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My spider plant is dying!


I’ve had my spider plant for a few months now, but it hasn’t been in a good state for a while and I can’t figure out the issue. It started after I’d gone on holiday, it went without watering for a while but sat in water which wasn’t good for it and hasn’t been able to recover fully since. At the moment, the leaves are extremely sparse and drooping low rather than sticking up like they used to. The leaves are also rolling inwards a lot so they’re more like a tube than a flat leaf. All of the central leaves are black or brown, the outer ones seem more healthy but are drooping the most and have some brown tips. I’ve seen some small fruit fly/mosquito type bugs around the room in general and most often see them on the spider plant rather than any other plant (all my others in the room are doing perfectly fine). I tried drying out the plant to get rid of the insects (I read that they were attracted by wet conditions). I’ve just now changed the soil to check the roots weren’t rotting but they seemed to be fine - the soil was almost completely dry except for some ever so slightly damp bits stuck in the root ball that I dislodged as much as I could before planting it again. I can’t figure out the issue but I don’t want to let it die so any advice would be amazing! For reference I water with a spray bottle from the top and keep it on a windowsill that doesn’t get strong direct sunlight. (Also, should I be removing the brown leaves and how should I go about it?)


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  •  "the soil was almost completely dry except for some ever so slightly damp bits stuck in the root ball that I dislodged as much as I could before planting it again."

    The soil is too dry, spider plants have fleshy roots so they can take a good soaking.

    "For reference I water with a spray bottle from the top and keep it on a windowsill that doesn’t get strong direct sunlight."

    never water with a sprayer, you have no idea how much water the plant is getting, and more likely that not you're only wetting the top 1mm or so of soil and the waters not actually getting to the roots where its needed, give it a good soak, submerge it in a bucket of water until the soil stops bubbling is the best bet for full wetting.

    Also what is it potted up in? it looks like soil or John Innes?, try a decent multi-purpose compost, it might also be hungry.

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited September 2018
    I think it's normal to get some leaves dying (mine certainly does that, for no apparent reason, although mine is the old-fashioned kind with longer, narrower leaves). 
    Sort out the compost and watering as treehugger80 said, and it should be fine.  My houseplant book says water liberally from spring to autumn, and sparingly in winter. From next spring/summer it will also benefit from feeding because it will have used up the nutrients in the compost.
    You can pull off the brown dead leaves - they should come away easily, if not, cut them as close to the base as you can. That will make it look better straight away.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained

  •  "the soil was almost completely dry except for some ever so slightly damp bits stuck in the root ball that I dislodged as much as I could before planting it again."

    The soil is too dry, spider plants have fleshy roots so they can take a good soaking.

    "For reference I water with a spray bottle from the top and keep it on a windowsill that doesn’t get strong direct sunlight."

    never water with a sprayer, you have no idea how much water the plant is getting, and more likely that not you're only wetting the top 1mm or so of soil and the waters not actually getting to the roots where its needed, give it a good soak, submerge it in a bucket of water until the soil stops bubbling is the best bet for full wetting.

    Also what is it potted up in? it looks like soil or John Innes?, try a decent multi-purpose compost, it might also be hungry.

    Thanks! I’ll try this, so for watering do I submerge it every time to soak it? And do I do this whenever the soil dries out completely or before that? It is planted in just a regular potting mix so I’ll see if I can get some compost for it too!
  • no, just soak it the first time to make sure its fully wet through, then have a saucer under it when you water it from now on, water from above using a jug or watering can until the water comes out the bottom of the pot and into the saucer, then wait 10 minutes and pour away any water left in the saucer.
    During the summer (May to Sept) the soil can be kept slightly damp, during winter you can let it dry out a bit between waterings
  • no, just soak it the first time to make sure its fully wet through, then have a saucer under it when you water it from now on, water from above using a jug or watering can until the water comes out the bottom of the pot and into the saucer, then wait 10 minutes and pour away any water left in the saucer.
    During the summer (May to Sept) the soil can be kept slightly damp, during winter you can let it dry out a bit between waterings
    I’ll do that from now on thank you so much!
  • I always stand my pots in water for a few hours so they absorb  what they need then lift them out,briefly drain and pop back on saucer. Only water every  3 weeks  or so. Feed during summer  only with couple drops Baby Bio diluted in the water. Repot with fresh compost every  couple of years.
    Also check  the position  one of mine was looking miserable  and I moved it to get more light and it's perked up considerably.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497

    "For reference I water with a spray bottle from the top and keep it on a windowsill that doesn’t get strong direct sunlight."

    never water with a sprayer, you have no idea how much water the plant is getting, and more likely that not you're only wetting the top 1mm or so of soil and the waters not actually getting to the roots where its needed, give it a good soak, submerge it in a bucket of water until the soil stops bubbling is the best bet for full wetting.


    By sprayer I assume you mean a pump up type that can be set to a continuous jet? I use one like that for all my house plants and it's fine for the job. I think @treehugger80 means not to use the misting type sprayer that uses a trigger for each spray.

    You might have potted the plant a bit deep there. I'd try and knock or brush a bit of soil out of the crown of the plant as they don't like being too damp.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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