Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 12:57 pm
Waking up every day, I would always go to my garden to check if my plants had increased in size. And as a gardener growing spider plants for the first time then, the process was quite exciting. Nonetheless, we all desire a quick growth of our plants.
So, if you’re gardening spider plants, you wouldn’t be the first one wondering how fast they grow.
Spider plants grow to reasonable heights in about six months. Nonetheless, when given proper care and under the best conditions, such as good light and just the right amount of water, spider plant will fully mature in two years. It is one of the fastest indoor growing plants. So under good conditions, spider plants will grow at a very rapid pace.
How Long Does It Take for Spider Plants to Grow?
It takes a well-planted spider plant about six months to a year to grow. Afterward, it reaches its full size of 12-24 inches within 2-3 years.
Spider plants undergo three phases of growth — the vegetative phase, transition phase, and reproductive phase. Furthermore, it takes about 7-10 days for spider plant babies to grow roots in water or soil. Nonetheless, the choice of the growth medium is the gardener’s.
In the vegetative phase, shoots consist predominantly of leaf blades. The transition phase occurs as a result of response to temperature and light.
Then, the apical meristem slowly converts from a vegetative bud to a flower bud. During this phase, leaf sheaths also begin to elongate.
The reproduction phase starts with converting the shoot apex from a vegetative condition to a floral bud. At this phase, spider plants begin to reproduce spiderettes. The babies can be left on the parent plant until they have taken root.
Why is my Spider Plant Growing So Slowly?
Lack of nutrients, poor watering, inadequate temperature, misapplication of fertilizers, and bad lighting can stop the growth of spider plants.
Isn’t it obvious? Bad conditions stunt growth and good ones foster! For example, when it comes to potting, if your spider plant has been in the same pot for a long period, the plant would have used up all the nutrients leaving the soil bare. This issue is why repotting is necessary.
1. Poor Watering
Again, if your watering practices are poor, it could be a reason for the slow growth of your spider plants. Nonetheless, spider plants require a minimal amount of water. They typically prefer being underwatered to overwatering.
This is because overwatering the plant leads to root rot with rhizomes, which are roots that store water. Therefore, it is advisable to water spider plants once a week in summer and once a month in winter.
2. Inappropriate Exposure to Light
Furthermore, spider plants require indirect sunlight to grow. They are low-light houseplants. This means they do not do well when exposed directly to sunlight. This exposure could cause dull leaves and brown spots. Therefore, you should place yours close to a window.
3. Improper Fertilizer Application
Moreover, spider plants do not need a lot of fertilizer. However, they still benefit from it. Because synthetic fertilizers cause burns on the leaves, I’d advise you not to use them.
But I highly recommend organic fertilizers for spider plants. Also, it’s best to apply fertilizers in early spring for growth stimulation. Once this is done, you should feed your spider plants liquid fertilizers like compost manure.
4. Poor Soil Choice
As a gardener, your choice of soil is very important in the growth of your plant. Spider plants grow well in well-drained soil which is rich in nutrients. Avoid the use of garden soil in the pot. This is because garden soil is too heavy for a spider plant.
So, it’s best to choose a potting soil with a part of perlite or pumice for aeration. Furthermore, too much chlorine and salt could cause burnt tips on the spider plant. So, it’s best to avoid using hard water. It is advisable to use distilled water or rainwater.
5. Improper Temperature
Another reason for the slow growth of spider plants is improper temperature. Spider plants grow well between a temperature range of 65°F- 75°F during the day and about 55°F at night. If the temperature is lower or higher than this range, then your spider plant may grow slowly.
So, spider plants can adapt to survive in a range of conditions. But for rapid growth, the temperature as mentioned above is needed.
How Do I Make my Spider Plants Bushy?
There’s no doubt that spider plants are naturally beautiful, but most people feel they’re more attractive when bushy. You need to provide certain care needed to make your spider plant bushy. These include: pruning, repotting, pest control, using a good soil type, and propagation.
1. Pruning
Pruning is best done using sharp scissors to remove all the leaves that look diseased, dead, or discolored. Also, it’s best to only cut off the long stem connecting the mother and baby plant at the base if necessary.
The spiderettes can be used to fill your spider plant. Also, it would help if you cut the flower spikes away once you notice they turn yellow or brown.
2. Repotting
This practice helps in making spider plants bushy. If your plant is left in the same old pot for a long period, its health will begin to decline. It is best to report your spider plant once you see it has outgrown the pot.
It should be put in a slightly larger pot with holes to allow drainage. When removing the spider plants to a bigger pot, rinse and trim its roots, then replant in the larger pot.
This process also helps to get rid of any unwanted spiderettes competing for space. Thus, it allows proper spreading of the spider plant.
3. Pest Control
Pests such as mealybugs, and aphids, may cause spider plants to look scanty when infested. To make your plant bushy, such pests should be removed by spraying insecticidal soap or using cotton swabs that you can dip in alcohol.
This would help eliminate pests on spider plants that kill the flowers and spiderettes, reducing their ability to spread and grow. Therefore, if you want a bushy spider plant, you should control pests.
4. Soil Type
Wanting a bushy spider plant depends on your choice of soil. Whether your spider plant will get full of scanty depends on the potting medium you choose. To know good soil, you should ask, “How nutrient-rich is the soil? Does it drain well? Does it contain some moisture? How good is the aeration of the soil?”
Since spider plants are heavy root feeders, they need soil rich in nutrients. Again, the soil should be well-drained.
Furthermore, sand should be used because it cannot hold water. You should use loamy soil because it holds water to some extent, it’s rich in nutrients, well-aerated, and can hold plant roots.
5. Propagation
When spider plants are well taken care of, they grow and multiply, producing white flowers. These flowers later develop into babies or spiderettes. Therefore, it is important to propagate by simply planting the spiderettes in a pot filled with light soil.
The pot should have holes for drainage on the bottom of it. You can leave the babies attached to the parent until the new plant takes root. After this is done, you can separate them from the parent.
Propagation of spider plants could be done in three ways – in water, directly in the soil, and in the soil while still attached to the mother plant. But for our purposes, propagation in the soil while still attached to the mother plant is the most basic.
You may choose any propagation method, but the spiderettes should be given adequate bright but indirect sunlight. Propagation should be done in the spring or early summer.
Conclusion
Spider plants grow rapidly depending on the care given to them by the gardener. A very green, attractive, and bushy spider plant results from the efforts put in nurturing the plant.
Spider plants grow fully within 2-3 years but start developing within six months. Growth is characteristic to living things. Spider plants undergo various stages before reaching maturity.
To fully mature, a plant must have passed through different processes, care, and stages. It is not just enough to know how to plant as a gardener, but it is also wise to know more about the plants we cultivate.
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