I’m at a loss… my spider plant is giving me absolute hell and has since I got it about 2 months ago. I waited about 3 weeks then repotted. It got sunburnt (?) and has been struggling since. It’s less than half the size now and it’s breaking my heart. I thought these were impossible to kill!? HELPPPP 🥲
Every potted plant can die especially from too much care. Ask me how I know?🤣 Spider plants aren’t as fussy as other tropical plants. They like being root bound a bit. So, you should delay repotting to a larger pot if the plant looks healthy. The current pot looks too big based on the unused areas on the topsoil. I recommend downsizing the pot to a size that only holds the root ball with only about an inch of room for the roots to grow. Less unused soil means less excess water to cause root rot. Water only after the soil completely dries out to prevent overwatering. Spider plant roots are thick and hold lots of water. My photo shows two spider plants I bought in 2023 and their thick roots. They can take direct sunlight after they are acclimated to it or they will burn. Check online for methods to safely acclimate indoor plants to direct sunlight. I place mine in east light. South and west sunlight is acceptable if they are filtered. Fertilize during warm months when they rapidly grow. 🪴🍀
I didn’t have any intentions of repotting until I saw roots literally poking out of the top 🙃 the top is so open because I’ve had SO much leaf loss. It was MUCHHH fuller when I got it, the pot it’s currently in isn’t terribly larger than the nursery pot. Maybe an inch? It’s just not as deep which is why im gonna put it into another pot that’s the same width, just deeper. It was in direct (maybe slightly filtered?) sunlight at Home Depot so I’m not sure why it’s being so dramatic at my house. It’s on the screened porch with some “direct” sunlight but it’s mostly shaded indirect light. Hopefully the repotting will put it on the mend. 😭 I’ll try to find a photo from when it was purchased.
0 likesThis was maybe 2ish weeks after purchasing. There’s a clear, significant difference in fullness then vs now. 🥺
It looks like sunburn killed off many individual plants in the pot making it look sparse. I still recommend downsizing. I understand that option may not be possible if the root system of the remaining plants have already spread out. 🪴🍀
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Not sure what water you use on yours, but I’ve only used distilled water as Spider plants are sensitive to the chemicals found in tap water, such as fluoride and chlorine. These can cause leaves to turn brown. Using distilled water or rainwater, or letting tap water sit out for 24 hours to allow the chemicals to dissipate, may help, although home depot would most likely only use tap water on them, can’t fully tell but looks like you’ve got it in a pot with no drainage, they like dryish and without the drainage the bottom part will take longer to dry, also be, best if you do repot to add a bit of coarse sand , coco choir , catus mix, pumice and perlite if you got any of those, I also give mine a mist once a week, but only in the evening so doesn’t get burnt from strong light
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