The spider plant is fascinating to many plant lovers. It has a unique appearance and qualities that make it appealing to many people. It has long grassy green and white-striped leaves. The leaves are sometimes solid green or variegated with lengthwise stripes that are either white or yellow.
The leaves are not flat, but they look folded or channeled down the middle. The spider plant grows 12-15″ tall, and the roots and rhizomes are thick and fleshy to help store water, so they can survive with consistent watering. Spider plants also have flowers at certain times of the year.
Do spider plants flower? Yes. Spider plants do flower. They grow flowers on thin long stems that grow from the plant that may also include a few smaller leaves.
Common Flowering Spider Plants
There are different types of spider plants, and each has its unique aesthetic. There are over 65 different species of spider plants in the South African tropical rainforest. We have outlined some of the most common ones below:
Chlorophytum Comosum (Airplane Plant): this is the most common type of spider plant. It has streaked leaves. The outline of the leaves is forest green, while the middle is light yellow. It also acts as the best air purifier.
Chlorophytum Comosum: just like the name suggests, the middle of the leaves and the outline are opposite of the variegatum. The color of the outline is pale yellow and the middle of the leaves is forest green. They grow quite big.
Chlorophytum Comosum (Bonnie Plant): this variety of spider plants spreads out into curly leaves and offspring. It is a bonnie spider plant that looks like a variegated one. They are a type of spider plant.
Chlorophytum Laxum (Zebra Plant): the zebra spider plant does not look very different from the ‘reverse variegatum,’ but it has a yellow outline on the leaves and is much brighter. It is a variety that does not grow as tall as the rest. They can’t easily be found at any given nursery.
Spider Plant Flowering Frequency
What time of year do spider plants flower? Spider plants typically bloom during the summer and springtime. The name “spider plant” is derived from the little “pups” on the plant that resemble the body of a spider. The spider plant usually produces small white flowers that grow off the long stems.
How often does a spider plant bloom? Spider plants can bloom a few times per year depending on a variety of factors such as the age of the plant, how much light the plant is getting, and where the plant is being kept. It can also depend on the variety of spider plant you have.
You will notice that your spider plant might produce some small white flowers that usually grow at the tips of its long arching stem.
How often the spider plant will bloom depends mainly on what variety it is. It also depends on the growing conditions you provide.
The plant might not be getting all the nutrients it requires to bloom, so you might notice there won’t be any flowers growing. However, if you have the plant in the right conditions, like having enough fertilizer and light, the spider plant will successfully produce many flowers.
The health of the plant heavily influences its ability to produce flowers and babies.
How long do spider plant blooms last? They bloom in response to short days and long uninterrupted nights for at least three weeks. When the spider plant blooms, it produces tiny white flowers that are approximately 2 feet long. They sometimes have a few small leaves.
It might happen indoors any time of the year.
Spider Plant Flowers & Propagation
Will my spider plant flowers turn into babies? Spider plant flowers do not always turn into babies or spiderettes, as they are sometimes called. A spider plant must be fully mature and have access to enough resources to produce babies. However, less mature plants can still flower.
You might notice that your spider plants get to a point where they go limp and stop producing babies. This happens when the conditions in which they’re grown are not favorable.
Some of the things needed for the spider plants to grow babies include a lot of light and warm temperatures that lead to flowering, and the flowers subsequently turn into babies.
One thing you’ll notice is your spider plant won’t produce babies during cooler months that have little natural light. Another effective way you can have them create babies is by keeping them tight in the pots they’re growing in.
The pot should be just comfortably tight, similar to a pair of jeans that fits like a glove, but you can still move comfortably in them.
Will my spider plant die after flowering? The spider plant won’t die after producing flowers. There are significant factors that lead to a dying spider plant. The main reason for the plant to die is root rot caused by overwatering. Too much water leads to the plant drooping and turning yellow.
Other things that lead to a spider plant dying include low humidity, under watering, and low humidity. After a spider plant blooms, more leaves are produced at the ends of the stems, and they form small plantlets.
After flowering, the flowers do not have a strong smell, and they tend to die much faster.
The more flowers it produces, the more it needs water and fertilizer. The blooming process uses up a lot of the plant’s energy. Therefore, it is advisable to remove the babies after the spider plant blooms.
Should I cut the flowers off my spider plant? You can cut the flowers and spiderettes off of your plant if you do not want any spider plant seeds or spider babies. It will help your plant conserve resources and remain healthier. However, leave them on if you want to start new plants.
If your spider plant is becoming too big to handle, it’s advisable to prune the spider plant. Pruning helps the plant maintain a more manageable and desirable size. These plants tend to become unruly and unkempt.
Pruning is good for a spider plant’s health. It also enhances their overall health and vigor. You should only prune your spider plant if it’s large and overgrown. That’s one of the reasons why pruning is good. The spiderettes produced by the plant aren’t very good for it since they’re nutrient hogs.
When hanging from the mother plant, they take up a lot of the water and fertilizer. The reason that happens is that the spiderettes quickly grow their roots. After that happens, they need to be transferred to their own pots. If they aren’t pruned early enough, the main spider plant might begin to deteriorate from lack of nutrients.
Trimming it and removing the flowers ensures the plant will remain healthy. Brown tips are another reason a spider plant should be pruned. That comes about when there is excessive direct sunlight, as well as excessive amounts of fluoride and chloride in water. Pruning is a simple process, and you can easily do it yourself.
Do spider plant flowers produce seeds? Spider plant flowers do produce seeds. It blooms naturally, producing flowers. However, for spider plants to produce seeds, they must be pollinated. You can easily pollinate the spider plant yourself by gently rubbing a cotton swab against one flower after the other.
If you feel like that’s too much work for you and you can put your spider plant outside, then you can leave it there to allow other insects to naturally pollinate the plant. The seeds are usually set along the stems of the plant where the flowers have bloomed.
If you want more spider plants, you can collect the seeds and sow them in a shallow container that contains a growing mix. It should be kept warm (at 70 degrees) and a little moist until the seeds sprout.
Why isn’t my spider plant flowering? Some varieties of spider plants usually produce many flowers when they are young, but then stop flowering as the plant continues to mature. Most spider plants do not flower until they are mature enough and somewhat pot-bound.
Reasons Why Your Sider Plant Isn’t Blooming
- Too much or not enough sunlight
- Overfertilization
Too much or not enough sunlight: for spider plants to bloom, they require indirect sunlight. However, when there’s too much sunlight, it can scorch the leaves, and not enough sunlight leads to stunted growth. Ensure it’s in medium to bright lighting conditions for the spider plant to properly grow. Growth is slow in low lighting conditions, but they can still survive.
Overfertilization: a slider may not produce flowers if it gets too much fertilizer. Excessive fertilizing might lead to very bushy green plants, but there won’t be any flowers or plantlets. Professionals recommend only using low-dose fertilizer on the spider plants such as a 4-4-4 or a 2-4-4. If you want your spider plant to produce flowers, you can also use a bloom-boosting fertilizer in spring.
Why did my spider plant flowers but have no babies? If you find that your spider plant is blooming but not producing any babies, it might be due to cultural issues such as good lighting or it’s not mature yet. The babies come along when a mature spider plant is growing under the right conditions.
Your spider plant producing flowers during spring when there’s an increase in daylight isn’t always a guarantee that the plant will produce spiderettes. The plant needs enough stored energy.
What is the long stem growing out of my spider plant? The long arching stems that grow out of the spider plant are where the small white flowers of spider plants grow. The flowers that grow from the long stem of the spider plant usually grow in a cluster and can be single depending on the type of spider plant.
The stems can grow very long and arch outward of the spider plant. That gives them a lot of elbow room. The stems might also form at the nodes along the panicles.
Conclusion
In conclusion, spider plant flowering can be a complicated subject and when it comes to questions about flowering it usually comes down to “it depends” and “but”.
Only mature spider plants will be able to really take advantage of producing flowers to grow spider plant babies or produce seeds.
However, if you have no desire to have more than one spider plant, you can simply clip them off.
