Spider plants are one of the most popular indoor plants and are highly preferred by beginners due to their low maintenance abilities. They literally thrive on neglect.
Even if you forget to water them for a month, they would still survive. Besides, some of these plants can even live for more than 50 years, making them a perfect family heirloom. But, what is the secret of their long lifespan? Read on to find out! 1.
How Long Do Spider Plants Live?
Spider plants can pretty much live for more than a decade. They have rhizomes or tuberous roots that effectively store all the nutrients and provide them slowly to keep the plant alive. These are basically perennial plants with an indefinite lifespan and are quite helpful in removing toxins from the room’s atmosphere.
If you take proper care of them, then in no time, you would get to see small plantlets hanging from the leaves of the plant. When kept as an outdoor plant, these spiders grow into bushes and become impossible to get rid of.
You can grow new plants from the mother plant, gift the baby plants, or keep them in your house.
You don’t need to water them regularly or keep them under direct sunlight for several hours.
All they need is a bit of water every week, or maybe a month, and indirect or shady areas. Spider plants are quite difficult to kill as they can tolerate any harsh climate easily. 2. 3.
Factors That Can Impact The Life Of A Spider Plant
Though spider plants are quite tough, some things can affect their life span and slowly kill these beauties.
Spider plants can tolerate everything, but there are exceptions in this case as well. Here we have noted down some of the major factors that can greatly impact the lifespan of a spider plant.
Overwatering
Though these plants can survive on anything, there is one thing that they don’t like much: water. Yes, unlike other plants, spider plants do not like water much.
As these are drought-resistant plants, they can survive with minimum water for a long time, but excessive water can kill them.
The most important thing you need to take care of is the watering routine of your spider plant.
Make sure to water it once a week and let it absorb everything before you add more water. Overwatering can cause root rotting that can further kill the plant.
You can leave your spider plant for days without water, but once you start overwatering, it will die within a week.
During summers, you might have to slightly increase the plant’s water intake so that they can survive the hot evenings. But during winter, you can pass with watering once every two weeks.
Another thing that you should take note of is the drainage system of the pot.
If your pot doesn’t have a proper drainage system, then it will not drain out excess water and let the roots sit on them for a long time. Now, you don’t want that for your spider plants.
Excessive Sunlight
Spider plants do not like excessive sunlight, and they grow properly in bright, indirect sunlight.
If you are planning to keep your ribbon plant outdoors, position them under a large tree to get proper shade and protection from the sun.
Bright and direct sunlight can cause permanent burns on the leaves.
These plants can tolerate temperatures between 13 to 25 degrees Celsius. Anything outside the range can be harmful to them.
If you are keeping them in your room, maintain the said temperature and add some artificial LED lights. You can occasionally keep the plants outside under direct sunlight for an hour or two, but no more than that. 5.
Pests
Pest infestation is quite common in spider plants, and you need to keep a proper eye on them.
Basically, aphids, mealybugs, and whiteflies attack these plants and suck out the sap from their stem and leaves.
To avoid that from happening, you need to keep a proper check on your plant and spray it with a mixture of neem oil and soap once every few months.
It is important to clean your spider plant’s leaves regularly with banana peels so that they remain healthy, shiny, and away from pests. 3. 4
Why Do Spider Plants Have A Long Life?
Spider plants have a long life because they are drought plants. They basically come from the tropical areas of Africa, where the climate is extremely hot.
These plants are known for surviving such harsh climates without any difficulty.
Even if you water them once a month, your ribbon plants would still survive.
However, if you want your spider plant to reproduce, then you might have to take some extra care of it.
For example, feed it with good fertilizer once every month, water at least once a week, keep it under indirect sunlight, and more. With proper care, your plant would soon have small spiders hanging from the leaves. 4.
How Long Can Spider Plants Live Outdoors?
If you live in a tropical area, then your spider plant can easily survive outdoors.
You can plant it in your garden and completely forget about it.
Soon, your ribbon plant will start growing and reproducing, which can even turn your whole garden into a bush. Make sure to trim it from time to time and separate the platelets when you observe them.
However, you might have to bring them indoors during the winter season because they cannot survive below 13 degrees Celsius. Place them in a pot and keep them in a room with proper room temperature and LED lights.
How Long Can Spider Plants Live Indoors?
Spider plants can live for a long time if kept under proper indoor conditions. Their only requirement, while indoors, would be a room temperature between 13 to 25 degrees Celsius.
Adjust the temperature in the stated range throughout the year, and your spider plant will live happily.
However, do not forget to water it occasionally and feed with proper fertilizer. When kept indoors, the life of the ribbon plant is in your hands. So, make sure to take care of them properly. 2.
What Kills A Spider Plant?
While direct sunlight and excessive fertilizer can cause some serious burns and spots on the leaves, the only thing that can kill a spider plant immediately is overwatering.
They can live without water, nutrients, and bright sunlight for weeks, but if you pour extra water on them, they will die.
These plants do not like water and prefer little as compared to other plants.
They can store water for months and use it effectively, but it becomes difficult for them to drain out extra water, due to which their roots can start to rot.
Apart from that, they are quite specific about the quality of water as well.
Spider plants are extremely sensitive to Chlorine, which is mostly found in tap waters.
If your water supplier bleaches water, then it must have a high amount of Chlorine that can kill your ribbon plant.
In this case, make sure to use filtered or distilled water. You can also store rainwater and feed it to your spider plants. Rainwater contains important nutrients that these plants love. 5.
Do Spider Plants Die Of Old Age?
No, spider plants do not die of old age. These plants can outlive their parents easily and can even be passed on as a family heirloom.
There have been cases where ribbon plants have lived for more than 50 years and are still growing successfully.
Ribbon plants are tough and can easily survive any kind of climate.
Though with old age, their shine might disappear, that doesn’t mean they can’t survive.
With proper care, new leaves might also appear soon.
However, make sure to keep your plants away from pests and cold temperatures. Another thing you need to take care of is continuous repotting.
Spider plants grow quickly, and you should report them once a year so that they don’t suffer from root bounds.
This occurs when the pot is too small and the plant is growing at an incredible rate. Root bounds can damage the pot and even slow the growth rate.
Spider plants are one of the most beautiful indoor plants that you would have seen.
The shiny leaves springing out of the pot give it a surreal look.
Though they might look artificial due to incredible shiny leaves, they are very real and perfect for beginners. They do not need much maintenance and can thrive even if you neglect them completely. 1.
Resources
- Introduction from: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/chlorophytum-comosum/
- Benefits of spider plants: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/16/6604
- Removal of toxins from indoor air: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-014-0285-4
- Spider plants’ role in improving air quality: https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/26/6/article-p803.xml
- Effect of LED lighting on spider plant: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29990771/