Ever spotted tiny white stars at the end of your spider plant’s long, dangling stems and wondered what on earth they were? Those are flowers. Yes, spider plants bloom, and plenty of owners miss it because the flowers are small and the babies that follow steal the show.
Here’s what spider plant flowers look like, when they show up, what happens after they fade, and what you can do to get more of those flowering stems (and the baby plants that come with them).
Do Spider Plants Flower?
They do. The spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum, also called airplane plant, ribbon plant or spider ivy) is a clump-forming perennial from Africa in the asparagus family, Asparagaceae. The Missouri Botanical Garden describes its flowering stems as bearing “loose panicles of small, white, starry flowers” and lists its bloom time simply as “flowers freely.”
Clemson Extension says long, wiry stems appear on healthy plants with many small white flowers and miniature plantlets. Those stems are the same ones that later dangle the “spiders” everyone loves to pot up.
Are Spider Plant Flowers Rare?
Not really. They’re easy to overlook, not rare. The flowers are usually called insignificant (gardener-speak for small and not showy), and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) calls them “rather insignificant.” If your plant is healthy and sending out long stems, there’s a good chance it has flowered and you simply missed it.
What Spider Plant Flowers Look Like
NC State Extension describes small white, star-shaped flowers in loose clusters (panicles), about 1/4 inch across, each with six spreading tepals (petals and sepals that look alike). It describes the flowers as upright to typically arching and pendulous, and says the stems sometimes carry plantlets at their nodes too.
Some botanical descriptions give a slightly bigger flower, up to about 20 mm (roughly 3/4 inch) across, with six stamens and tepals that curve back. Either way, you’re looking at a small, simple white star.
One cultivar has a twist. Wisconsin Extension notes that ‘White Stripe’ has cream to yellowish flower stalks instead of the usual green.
Related: Bonnie Curly Spider Plant
When Do Spider Plants Bloom?
Indoors, almost any time. Bloom times are listed as spring, summer, fall and winter, and the long stems may appear at any time of year when the plant is grown indoors. In its native South Africa, it flowers in the summer months, though autumn is also listed.
How old does a plant need to be? Plants should reach flowering size within a year. So a young plant can flower; you don’t have to wait for a giant, decades-old basket.
What Happens After a Spider Plant Flowers
The Babies Come Next
Here’s the part most people get backward. The flowers don’t turn into babies; they share the same stem. Plantlets form at the flowering nodes: after flowering, more leaves are produced at the end of the stems, forming small plantlets. The flowers are often replaced by leafy buds that root and grow into new plants.
New plantlets root when they come into contact with soil. Try setting a plantlet, still attached, on a pot of potting mix (a bent paper clip holds it down), letting it root, then cutting the stem.
Seeds, If the Flowers Get Pollinated
Spider plant flowers aren’t just decoration. They’re pollinated by insects, and a pollinated flower produces a leathery, three-angled capsule containing small, flat, black, shiny seeds.
Want to try growing from seed? Sow in spring or summer in a warm, shady spot in sandy, slightly acidic soil, cover with a thin layer of sand and keep moist; germination usually comes within three weeks. Seedlings won’t necessarily have the same leaf coloring as the parent, so a striped plant may give you plain green babies.
Should You Cut Off the Flower Stems?
That’s up to you. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) says to trim back flowering spikes once they have finished if you don’t need new plantlets. Leave them on if you want a fuller basket or babies to share.
How To Get Your Spider Plant To Flower
There’s no magic switch, but a healthy, well-grown plant is the one that sends out flowering stems. Here’s what the extension services recommend.
Give It Bright, Indirect Light
Spider plants grow best in bright, indirect light; they can take some direct sun, but midday light may scorch the leaves. The plant is also called intolerant of direct sunlight, and the foliage will scald in direct sun. I’ve photographed spider plants growing in full sun at neighbors’ homes, both as an in-ground groundcover and in pots. One note for Florida gardeners: spider plant is predicted to become invasive in Florida and is no longer recommended there. For a flowering plant indoors, a spot near a bright window, out of hot midday rays, is the sweet spot.
Let the Short Days of Fall Work for You
Day length matters, though the sources don’t fully agree. The stolons (the long stems) and plantlets develop when the mother plant gets short days and long, uninterrupted nights, with less than 12 hours of light a day, for at least three weeks. Indoors the long stems may appear any time of year, and spider plants produce most of their offshoots when the days shorten in fall.
One older grower guide disagrees. A foliage production note found the largest number of blooming offsets on plants getting light for 12 hours a day or longer at high greenhouse light levels, and says night lighting also stimulated stolon formation. That was a commercial greenhouse setting, not a living room.
If your plant never sends out stems, try following the extension advice: keep it in bright, indirect light, and for at least three weeks in fall let it have natural day length and dark nights, away from lamps that stay on late.
Keep It a Little Snug in Its Pot
Spider plants grow and produce plantlets best when slightly pot bound. Don’t take that too far. Spider plants have thick, fleshy, tuberous roots, so divide and repot before the roots expand enough to crack the container. More on root-bound spider plants.
As for how often: suggestions range from repotting once a year while the plant is young and every other year once it matures, to repotting and dividing every two to three years.
Go Easy on the Fertilizer
More food does not mean more flowers here. Don’t over-fertilize, because it decreases plantlet formation. Heavily fertilized plants may not form as many new plantlets, and the plant’s tubers store reserve food. Excess fertilizer may also lead to brown tips.
Feed during active growth with a water-soluble or time-release houseplant fertilizer and follow the label. Feeding every three to four months is usually enough. After repotting, wait four to six months before feeding.
Water Evenly and Watch the Leaf Tips
Spider plants should dry out briefly between waterings: let the soil dry slightly, or the upper inch dry out briefly, between thorough waterings. Overwatering or poorly drained soil can lead to root rot. More tips on watering your spider plant.
Brown leaf tips are a separate issue from flowering, but they’re common. Leaf tip burn is caused by too much fertilizer or water high in soluble salts, and low humidity and excessively dry soil may also cause it. Chlorine and fluorides in tap water can cause tip burn too, so rainwater or distilled water is best if your water is fluoridated.
Keep It Comfortable
Sources give slightly different ranges: 65 to 75°F by day and 50 to 55°F at night; above 45°F, with 55 to 70°F ideal; or no cooler than 55°F and no warmer than 80°F. Moving plants a few feet from windows in winter protects them from drafts.
Are Spider Plant Flowers Safe for Pets?
The ASPCA lists spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) as non-toxic to dogs and cats, and the species is considered non-toxic for horses too. The flowers aren’t singled out. Still, keep dangling stems where a curious cat can’t turn them into a toy.
A Note for Florida Gardeners
If you garden in Florida, think twice before planting spider plants outdoors. The UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas predicts spider plant will become invasive in north, central and south Florida and says it is not recommended. Indoors in a hanging basket, it’s a different story. Related: Growing Spider Plants Outdoors
Has your spider plant ever surprised you with flowers? Tell us when yours bloomed!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are spider plant flowers rare?
No, they’re just easy to miss. Spider plants flower freely, and healthy plants send out long, wiry stems with many small white flowers and plantlets. The flowers are small, white and not showy, which is why many owners notice the baby plants first. If your plant is making long stems, it has likely flowered already.
Why isn’t my spider plant flowering?
Check the conditions that bring on the long stems that carry the flowers. Those stems form after at least three weeks of short days and long, uninterrupted nights, and heavy fertilizing reduces plantlets. Give it bright, indirect light, go easy on fertilizer, and keep it slightly snug in its pot, which helps plantlet production.
Do spider plant flowers turn into babies?
Not exactly. The flowers and the babies grow on the same long stems. Plantlets form at the flowering nodes, as leaves form at the stem ends after flowering, and flowers are often replaced by leafy buds that root. A pollinated flower makes a seed capsule instead.
Should I cut off spider plant flower stems?
Only if you don’t want new plantlets. Trim back flowering spikes once they have finished if new plantlets are not needed. Leave the stems on if you want a fuller hanging basket or babies to pot up. Plantlets root readily when they touch soil, so they’re easy to start while still attached.
Can you grow spider plants from seed?
Yes. A pollinated flower produces a three-angled capsule with flat black seeds, and seed sown in spring or summer in a warm, shady spot in sandy, slightly acidic soil usually germinates within three weeks. Seedlings won’t necessarily have the parent’s leaf coloring, so a striped plant may not give striped seedlings.