People who are new to keeping spider plants may think that water requirements are restricted to how often they should water their plants. While this isn’t wrong, there’s a lot more to know about spider plants’ water requirements.
For example, do spider plants need to be misted in addition to being watered? Should you water more frequently in summer? Will the water requirements differ indoors than outdoors?
There’s a bit more to it than you might have thought. Let’s start by understanding the basic water routine.
Spider Plant Typical Water Requirements
A spider plant doesn’t need that much water. As a rule of thumb, if the temperature is average, watering it once a week should be enough. If you forget when was the last time you watered your spider plant, use the finger dip test to see if it’s time to add more water.
To do this test, insert your finger down to the first finger joint in the soil. If it comes out clean or with barely any debris, this soil is dry and needs watering.
If it comes out with wet debris, then you should wait a bit more to prevent overwatering. Ideally, you want your finger to come out with minimum debris, which indicates the soil needs water but isn’t dangerously dry.
How Much Water Does a Spider Plant Need?
We talked about how often you should water your spider plant, but not how much. The answer is that it depends on the pot and plant size. The bigger they are, the more water they’ll need.
What will help you here is, once again, the dip test. For example, add a cup of water today and do the test a couple of days later.
If the soil is dry, then you need more than a cup. Don’t worry, it’s not case-sensitive. Spider plants can still tolerate a fair amount of over or underwatering.
Pro tip: A good practice is to slowly water your spider plant until excess water starts to seep out of the drainage holes. That’s when the soil is saturated.
Over and Under Watering Your Spider Plant
We did say that it isn’t case-sensitive, but there’s still a limit to how far your spider plant can tolerate over or underwatering. Let’s have a look.
Underwatered Spider Plant
- Leaves: Crispy brown tips and edges, may curl or droop.
- Soil: Dry and pulls away from the pot.
- Stems: Soft, yellowish, and limp.
- Growth: Slow growth.
Note: Handling an underwatered spider plant is fairly easier than an overwatered one. Go ahead and start watering it properly again, and the leaves will freshen up within a couple of days.
Overwatered Spider Plant
- Leaves: Limp, mushy, and may turn yellow or brown.
- Soil: Soggy and may smell bad.
- Stems: Soft and limp.
- Growth: Stunted growth.
As you can see, the signs of both plants can be similar, but the soil will be the distinguishing factor based on whether it’s soggy or dry.
If you want to be extra sure, removing the spider plant from the pot and checking the roots will be your best bet.
Overwatered plants will have a fungal infection resulting in root rot. Regular roots have a white or creamy hue and they’re quite firm to pull. Rotten roots are dark, mushy, smelly, and easy to pull out. We’ll discuss how to handle this in the next section.
How to Revive an Overwatered Spider Plant
You discovered that your spider plant is overwatered and suffering from root rot. The good news is that you can revive it, the not-so-bad news is that it’ll take a bit of effort. Assuming you have already taken out the plant from its pot and found the root rot, here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Remove the Infected Roots
The infected roots will have a darker color and a less firm texture. Put on your gardening gloves, and start pulling off the infected roots under a small stream of tap water. The water will make it easier to remove infected soil as well. Have a look at how it’s done here.
Some roots will come out easily as you grab them, while others will be a mix of healthy and rotten roots. Use clean shears to cut off the rotten parts while preserving the healthy ones.
Step 2: Discard the Soil
You can’t disinfect the soil, which renders it dangerous to be used again for planting. Discard the soil and thoroughly wash the pot with a cleaning agent.
You may use the same pot again, but we recommend using a different pot entirely to maximize the chances of your plant’s recovery.
Step 3: Mix Your New Soil
Spider plants prefer well-draining soil, which helps in preventing water stagnation and minimizes the risk of root rot.
Mix houseplant soil, perlite, and vermiculite in the following ratios to get the ideal soil for spider plants:
- Houseplant soil: 40-60%
- Perlite: 20-40%
- Vermiculite: 10-20%
Step 4: Repotting Your Plant
Now that your pot and spider plant are clean and ready, go ahead and place a few inches of soil in the new pot.
Now, hold the spider plant from one of its strong stems, and start piling up more soil until it surrounds enough of the root to hold the plant in place.
Finally, continue filling up until the pot is nearly full of soil.
Spider Plants: Indoors Vs. Outdoors Watering
Spider plants can healthily grow indoors and outdoors. They prefer the partial shade light treatment; an indirect non-bright light for fewer than six hours a day. That’s because direct sunlight for extended periods can cause scorching of the leaves.
As for watering, you may end up watering your spider plant once every five days instead of every seven days if it’s planted outdoors.
Unless you’re placing your spider plant in a heat-controlled environment, the outdoor heat causes faster water evaporation from the soil. Since this can vary depending on the temperature differences among different locations, you’ll have to rely on, you guessed it, the dip test.
The test will help you identify how many days your spider plant’s environmental conditions dry out its soil. It’s especially important in the summer, as you may need to water twice a week if it’s too hot outside.
For example, let’s say that you did the test three weeks in a row, and discovered that the soil approaches complete dryness every six days, then six days becomes your watering frequency for the season.
Do the test again in the following season to figure out the corresponding frequency per season. It can be a bit exhausting, but spider plants can live for years, so it’s worth it.
FAQs
How Long Can a Spider Plant Go Without Water?
A healthy spider plant with established roots can last two to three weeks without water in moderate conditions, but younger plants or those in hot and dry environments might need watering sooner.
Do Spider Plants Like to Be Misted?
Spider plants will do fine without misting, especially indoors where misting can actually cause a fungal infection on the leaves. However, if you’re keeping your plant outdoors in a hot environment, misting will cool down the leaves and evaporate before it can cause an infection.
Where Do I Place My Spider Plant at Home?
Since it’s not critical with its light requirements, anywhere at home will work. An ideal location would be near a window, where it can get some indirect sunlight every day. Still, you should keep your spider plant away from pets, overly humid rooms, and children.
Final Thoughts
Spider plants are pretty generous when it comes to watering. They’re also pretty resilient if you forget to water them for a while. Still, there are only so many errors you can make before your plant starts complaining.
Start by identifying how often should you water your spider plant depending on the season, where you live, and whether it’s indoors or outdoors. The finger dip test is a fantastic tool to help you do so.
Once you establish a proper watering frequency, caring for your spider plant will be a piece of cake. If you live in an extra hot environment, misting the leaves during the afternoon sun will prevent scorching. Happy planting!
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.