Curly Spider Plant Care & Propagation Guide 2023
It's a great idea to give the curly spider as a gift to friends or to anyone who is new to gardening because it's a low-maintenance and perfect plant for everyone.
Everything you need to know about raising a healthy curly spider plant, including the ideal type of soil to use, how much light and water it needs, and much more, is provided in this article.
There are also some details about common problems this plant faces, like infections and pests.
Additionally, you'll discover some intriguing details about this plant, additional spider plant varieties, and their historical background. You'll be able to put it exactly where you want it and choose the right plants to surround it with.
About Curly Spider Plant
The spider plants and the curly spider plant have comparable appearances. The leaves' curled ends are the only difference. The plant looks stunning when it is displayed in a decorative pot on a table or in a hanging basket. The lovely indoor plant, which belongs to the Asparagaceae family, is from Africa.
In comparison to the spider plant, the Bonnie curly spider plant has curlier leaves and grows more compactly to a height of eight inches. Sadly, it doesn't often bloom when grown indoors. When grown outside, however, it can yield tiny, fragrant white flowers with a star-like shape.
From spring to summer, the flower blooms and draws pollinators like hummingbirds and bees.
Curly Spider Plant Care
Size & Growth
With an equal spread, Curly Spider Plant can reach an 8″ inch height and is more compact than the majority of spider plants.
Bonnie's leaves are variegated with green and white stripes like the leaves of most Spider Plants.
The Curly Spider plant, in contrast to its relative, has curly leaves.
Flowering & Fragrance
The Curly Spider Plant may not flower at all when maintained indoors.
It produces tiny, fragrant white flowers in the form of stars when left outside.
Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators find the flowers to be attractive.
The spring and summer will be full of blooms.
Find out more about spider plant flowers here.
Light & Temperature
These plants thrive in light to heavy shade. The best results will be achieved if the plant is kept indoors in an area with bright indirect light.
The ideal temperature range for spider plants is 55 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the temperature doesn't fall below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Watering & Feeding the Bonnie Spider Plant
Don't overwater the soil; instead, keep it moist. Wintertime watering should be minimized. You can learn more by reading our article on watering spider plants.
Refrain from fertilizing excessively. Your plants' capacity to sprout new leaves will be hampered by an excessive amount of fertilizer.
Heavy fertilization is not necessary for spider plants because extra nutrients are stored in their tubers.
Provide a weak liquid fertilizer once a month throughout the growing season when caring for spider plants. Wintertime is the worst time to fertilize.
Soil & Transplanting
The Bonnie loves well-draining soil, just like your other spider plant, but it also needs to be able to hold some moisture. Consequently, you can mix up the perfect potting soil for the majority of spider plants in hanging baskets.
The simplest soil mixture consists of three parts potting mix and one part perlite, with the option of adding compost.
As an alternative, you can use succulent soil mixed with some peat moss or coco coir. As it retains too much water, we do not recommend using only regular potting soil.
Additionally, since your plant prefers moist soil to thrive, you shouldn't use a cactus mix by itself.
Repot and Pruning
Your plant needs to be moved once a year, but this is only a general rule. Instead, consider what your Bonnie requires. You can transplant your Bonnie to a larger pot once you notice it starting to become pot-bound.
Your Bonnie is tiny and compact in comparison to the spider plant. Even so, you can still prune it to keep it from becoming untidy and thick. The white stripe variegation's curls can therefore be seen.
How to Propagate Curly Spider Plant
The adorable little air plants that the curly spider plant produces when conditions are favorable are a significant part of its appeal.
The spider plant will produce small baby spider plantlets when the days are brief and the nights are long and dark with no light.
These air plants should be pruned, potted, and treated as mature plants.
Bonnie Curly Spider Plant Pests Or Diseases
If left to stand in water, Chlorophytum is susceptible to root rot, like the majority of plants. Waterlogged plants may also become more subject to infestation by pests such as:
- Spider Mites
- Whiteflies
- Aphids
- Scales
The browning of leaf tips can be brought on by inadequate moisture and humidity levels. This issue can also be brought on by excessive salt or fluoride levels in the water.
The leaves of plants kept in direct sunlight will become scorched.
Spider Plant Varieties
You can grow a sizable variety of spider plants as indoor plants.
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Chlorophytum Comosum ‘Reverse Variegatum.'
Contrary to the curly variegated species, the reverse spider plant is the opposite. The leaves have a green center with a yellow edge. It can expand significantly and gives a garden more variety.
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Chlorophytum Laxum
The zebra plant grows wider rather than taller, and its foliage is more noticeable and vibrant. It is a rare species that is difficult to locate in a nearby nursery.
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Chlorophytum Viridescens ‘Hawaiian.'
The Hawaiian tree, which has glossy green leaves, is also known as the Golden Glow. It is a tiny, compact plant that grows well in moist, well-draining soil and does well in some shade.
Suggested Chlorophytum Comosum Bonnie Uses
Bonnie can be grown year-round outdoors in pots or as a groundcover in warm climates. In bright indirect light, these lovely plants look lovely cascading over a wall or filling a hanging basket.
Learn more on caring for spider plants Outdoors
Along a shaded walkway, spider plants make a lovely edging. It works well for shrub border underplanting.
Indoors, put your Curly Spider Plant in a hanging basket, on a high shelf, or a pedestal. These plants are excellent choices for a bathroom plant or an office plant because they enjoy fluorescent lighting.
For Those Who Want to Learn More
The little things, like knowing your plant's origin, advantages, and what to pair it with, are just as important as following a care guide when it comes to taking good care of plants.
In this section, you'll learn more about curly spider plants, including their history, characteristics, uses, and other amazing varieties.
Origin and Background
As a proud member of the Asparagaceae family, the curly spider plant is also referred to as the airplane plant.
Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg wrote the first description of it in 1794. However, back then it was referred to as the Anthericum comosum and was transferred to numerous different genera over time before finally settling in its current position as a Chlorophytum comosum in 1862.
Wild plants in the outdoors can grow up to a meter tall, but indoors they typically only grow to a height of 8 inches (20 cm).
Flower Foliage
When we say the name "curly spider plant," it gives you a good idea about the appearance of its leaves – they're curly!
But the Bonnie curly spider plant is compact and curly, not straight like other spider plants, so it typically doesn't grow taller than 8 inches (20 cm). It has white stripes on its crinkly leaves.
Even flowers can be produced by this variegated spider plant under the right circumstances, but this rarely happens indoors. However, if you happen to be in a tropical area of South Africa in the spring or summer, you might just see the fragrant, star-shaped, and white blooms.
Benefits
The ability of this plant to purify the air is by far its main advantage. Carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and benzene are just a few of the many toxins that are lessened in homes as a result of this.
Having as many plants indoors and outdoors is actually a great self-help method because, generally speaking, plants have many advantages for your mental health and are known to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADD/ADHD, and more.
Spider Plant Varieties
You and your curly spider plant might both like the other spider plant varieties in this section. We'll keep it short and simply outline some of the key characteristics of some of our favorite spider plants.
Spider Plant ‘Vittatum'
Although this spider plant is relatively simple to grow, succulents still have the upper hand. It is difficult to resist, though, because of the leaves' thin, straight, psychedelically green color and creamy variegation running through the center.
You already know what this means: more spider plants! It produces tiny white stars that give birth to baby spider plants.
Reverse Spider Plant
The reverse spider plant is a bit of a rebel; it kept the white variegation but chose to reverse its position, giving you the white edges with a bright green middle.
But because of this characteristic, it stands out even more, and the straight leaves are even cuter.
Purple Spider Plant
The care instructions for the purple spider plant are just as straightforward as those for the curly spider, but this one takes the variegations to a new level. It covers itself in violet instead of white and gives the concept of colorful design a whole new meaning!
Common Questions
In order to provide you with more information about caring for your floral spider, this section will address some of the most frequently asked questions about spider plants.
Why is My Curly Spider Plant Not Curly Anymore?
If the ground is always wet, the Bonnie spider frequently loses its curls. Although it might not be overly wet to cause root rot, it will straighten the curls.
The curly spider plant can exhibit odd behavior at times, so the more you ignore it, the more beautiful and curly it becomes. It will therefore curl wildly if the soil is a little bit dry.
Just be careful not to leave it dry, as that will only lead to yellow and brown foliage.
What Do I Do If My Spider Plant is Yellow?
When a spider plant begins to turn yellow, it indicates that some of its needs aren't being met. You should determine whether it requires different lighting conditions, more or less water, or even repotting if its current container is too small.
You should move spider plants to a location with plenty of indirect light because they cannot tolerate direct sunlight for an extended period of time.
You won't have any problems with either overwatering or underwatering this plant if you always wait until the soil is just a little bit dry before watering it.
Lastly, we advise you to repot the plant as soon as you notice roots poking out of the container! Being confined to a small area is unpleasant for no one.
How Long Does It Take for a Spider Plant to Grow?
Depending on the growing environment and the frequency of repotting, it takes a spider plant between two and five years to reach its maximum size.
But before it matures completely, you'll need to repot this plant several times because of how quickly it grows.
Summing Up
The Bonnie curly spider plant is the stuff of plant fantasies: it requires little maintenance, has a stunning appearance, and gets along with other plants in your home.
Simply keep it out of direct sunlight, water it when the planting substrate is dry, and plant it in a fertile, well-draining medium are all that are required.
You don't even need to fertilize it if you don't want to because it is so low maintenance.
You learned some fascinating information about the curly spider plant in this article, along with information on other spiders you could use in your spider garden.
FAQs
Is the Curly Spider Plant Considered Poisonous Or Toxic?
Actually, in their native South Africa, spider plants are grown as a food crop.
Why is My Spider Plant So Curly?
If your spider plant is very twirly, it is the curly variety, which resembles the variegated spider plant except that the leaves twist and the offspring also develop winded.
Why is My Curly Spider Plant Not Curly Anymore?
Too much attention to your plant may cause the leaves to straighten out. Even a drier potting mixture will encourage the foliage to curl more, but not to the point of being bone dry, as this could cause it to start browning or turning yellow.
How Big Does a Curly Spider Plant Get?
Your houseplant has a compact growth habit and can get up to eight inches tall and wide.
Where Can I Buy Curly Spider Plants?
Due to its rarity, it can be difficult to find the curly spider plant at your neighborhood nursery. The great news is that Plantly can assist you in finding one.