Plant care guide
Spider Plant Not Producing Babies? Age, Night Length, Feeding
Updated
Why is my Spider plant not producing babies?
Spider plant babies (plantlets or spiderettes) grow on long flowering stems, so a plant with no babies is a plant that is not sending up those stems. The usual reasons are a plant that is still young, nights that are too short or interrupted by lamps, heavy feeding, or a pot with too much spare room.
What to do first
Give the plant bright, indirect light by day and a dark room at night, with under 12 hours of light a day for a few weeks. Cut back on fertilizer, and do not move it into a much bigger pot. A young plant may simply need more time.
A spider plant without babies is not a sick plant. The plantlets, often called spiderettes, only appear on a particular kind of growth, so the fix is to give the plant the conditions that trigger it.
Where the babies come from
University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension’s spider plant article explains the sequence. The plant sends out long, wiry stems. Small white, star-shaped flowers open at the ends. After flowering, more leaves form at the stem tips, and those become the plantlets.
No long stems means no babies. If your plant already has stems with flowers on them, wait: the plantlets come after the flowers.
Find the reason
| What you notice | Likely reason |
|---|---|
| Bought or potted up in the last year, no stems yet | Plant still young |
| Sits in a room with lamps on late, or under long hours of grow light | Nights too short or interrupted |
| Fed often, or brown leaf tips | Too much fertilizer |
| Recently moved into a much larger pot | Too much root room |
| Broad leaves with white margins, stems but few babies | Cultivar that makes fewer plantlets |
| Pale, weak growth, wet mix or poor roots | Plant not healthy enough |
Age. The RHS spider plant growing guide says not to worry if a plant has no spider-like offsets, because young plants can take up to a year to begin producing them.
Night length. NC State Extension’s Chlorophytum comosum profile says stolons and plantlets depend on light. They develop when the plant gets short days and long, uninterrupted nights: less than 12 hours of light a day for at least three weeks. Clemson Cooperative Extension’s spider plant factsheet notes that most offshoots appear as the days shorten in fall. Wisconsin adds that indoor plants may produce stems at any time of year.
Fertilizer. NC State warns that over-fertilizing decreases plantlet formation. Wisconsin agrees that heavily fed plants may not form as many, and that excess fertilizer can brown the leaf tips.
Pot size. Wisconsin says spider plants grow and produce plantlets best when slightly pot bound.
Cultivar. Wisconsin notes that ‘Variegatum’, with broad green leaves and white margins, tends to produce fewer plantlets than other types.
Plant health. Clemson describes the long stems with flowers and plantlets as appearing on healthy plants. If yours is weak, pale or sitting in wet mix, sort that out first. The RHS notes that in low light, growth is slower.
What to do
- Give it bright, indirect light by day. Clemson and the RHS both recommend bright, indirect light. Clemson warns that midday sun may scorch the leaves.
- Give it real nights. Keep the plant where it gets under 12 hours of light a day, with nights uninterrupted by room lamps or grow lights, for at least three weeks, as NC State describes. A spare room or a spot away from evening lighting works. Turn off any grow light timer that runs into the evening.
- Feed less. Wisconsin says feeding every 3–4 months is usually enough, or more often at half strength. Clemson advises waiting four to six months before feeding a newly potted plant.
- Keep the pot snug. Leave a plant that is slightly pot bound where it is. When it does need a new pot, the RHS suggests repotting every year or two into one only slightly larger. Clemson advises dividing or repotting before the fleshy roots crack the container.
- Fix health problems first. If the mix stays wet or leaves are soft and yellow, check the roots before expecting new stems. Our spider plant curling leaves guide and brown tips guide cover common stress signs.
- Be patient. Clemson notes that most offshoots appear as the days shorten in fall, so give the changes a season to work.
If you want new plants now
You do not need plantlets to make more spider plants. NC State lists division as the other easy method. Our spider plant propagation guide covers dividing a clump step by step, and rooting plantlets once they do appear.
Once the stems arrive, they can take over. Our leggy growth guide explains how to trim runners without harming the plant. Spider plants are safe around pets: the ASPCA lists spider plant as non-toxic to dogs and cats.
The spider plant hub collects all our spider plant guides. For sun-damaged leaves, see our sunburn guide.
References
How this guide was put together: NC State Extension, University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Clemson Cooperative Extension and RHS guidance, with pet safety from the ASPCA.