Spider plants are a popular choice for a houseplant because of their ease of care and their cascading leaves. This plant thrives in a variety of conditions and is often considered a hard plant to kill. These factors make it an excellent choice for a busy household. Having a spider plant in your home can add a touch of nature to your space, especially if you learn how to make a spider plant bushier.
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How to Make a Spider Plant Bushier?
If you’re seeking to learn how to make a spider plant bushier, you can try to incorporate a watering schedule, optimal light, fertilizer, pruning, repotting, and preventing stress. By doing these series of actions, you will be sure to make a thriving and bushy spider plant in no time at all.
Planting Multiple Together
Planting multiple spider plants together is a surefire way to solve the question of how to make a spider plant bushier. When multiple are planted together, they give the look of a very thick plant because the leaves are emerging from multiple locations in the soil. Your placement of the plants should be a bit spaced out, allowing for the bushiest of looks once they grow and thrive.
One thing to keep in mind is that you can plant the plantlet babies within the mother’s pot. If the mother’s pot is big enough or looks like it needs more foliage, plant a couple around the main plant. Watch how bushy the plant appears to be after the new plants begin to grow!
Optimal Watering Schedule
Proper watering is an essential aspect on how to make a spider plant bushier, as it greatly affects growth. Spider plants prefer somewhat moist soil but do not want to be overwatered. Overwatering can cause the roots to rot. To prevent this, make sure that you let the top inch of soil dry out completely between watering. Once the soil is dry, proceed to water thoroughly. Make sure the extra water has drained away and dump it. You need to try to keep the balance between dry and too wet because spider plants dislike both of those conditions.
Most people try to figure out a watering schedule for their spider plants. It’s often recommended that you water your spider plant once every week during the warmer months. During the cold months, you may be able to wait a little bit longer between your waterings.
Provide Plenty of Light
Spider plants love indirect, bright light, so if you want your plant to thrive you should place it near a sunny window or grow light. You should aim to get your spider plant 6 to 8 hours of light per day. You can also bring your spider plant outside during the warmer months to get plenty of sunshine. Spider plants flourish when put outside and often will produce many plantlet babies, as well as tons of leaves, during this time. However, you need to make sure that you do not put your plant in direct sunlight to avoid burning the leaves.
Fertilize for Growth
Fertilizing your spider plant may not have ever been something you considered since it’s an easy to grow houseplant. However, fertilizing can encourage growth and increase bushiness of the plant. You should only fertilize your plant during spring and summer though. An optimal fertilizer for this plant is an all purpose liquid fertilizer that you can apply once every month or two. This will give your plant extra nutrients to support additional growth. It’s important to not get to over zealous with fertilizing this plant though, as it can damage the plant and cause browning of the leaf tips.
We Recommend: Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food
Pruning for Stimulation
Pruning is important for learning how to make a spider plant bushier. This is hard for some people to do because they don’t want to harm or damage their plants. Fortunately, pruning away the brown and damaged leaves actually can be very beneficial for your plant. Pruning away the dead leaves allows for your plant to put all of its energy into the healthy foliage. You can also trim away any overly long leaves to make a more pulled together and bushy appearance. This will stimulate new growth from the plant as well. So, do not be afraid to give your spider plant a nice haircut every once in a while!
Repotting for More Room
If you don’t see your spider plant getting any new growth or you want it to grow bigger, you may need to consider a new pot. Spider plants like some extra room in their environment to grow, so your plant may have outgrown it’s current container. Pick one that is a bit bigger and will let the roots expand and spread. Always be sure to choose a well-draining pot that will prevent any excess moisture from waterlogging the roots. The better the root system on your plant, the bigger and bushier your plant will become.
It’s typically recommended to check your spider plant for being root bound once every two years. Some signs of your spider plant being root bound is that you will see roots coming out of the bottom of your pot, showing above the surface soil, or circling around the inside of the pot. You may also notice that the soil is drying out very quickly after watering. Another big sign of your plant needing a bigger pot is that the growth has slowed down.
Prevent Stress
Preventing any unnecessary stress onto your plant is important, such as overwatering, extreme temperatures, underwatering, or a lack of light. Avoiding any extra stress for your spider plant will assist in allowing it to thrive and grow more bushy. The better the health of the spider plant, the more it will grow and produce leaves and babies. Spider plants are easy to keep alive but aiming for keeping them happy works best for a dramatic increase in foliage.
To wrap it up, spider plants are generally easy to please plants that are a beautiful addition to any household. You will be able to easily transform your spider plant into a bushy, thriving houseplant with the right care and alterations. Experiment with different techniques to try and hone in on what works the best for your plants. Soon you will see your plant producing tons of new cascading leaves and, most likely, many new babies!
