Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 01:09 pm
Are you gardening spider plants for the first time? If you are, you most likely haven’t seen them bloom and may think they are incapable of doing so.
But spider plants do produce flowers. On occasion, spider plants produce small white flowers at the tips of their stems.
However, because the flowers do not last long and are inconspicuous, they usually bloom and go unnoticed. Their total lack of smell is also noteworthy. Spider plant flowers are very small, white, and usually have only about four to six petals in total, although some may be larger.
What Does It Mean When a Spider Plant Flowers?
Usually, when a plant flowers, it means it wants to reproduce. After blooming, it produces seeds that you can propagate.
But that will only happen if pollination occurs. Also, the flowers can produce little plantlets or spiderettes. With the increase in daylight in spring, spider plants will begin producing flowers that will eventually turn into babies or spiderettes.
Although that may not always be the case. Because it is only when a plant is mature and has stored enough energy to sustain both the plant and the attaching plantlet that the plant can produce spiderettes.
Spider plants, especially old spider plants, begin to flower when they become root-bound. The roots send a message to the plant that it must reproduce and spread due to limited space for extension.
Spider plants mostly flower to reproduce. This reproduction process usually happens when the plant has been planted for about 1-2 years. And after that period, the plant begins to flower.
Usually, the flowering is hardly noticed because it happens so fast.
The flowers come and go quickly, but the flowers later produce little spider plant babies and spider plant seeds for planting and propagation. But another reason why the flowering is hardly noticed or mentioned is that it does not have any scent.
However, if the spider plant flowers are booming and give way to seeds, you should collect them. You can store them or plant them immediately if you feel the need to start from scratch. Perhaps, you can even give them out to your friends.
Should You Let Your Spider Plant Flower?
When your spider plants flower, you may not even notice because the flower is odorless, and it usually happens very quickly.
But your spider plant flowering is good, and you should let it flower. Your plant flowering is one way you can access those lovely spider plant babies and propagate your spider plant. And spider plant flowering is a natural process that cleanses the environment.
Some spider plants will only produce one or two flowers at the top of a stem, while others will produce several flowers or even produce the flowers in clusters.
Essentially, it is unwise to try and stop your spider plant from flowering. It is the process of flowering that essentially triggers reproduction in spider plants.
So, if you want spider plant seeds, it is best to let the plants flower because that is how the seeds come about.
Additionally, the seeds only come about when the plant is pollinated. When that does not happen, the spider plant may produce tiny whitish flowers on the tips of long stem plants.
Soon, the whitish flowers turn into tiny spider-like babies, which is also why the plant is called a spider plant.
Apart from the fact that the flowers do not cause any harm to the plant or the environment, it is one of the ways you can propagate your spider plant.
On the other hand, the process of removing the flowering from the plant will most likely injure the plant even if you are very careful.
How to Encourage a Spider Plant to Flower?
If your spider plant is not flowering, it could be due to any one of several issues. You should make sure that the plant is receiving enough sunlight at a good angle so all plant parts can get enough sunlight.
And you can also try reducing the quantity of fertilizer you use in your spider plant; with too much fertilizer, you can have plenty of leaves and flowers, which may not prove beneficial.
However, there’re measures you can take to encourage your plant’s growth and make it flower more quickly.
You should know that if a spider plant is not yet mature, there isn’t much you can do to make it flower, but if yours is mature enough and still has not produced any flowering.
The following are some of the ways you can go about making sure that your plant produces flowers.
1. Supervised Potting
It’s best to try a system of potting the plantlets whereby you keep the pot containing the fresh potting mix close to the parent plant, then you repot it but still leave a portion of it in the parent pot.
As the new plant will receive moisture, nourishment, and nutrients from the parent plants, it will be easier to produce flowers.
2. Avoid Using Excess Fertilizer
Spider plants may not produce plantlets because they’ve been over-fertilized. When too much fertilizer has been put on spider plants, they produce a lot of foliage instead of producing flowers.
And the flowers are what that form the little spider plant babies. Since the plant does not flower because of excess fertilizer, the plant may not produce plantlets.
3. Controlled Lighting
Another thing is that the plants require 12 hours of total darkness during the nights for at least three weeks. The darkness has to be for a consecutive period and not on and off.
If this requirement is not met, the spider plant will not produce flowers. If your spider plant is always left under the sun, this could be why it has not made flowers.
4. Exercise Patience
Another reason could be that the plant itself is not mature. If the plant has not matured, it cannot produce flowers. The spider plant flowers upon maturity, so you can wait for your spider to mature before you start worrying about it.
5. Practice Repotting
You might also want to take a look at the size of your pot. It could be that the pot is too big and spacious, which means that all the energy is being redirected to growing roots rather than flowering. So to encourage flowering, you can try using a smaller pot instead of a large one.
6. Adequate Watering and Lighting
If the spider plant is not flowering, it could be because it receives too much shade during the day. Or there are no more nutrients in the soil, or the plant is undergoing drought stress from too little watering.
So, you should sufficiently water your plants and provide them with enough fertilizer. Additionally, spider plants prefer to be moist, and they can hardware withstand dry conditions.
Also, the high concentrations of fluoride and other chemicals in the water used for irrigating the plant may harm them. As such, please use rainwater or distilled water to water your spider plant.
Should I Cut the Flowers Off my Spider Plant?
Although trimming spider plants keeps them at a more manageable size, you should make sure you don’t cut the flowers.
You can move the plant around to give it more elbow room, but there are no provisions for cutting the flowers.
Trimming of the leaves and babies on the plants is always encouraged, especially when the plant has become too large and the babies have become so many that they consume all the nutrients of the parent plant. Then trimming them down is good for the plants.
But trimming down flowers is unnecessary. In fact, trying to cut away flowers in bloom may cause more harm than good to your plants. When removing the leaves, you may likely injure your plant, and it will begin to wither.
So, if you want to trim your spider plant but you realize that the plant is flowering, you can wait a little longer for the plants to finish flowering. This process won’t take long since the plant does not usually flower for a long time.
Furthermore, when it comes to cutting any part of the spider plant, it’s always best to cut very near the plants’ base.
Thus, if you want to remove flowering from your spider plants, you will have to cut the entire stem from the base of the plant. But if you keep trying to get rid of flowers and keep cutting the plants, the plant’s growth will be stunted.
Nonetheless, if you still want to remove some of the flowers from your plants, you should go about the process carefully. I have outlined the process as follows:
- First of all, get a pair of shears and disinfect the shears.
- Remove the shoot with the sterile shears. Cut the flowering stem as close to the base of the plant as possible.
- Once you’ve removed the stems, you can choose to propagate or even throw them away. Another option for you is to give them out as a present to friends and family.
Conclusion
Spider plants usually produce flowers but only when they have matured. They develop small white flowers at the tips of their long stems. But most times, the short-lived nature of the plants’ flowers makes most gardeners miss them, but rest assured they’re there!
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