Spider plants are great houseplants that are easy to care for and rapidly grow. However, they are a plant that you never see anyone growing from seed. Which makes you wonder why?
Do spider plants have seeds? Spider plants do produce seeds, and from these seeds, you can easily grow other spider plants. They produce little white flowers that are short-lived and when pollinated they produce seeds. However, if they are not pollinated the flowers simply fall off of the plant.
Spider plants mostly bloom in the summer and you can do the pollination yourself, and you can also put your spider plants outside and let nature take its course.
Bees will do the work for you as it is their nature to pollinate flowers. If you want to do it yourself, you simply need to use your finger or use a cotton swab to carefully rub the inside of a flower.
Use the same cotton swab/finger and repeat the same process with each flower. If you do it correctly, you will have a lot of spider plant seed pods to collect.
Spider Plant Seeds
What are spider plant seeds? Pollination of a spider plant flower creates spider plant seeds. You should allow the seed pods to completely dry out while on the spider plant. Leave them until they start turning brown, then they will split open.
Afterward, you’ll notice some black seeds inside the pods. The seeds are remarkably similar to garden pepper seeds. They are the same size and shape.
Planting Seeds
Can you grow spider plants from seed? You can grow spider plants from seed. However, you need to let the seed pods completely dry before you begin planting the seeds.
Before your spider plant can produce seeds, it needs to mature for at least 1-2 years. It is crucial to have it growing in the right conditions. That ensures that your plant can reproduce. You need to provide proper lighting, fertilization, humidity level, and watering. Afterward, the seeds will grow.
It’s important to understand what it is you can do with the seeds. The seeds can give you another flourishing spider plant. When you’re growing these seeds, it’s essential to plant them immediately. If these seeds are not planted immediately, they do not do well.
They should be sowed about 1.25 cm or an inch deep in a good potting soil mix. They require warmth and moisture in order to germinate. The process of germination takes several weeks. Do not be impatient. You should allow the plant to grow several leaves before you decide to transplant them into a larger pot.
When you first start growing spider plants, the delicate seedlings produced do not do well when being moved around a lot. Sometimes you might not be able to delay the process of potting seedlings, but spider plant seedlings tend to be quite delicate.
It requires a few weeks of growth before the seedlings are big enough to repot. When a few leaves begin to grow from the seedlings, you can start adding fertilizer. Slowly increase the fertilizer to maximum strength as the seedlings grow bigger.
It’s okay to keep using the same fertilizer as your plant continues to grow. However, you should only fertilize the plants during the summer and spring.
Identifying Spider Plant Seeds
What do spider plant seeds look like? Spider plant seeds look black, and quite small too. When you first look at them, you’ll notice they kind of look like poppy seeds.
As mentioned earlier, once you see pods from the faded flowers, wait for them to dry while still on the stem. They split open after drying, and naturally drop the seeds.
How do you get spider plant seeds? When collecting seeds from spider plants, you need to make sure the seed pods have completely dried out, turned brown, and begin to open while on the plant. After the pods have split open, you will see the black spider plant seeds inside.
If you want to make it an easier task when collecting the seeds, you should place the plant on a surface where it is easier to collect and remove the seeds, so they won’t fall off and get lost after falling from the pods. You can also choose to open up and remove the pods of the seeds immediately after they begin to split open.
After taking them, you can place them in a container or paper bag. Afterward, you can collect the seeds by carefully removing the seed pods or by shaking the container.
Buying Spider Plant Seeds
Where can you purchase spider plant seeds? You can find spider plant seeds in a nursery or local shop near you. Most online vendors will ship the seeds directly to you for free. If you want to purchase spider plant seeds in bulk, you can do that online via Alibaba.
You’ll have a variety to choose from such as green and white leaves, curly spider plants, solid green, and rare purple chlorophytum. You’ll probably pay around 25-50 cents for every 100 seeds you purchase. However, the rare purple variety is approximately 1 cent per seed. You don’t pay for shipping.
The suppliers usually ship these types of seeds from outside the USA, and they typically take around 1-2 months to reach you in the USA.
You should be a little patient with the process or order them earlier, so they get to you when you need them. These deals are excellent and hard to resist. Plantlets and cuttings are also available for sale. For cuttings, they mostly come in groups of about 4-10.
The prices vary depending on each individual seller. Most of them usually cost less than $15. You can also purchase full-sized spider plants on eBay. For example, you can purchase Orange Mandarin Spider Plants, that are already rooted, in 4-inch containers.
Planting Spider Plant Seeds
When should you start planting them? Spider plant seeds need to be planted right away after you harvest them from the mother plant. Therefore, it’s better to get the seeds from an established spider plant instead of buying them when possible.
The seeds don’t store well. However, if you plan on buying spider plant seeds online, it’s still okay. The seeds are viable for up to 6 months if they’re stored correctly. You should store the seeds at 5% moisture and room temperature when storing them. It’s also okay to try planting spider plant seeds that have been stored away for a long time and see how it goes.
How do you grow a spider plant from a seed? If you want your spider plant to flourish, then you should plant them in an optimal environment. It all starts with how well you care for the seeds before, during, and after they have been planted.
Planting Spider Plant Seeds Step By Step
Planting seeds
Knowing when you should start collecting your seeds is important. Do it once the bloom starts to die out. The pods carry the seeds. Collect the seeds once the pods are dry. Place paper towels under the plant. The seeds will fall onto the paper towels once they’re ready. Plant them immediately since they don’t keep well outside of the soil.
Begin by using a starter pot that’s about an inch deep. Cover the pot with an organic mix, then wait for it to grow. Spider plant seedlings are fragile. Don’t try moving them until they grow at least 3 or 4 leaves. The germination can take up to a month.
Soil preparation
Spider plants like to grow in pots. Therefore, it would be best if you use pots that are 4-6 inches in diameter. Clay pots are not the best option because they limit the space required for the roots to grow properly. The pot might end up breaking. The best option is a draining planter since the spider plant grows fast.
The soil you plant the seeds in should also be free-draining. You can use general planting soil but don’t use any fertilized soil. Fluoride isn’t good for the plant. Avoid any medium that would introduce it to the plant. Try an organic mixture of coarse sand, peat, loam, and compost.
Water requirements
During the growing period, the spider plant requires a lot of water. The consumption decreases in the winter. Ensure you soak the soil evenly and generously when watering your spider plant. Wait a while before you water the plant again.
They do well when the soil gets dry between watering since the roots hold a lot of water. If you overwater it, it will cause root rot. For best results, use distilled water or water from a fish tank if you have an aquarium.
Spider Plant Growing Tips
You need to learn everything related to growing and taking care of these seedlings. It takes some time, perhaps a few weeks, before the seedlings have grown to a size that is large enough to be safely repotted.
Tips For Growing Spider Plant Seeds
- As the seeds start growing, you can slowly begin fertilizing them with a weak dose. After some time, you can slowly increase the fertilizer to maximum strength as they grow larger.
- Try organic fertilizers. They are more effective and after than chemical ones. If not being used indoors, fish emulsion is also effective. However, the smell is less than appealing, to say the least. Only fertilize during the summer and spring seasons.
- It’s okay to continue using the same fertilizer throughout the entire life of the spider plant.
Conclusion
In conclusion, spider plants do have seeds and they come from the spider plant flowers. However, you do not need seeds to grow a new spider plant. You can grow them from spider plant babies, which are essentially clones.
No matter what method you choose to grow your spider plant make sure you give it the best chance for success with a nice pot, quality soil and water it as needed.
