Spider plant babies

[toonia]

One of my spider plants has flowered and has babies on long stems. How do I get new plants from the babies? Can I just chop off the sprouty bits and stick them in water and should I cut the thus amputated stem down to the base afterwards? Thanks for your help....

[sleepysunday]

The spider plant propogates by a form of tip-layering. You may have some success with cutting them off and potting them, but you will have more reliable success it you pot it before severing connection with the parent plant. You can anchor the baby in a small pot of compost using a reshaped paper-clip. After a couple of weeks you can sever the connection. And yes, I would cut the stem on the main plant back .

[andy]

If possible, i'd layer the runners into another pot whilst the runner is still attached to the parent plant.....a bit like you'd do with strawberries.

If this is not possible, just remove the baby spiders when they are big enough and pot into compost.
The "stalk" or "runner" (the bit that comes from the parent plant and had the babies on the other end) is now useless and should be removed at both ends.

Hope this helps a bit

Andy

[toonia]

Thanks guys! I'll try layering then but will have to remove the plant from the OH's office as he won't appreciate propagation experiments going on on his desk!
If I leave some of the stems on will the babies get really big?

[andy]

toonia said:

If I leave some of the stems on will the babies get really big?

They will get to a good size but don't forget that they are living off their parents food....so feed well !!!

[Deleted]

toonia said:

Thanks guys! I'll try layering then but will have to remove the plant from the OH's office as he won't appreciate propagation experiments going on on his desk!
If I leave some of the stems on will the babies get really big?

I'd try putting some in water too - works for me, and like you say it isn't always convenient to use the laying method.

[sweetleaf]

Spider plants are one of the most healthy plants to have in a closed environment, very good air recyclers I was told, many years ago, spread them around your house! Once you start propagating them, though they soon take over the world, lol!

[toonia]

Oh good! I've got three already which came from my MIL! They do seem to thrive even in winter. the one the Oh has got is the only one to have reproduced and it gets bathed in fag smoke and whatever computers give out all day long. They never get any beasties on them either.

[Plocket]

sweetleaf said:

Spider plants are one of the most healthy plants to have in a closed environment, very good air recyclers I was told, many years agoquote]

Oh goodie! I've got them in the bathroom and the sitting room!