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Plant care

Spider plant (airplane plant) care

Chlorophytum comosum

Also called airplane plant, ribbon plant, spider ivy.

RHS H2 (tender, indoor or summer outdoors)USDA 9-11Pet-safeIndoor 30-45 cm tall

Watering rhythm

7-10days

When the top 2 cm of soil is dry, every 7-10 days

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Light

Medium indirect light (a couple of metres from a window)

Soil

Standard potting compost

Humidity

40-60%

Temp

15-24°C

Pet safety

Pet-safe

Mature size

30-45 cm tall

Care at a glance

Light

Picture the indirect light an east-facing window gives mid-morning — that's the brightness spider plant grows fastest in. Medium to bright indirect light. Direct sun bleaches leaves; deep shade slows growth. You'll know it's right when new leaves come out the same size and colour as the established ones. Smaller, paler new leaves = move closer to the window.

Watering

Aim for when the top 2 cm of soil is dry, every 7-10 days for spider plant, but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. A south-facing summer windowsill will dry the pot twice as fast as a north-facing winter room. Lift the pot; if it feels noticeably lighter than it did wet, water it. Use rainwater or filtered water if tap water leaves brown tips. Reduce watering in winter dormancy.

Soil and pot

Spider plant grows best in standard potting compost. Any free-draining houseplant mix is fine. Repot annually until mature. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Spider plant sits happiest at around 40-60% humidity and 15-24°C (60-75°F). Average humidity is fine. If you keep the room above 15 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed spider plant sparingly. Half-strength balanced liquid feed every 4-6 weeks during the growing season. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on spider plant in the Growli community. Where a problem matches one of our diagnostic guides, click through for the full step-by-step recovery plan written for spider plant specifically.

  • Brown leaf tips — Fluoride or chlorine in tap water.
  • Yellow leaves — Overwatering or low light.
  • No pups — Spider plants pup when pot-bound and getting enough light — be patient.
  • Faded variegation — Too little light; move closer to a window.

Companion plants

Spider plant pairs well with Pothos, Peace lily, and Boston fern. These are species with similar light and water needs, so you can group them in the same room or on the same shelf and water as a batch.

Propagation

Snip a plantlet from a runner and root in water for 1-2 weeks before potting up. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Spider plant is pet-safe. ASPCA lists Chlorophytum comosum as non-toxic to cats and dogs. Cats love to chew the leaves — discourage rather than worry. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Spider plant care — frequently asked questions

What is the common name for Chlorophytum comosum?

Chlorophytum comosum is most commonly called Spider plant, but it is also known as airplane plant, ribbon plant, spider ivy. The names refer to the same species, so care instructions for Spider plant apply identically to anything sold as airplane plant.

How much light does spider plant need?

Spider plant grows best in medium indirect light (a couple of metres from a window). Medium to bright indirect light. Direct sun bleaches leaves; deep shade slows growth.

How often should I water spider plant?

Water spider plant when the top 2 cm of soil is dry, every 7-10 days. Use rainwater or filtered water if tap water leaves brown tips. Reduce watering in winter dormancy. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.

Is spider plant toxic to cats and dogs?

Spider plant is pet-safe. ASPCA lists Chlorophytum comosum as non-toxic to cats and dogs. Cats love to chew the leaves — discourage rather than worry.

What USDA hardiness zone does spider plant grow in?

Spider plant is rated for USDA zone 9-11 (outdoors in mild climates, indoors elsewhere) and RHS hardiness H2 (tender, indoor or summer outdoors). Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.

Spider plant deep-dive guides

Every aspect of spider plant care, each with its own calibrated guide:

Featured in these plant shortlists

Spider plant qualifies for 8 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

  • Best pet-safe houseplants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — every one verified against the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
  • Best low-light houseplants — Houseplants that need no direct sun and cope with a north-facing room or a spot well back from a window.
  • Best plants for a north-facing window — Houseplants for a north-facing window: bright, even, indirect light and no scorching direct sun. Each pick verified against its documented light needs.
  • Best pet-safe low-light plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs AND happy with no direct sun — the two hardest constraints to satisfy at once.
  • Best houseplants to propagate in water — Houseplants that root from a cutting in a glass of water — the easiest, cheapest way to turn one plant into many.
  • Best pet-safe bedroom plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in lower light — calming greenery for a bedroom where a pet often sleeps too.
  • Best cat-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats (and dogs) — safe greenery for a home with a curious cat.
  • Best dog-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to dogs (and cats) — safe greenery for a home with a curious dog.
  • Browse all 30 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Spider plant is also known as airplane plant, ribbon plant, and spider ivy.