spider plants - withstand the elements
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If you are looking into a new kind of houseplant for your home, the Spider plant is a great option. They are easy to care for and they naturally grow well in the conditions that homes offer them. For this reason, they are often used by teachers to explain how to grow and care for plants. If you are just getting into gardening, they are the perfect plant to start with. They should be grown in containers or hanging baskets.
Propagation:
Spider plants naturally create stalks that grow out from the plant. At the end of the stalks are small, baby spider plants. If you remove these babies from the stalk, you can place the roots in water to begin the propagation process. Once the roots get to be at least an inch long, you can transplant the new spider plant into a pot with potting soil.
Another option is to move the baby spider plant into soil while it is still attached to the stalk. It should be held in place by a string or stake. Once the new plant's roots take hold, you can clip it off from the main plant. You now have two individual spider plants. This method is healthier than the plant than the first method described.
The original spider plant will not produce the baby plants until it become root bound. So, if you want to propagate more spider plans, do not plant the first one in a pot that is too big.
Because of the ease and speed of propagation, you can have a houseful of spider plants if you wish. All of this is possible beginning with the one, mother plant.
If you do not want new plants, you can simply let the plants stay on the stalk, and they will look beautiful attached to the original plant. This is especially true if they are allowed to hang down from a hanging basket.
Care and Maintenance:
It is simple to care for spider plants. They need soil that is rich in nutrients. The pot needs to have a good drainage system. Constantly wet soil is bad for the plants. To be sure they get enough nutrients, they should be given liquid fertilizer once or twice per month. Use half of the recommended strength though, because the plants are sensitive to fertilizer.
They should be watered once per week, but never fully soak the soil. If you give them too much fertilizer or water, the tips of the leaves will turn brown. If you cut off the brown leaves, the plant will replace the old leaves with new, healthy ones. Hard water can also make the leaves turn brown. If this happens to you, try using distilled water.
One plus in caring for a spider plant is they don't need constant light to grow well. They do fine in low light areas, as long as they get a good dose of sunlight once or twice per week. They need indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight can be bad for them. Placing them near a window with reflected light is very good for them.
If you place them by a window in the winter, make sure you don't leave them too close to it for long. If the window is not insulated well, the cold temperatures will be too much for the plant to handle. Although cold temperatures are bad for the spider plants, they can handle cool temperatures without a problem.
Spider plants are a great option for your home because they are easy to care for and look great. In addition, they help keep the air quality clean. Having a fleet of spider plants in your home will help to filter out toxins. The plants will last a very long time, and the baby plants make great gifts for friends.
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