like ‘ Variegatum , ’ name above , ‘ Vittatum ’ also won the Royal Horticultural Society ’s Award for Garden Merit in 1993 .

‘ Vittatum ’ Live Plant

you may chance ‘ Vittatum ’ plantsavailable for purchase at Nature Hills Nursery .

Managing Pests and Disease

These light - attention houseplants are n’t terribly prone to plague or disease . However , it ’s crucial to know what to be on the lookout for .

Pests

Here are some of the most rough-cut pestilence problems forC. comosum :

Mealybugs are one of the most common houseplant louse pests , and they sometimes attack wanderer ivy too .

Luckily , they ’re prosperous to agnize and remain firm out like a sore ovolo , so you ’ll be probable to catch them before they cause much terms .

Have you ever seen a blank fluffy residue on the stems of a houseplant ? That was in reality an insect : the ill-famed mealybug .

Members of the scale family , mealybugs can make foliation look like it has little while of cotton fiber stick to it .

Mealybugs will latch onto and feed on your houseplant , stealing worthful nutrients . This will weaken the works in twist , and can eventually toss off it if the trouble goes on too long .

Making matters worse , mealybugs secrete honeydew , which can give a foothold to fungi , causing further risk to your plant life ’s health .

you may control these cottony - look pestis by wipe them away with a report towel moisten with rubbing intoxicant . Be sure to inspect the base of the leaves as well as the leaves themselves .

If rubbing inebriant is n’t enough to pass over out an infestation , your next way of recourse is an app of neem oil , an organic treatment that can wipe out both pest and fungus .

verify to follow the manufacturing business ’s instructions for enforce this product .

interpret more tips on keep in line mealybug .

Scale is an dirt ball masquerading as a little brown bump . Related to mealy bug , they have hard brown scale . Once they get settle in on yourC. comosum , you might retrieve it has some shit on it , or perhaps that it has some sort of disease .

Just like mealybugs , scale insects will suck up nutrient out of foliage , weakening your plant . Yellow leaves are one of the telltale sign of their bearing .

Monterey Neem Oil

These pest can be treated in the same way of life as mealybugs , with fray alcohol or neem petroleum , such as this mathematical product from Monterey , uncommitted at Arbico Organics .

incur more tips on identifying and controlling weighing machine insects .

It would seem fitting , would n’t it , if the wanderer mites find your spider English ivy ?

Fitting , perhaps , but also thwarting .

If you notice scandalmongering spots on the   leaf – or spoiled , webs – scrutinize it well , because you may have mites . You may also be capable to see tiny colony of cherry or brown touch move about the webs and the undersides of the foliage .

These pests also suck nutrients from the leave , and can lead your plant sick and malnourished .

To process an plague of these pests , first pass over them off of the foliage with a moist newspaper publisher towel , then treat with chafe alcohol or neem oil .

Read more about combat spider mites .

Aphids , root knot nematodes , whiteflies , andfungus gnatscan all infest wanderer plants ( as well as other houseplants ) .

Disease

C. comosumisn’t very prostrate to disease , but it does sometimesexhibit sign of unwellness . Here are a couple of problem to look out for :

If the leafage on your specimen set out to turn yellow or wilt , and its land looks a picayune wet , root decomposition may be the problem .

Root rot is often have by overwatering , deficient drain , badly debilitate soil , a mess that ’s too turgid – or all of the above .

When your houseplant ’s roots sit in soggy grime , they ca n’t get the oxygen they need . This stimulate them to fail to transmit water to the foliation , and they will finally die off .

Ironically , plants with oversaturated root that succumb to root bunk will finally start to stick out from dehydration . And meanwhile , fungi and bacteria can easily proliferate in that soggy dirt , just making matters bad .

If solution rot seems to be a trouble for your plant life , endeavor to determine what the cause is :

Are you overwatering ? Is the stain holding too much water ? Is the pot outsize ? Does the kitty – heaven forbid – lack drainage hole ? ( Gasp ! )

If your moldable agriculturalist weed lacks yap , or seems to have otherwise insufficient drainage , practice more holes into the bottom of the pot . ( Do remove the plant from the green goddess first , please . )

If root rot is a job , it ’s a proficient musical theme to switch out the potting soil to remove any fungus or bacterium that have been given a foothold . If you ’re reusing the same pile , go ahead and make clean it , then sterilize it with some H hydrogen peroxide while you ’re at it .

scrutinise the root of your plant , and snip any that are decayed with a twain of sterilizedgarden prunersor scissor hold .

Repot the plant in the same sized – or small – muckle as indicated in the repotting section above .

Southern blight is a disease because of a fungus , Sclerotium rolfsii , which can affect many garden species , such asapplesandtomatoes . wanderer ivy is prone to this fungus too , which is also referred to asAthelia rolfsii .

symptom of Southern blight let in wilting or flop of the foliage . The fungus is more dynamic in hot weather condition , so keeping your houseplant indoors in its preferred temperature range is a unspoilt prophylactic metre .

If your specimen seems to be infected with Southern blight , remove all infected plant life stuff , and switch out the grunge .

Rather than come out infected materials in your compost bin , dispose of them in the trash to avoid inadvertently spreading this disease throughout your garden .

And if your wanderer Hedera helix is wilting and you ’re not certain why , be trusted tocheck out our article on why wanderer industrial plant wilt !

Best Uses for Spider Plants

As far as houseplants go , this species look beautiful in a hanging basket .

And it also works wonderfully on a bandstand , where its offsets can shed down .

But that ’s not all you may do with it . It also looks neat in decorative pots , grouped together with other houseplants .

Outdoors , in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11C. comosummakes a nice ground cover , or it can be used to cascade down over a low stone wall . It can also be grown outdoors as an annual in zones with inhuman winters .

Quick Reference Growing Guide

A Houseplant of Uncommon Resilience

I hope you ’re breathing a suspiration of ease right about now . Caring for your spider ivy does n’t need to be a challenging task – just make trusted to provide it with medium or bright collateral light , ensure its soil is never soggy , and let the top inch of grease dry out between lachrymation .

And above all , bask the bountiful wanderer babies that are bond to come !

And if you ’re concerned in learning about otherlow maintenance houseplant , here are some more articles that you might love :

Photos by Kristina Hicks - Hamblin © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more item . in the first place print on December 17th , 2020 . Last update March 21st , 2023 . mathematical product photos via California Tropicals , Hirt ’s Garden Store , Monterey , Nature Hills Nursery , Soil Mender , and TeaDrops . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .

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Kristina Hicks - Hamblin