Spider plants have beautiful foliage that is fairly recognizable—those long, thin leaves are hard to mistake. There are many varieties of spider plants that highlight different pigmentations and variegation patterns that look very different from each other. But do spider plants flower?
In addition to the distinctive leaves, spider plants can flower.
What Types of Spider Plants Flower?
All varieties of spider plants can produce blooms; however, some may be more likely than others to do so.
The main reason you’ve probably never witnessed this yourself is that it is somewhat hard to get the right conditions for the spider plant to flower. In addition to needing a bit of dedication (or luck), the flowers that spider plants produce are not showy, so they may not even be that noticeable in the first place.
Flowers on spider plants are small, white, and have six petals. They are somewhat star-shaped and form in loose clusters. The diameter of each flower is less than an inch.
The conditions necessary for a spider plant to produce flowers are somewhat hard to obtain, depending on where you live and what your daily schedule looks like. Outside of generally needing to be healthy enough to spend the energy necessary to produce flowers, spider plants must have experienced a tight daylight/nighttime schedule to produce flowers.
A spider plant needs to have had at least three weeks of short days and long nights. Days cannot have been over twelve hours long, and nights must not be interrupted during this time. Even after three weeks of this schedule, a plant may require more time to produce anything.
Plants grown indoors can bloom at almost any time of the year if the conditions are right. Those outdoors might not flower as often, depending on the climate you are in.
Some variations of spider plants are less likely to flower, such as Variegatum.
After blooming, flowers may give way to little plantlets that grow at the end of the stem. Flowers that become pollinated—which is not that common in spider plants—capsule-like fruit containing seeds are produced.
What Prevents Spider Plants From Flowering?
Spider plants may get the perfect day/night cycle for many weeks and not produce blooms if there is another issue affecting them.
Plants that are not healthy enough to expend the energy necessary to create a flower won’t. So those that have been lacking nutrients or weren’t in the right light or moisture conditions may struggle to produce anything.
Avoid over-fertilizing the plant, as it will be less likely to produce plantlets and may start to brown at the tips.
What To Do With Plantlets?
Plantlets are small baby spider plants that form after the mother plant flowers. Their shape is part of what gives spider plants their name.
Spider plants can be propagated in several ways (including repotting the “pups” that can form at the base of the plant). If your spider plant produces some plantlets, you can make them into their own plants.
Keep the plantlet attached to the mother plant but put it into its own pot of potting medium (you can secure it down with some wire—the plant must be touching the potting material) and wait for it to root.
Alternatively, the plantlet may start producing roots on its own while attached to the mother plant. In either case, once the baby plant has its roots, you’re safe to separate it from the mother.
Conclusion
Your spider plant can produce blooms with a little bit of work and attention on your part. While the flowers themselves aren’t too noticeable, the plantlets that can form from them may be worth the effort. Spider plants are popular house plants and can also be grown outdoors in the right climate.