The Spider Plant: propagating it is a breeze with these simple techniques
The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is a very popular house plant given how easy it is to cultivate. This plant is very low-maintenance and is ideal for non-experts; additionally, this plant will purify the air in your home by removing not only carbon dioxide, but also other harmful chemicals, such as carbon monoxide and xylene.
But what about propagating this plant? Well, it's actually very easy to do this and we describe the techniques below:
Propagation using cuttings and soil
Spider plant propagation is usually done via cuttings, removing young shoots from the mother plant. The ideal period for this is spring or early summer, during the growing season (when the plant is most energetic). In ideal conditions, in fact, this plant will produce small white flowers which will transform into new plants to be used for propogation.
Using soil as the propagation medium is the simplest and fastest method, as well being best for producing stronger roots. Cut off new shoots with sharp, sterilized shears and plant them in a well-draining pot. Water regularly and place in a bright spot, taking care that they are not exposed to direct sunlight. Your new plants soon start to flourish under these conditions.
2. Propagation in water
Propagation in water is another very popular method. That said, this method can produce weaker roots which may not withstand the transplanting operation. For this method, use a shallow container into which the plant can easily fit without falling over. Cut off the new shoots using sterilized, sharp shears, remove the leaves at the base and immerse the shoots in the water, placing the vases in a bright spot protected from direct sunlight.
When your plants have grown roots that long and strong enough, transplant into soil.
3. Propagation using paper towels
Using paper towels can be a good alternative to the above propogation methods. As with the other methods, you need to cut off new shoots with sterile, sharp shears, then place them in shallow containers wrapped in paper towels. Keep the shoots hydrated by watering them regularly. When the roots they are sufficiently long and robust enough, you can transplant the plants into soil.
4. Direct propagation from the mother plant
The final method for spider plant propagation is to encourage new shoots to take root while they are still attached to the mother plant. Take a well-draining pot of the appropriate size, fill it with soil and insert the shoots without detaching them from the mother plant. This technique guarantees that the new seedlings will get the correct supply of nutrients and water throughout their rooting process.
What if your plant hasn't produced any shoots? You can still easily propagate your plant by dividing up the head, extracting the plant from the ground and parsing it into smaller sections that you can place in new pots.
Which technique is your favorite for spider plant propagation?