How To Propagate Spider Plant In Water (From One To Many)

Want to grow/propagate your spider plant in water? Click here to learn how to propagate spider plants in water, and Spider Plant Propagation In Water to Multiply your plant from 1 to many.

Spider plants (Chlorophytum Comosum) are popular indoor plants that are quite easy to grow and care for. They are charming plants and you will easily find them in many homes, buildings, and offices.

They can grow a long stem that produces spider plant babies, commonly known as “spiderettes”.

You can separate these spiderettes from their parent plant and grow them into new spider plants separately. If you have spider plants in your home, you may have seen these spider plant babies.

Perhaps you prune them to maintain the health of your spider plant, or maybe you use them to propagate more spider plants.

However, if you have ever wondered how to propagate spider plant in water at any point, you are in the right place to learn.

How to Propagate Spider Plant in Water

Before you learn how to propagate spider plant in water, it is important to know that these plants require certain nutrients to thrive, which are not available in the water.

These instructions are the same for caring for the Hawaiian Spider plant.

While you can propagate them in water, long-term growth cannot be sustained in water.

You will either need to use a hydroponic solution or transfer your spider plant to the soil after propagation. That being said, spider plants are propagation powerhouses.

They are resilient plant species that can propagate themselves without much input from you.

Without pruning, the spiderettes that stem from a healthy spider plant can grow, mature, and start producing their own stemmed babies.

Over time, an uncut spider plant will grow into a trail of many spider plants, stemming from the mother plant.

There are three main methods to propagate a spiderette or spider plant baby:

  • You can cut off the spiderette and plant it in the soil separately.
  • You can leave it attached to the mother plant and plant it in the soil. (Cutting the connection after propagation).
  • Or you can root it in water for propagation
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Here are the steps you need to follow for the third method, where you propagate spider plants in water:

Step 1- Carefully Remove a Spiderette from the Mother Plant

To learn how to propagate spider plants in water (or even in soil), you must first learn how to properly cut a spider plant baby from the mother plant.

A good cutting will give you a good start to the successful propagation of your spider plant.

  • First, you must identify a spiderette with the beginnings of new roots, which are crucial for thriving propagation.
  • You will need at least one root to start propagation, so make sure you get a few when you trim your spider plant baby.
  • Alternatively, you can cut at the stem that the spiderette came from as well.
  • You don’t need the entire stem for successful propagation; even a small trim (between 2 and 4 inches) can allow you to root the baby in the water.
  • Once you have your spiderette, you can even prune and remove the remaining stem from the mother plant, since neither the mother nor its separated baby needs it anymore.
  • It is only taking up extra nutrients from the mother plant, so there is no need to let it hang around.
Spider Plant Propagate  In Water Steps

Step 2- Root It in Water

  • The next step is to root your spiderette in water. You’ll need a small container that can keep your baby spider plant upright.
  • While you can use any small vertical container, mason jars seem to work just fine.
  • Spider plant babies do not have long roots like some other plants, which is why small containers like mason jars work well for propagation.
  • Place your spiderette in the container and add water to it. You do not want to submerge the entire spider plant baby in the water, but the roots need to be covered.
  • Fill up your container or mason jar with enough water to submerge the roots of your spiderette.
  • Next, place your container in a spot that has a lot of indirect natural light.
  • To propagate spider plants in water, you must avoid direct sunlight, but the baby plant still needs at least 6–8 hours of bright, indirect sunlight every day to thrive.
Spider Plant Propagate  In Water Step 2

Remember, the roots will absorb the water and grow in the jar, faster than they do in soil.

So, you need to keep an eye on your spiderette daily, monitor the root growth, and add water accordingly.

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You want to ensure that the roots are submerged in water throughout the entire propagation process. The process takes around 3 weeks before your plant is ready to be transferred to the soil.

However, if you are propagating in the fall or winter season, the spider plant will take longer to root.

Generally, we recommend 4 weeks in the container to allow healthy root growth and a greater chance of success, regardless of the season.

Although you shouldn’t worry too much about failure. As mentioned previously, spider plants are propagation powerhouses and resilient plant species that do not require much help to propagate or grow.

This is one of the main reasons they are such a popular and easy-to-grow indoor plant.

Step 3- Transfer to Soil

  • The last step to propagate spider plants in water is to make the transition from water in a mason jar to the soil in a pot.
  • After 4 weeks of watering and indirect sunlight, you will likely see healthy and long roots in your spider plant container.
  • Making the transfer from water to soil is fairly straightforward. Simply remove your spider plant from the container and plant it in the soil as you would any other type of plant.
  • Make sure you plant your new spider plant in well-draining soil, to prevent the roots from getting too wet.
  • Any indoor potting mix will work perfectly well. Keep it evenly moist so the water roots can adjust to their new soil environment.
  • Within a few more weeks, your spider plant will root in the soil, ready to mature.

That’s it! Now you know exactly how to propagate spider plants in water

Is it better to propagate spider plants in water?

While rooting or propagation in water is not the best for every plant, it is ideal for spider plant babies. The process is easy and their roots grow faster in water than they do in soil.

The main benefit of rooting spider plants in water instead of soil is that you can monitor root growth and water levels far more easily this way.

How long does it take a spider plant baby or spiderette to root/ propagate?

The time it takes for a spider plant baby to propagate or root depends on the conditions it is in. Spiderettes take around 3 to 4 weeks to root in water.

Slightly longer during the fall and winter months, and even longer if you root them in soil.

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Regardless, as long as your spider plant gets plenty of bright indirect sunlight, warm temperatures, and a little humidity, it will root or propagate easily in around a month’s time.

Spider Plant Water Propagation FAQs

Q: Can I propagate spider plants in water?

Yes, of course. There are three main ways to propagate spider plants: you can cut off the spider plant babies or spiderettes and plant them in the soil separately.

You can leave them attached to the mother plant and plant them in soil, cutting the connection after propagation; or you can root them in water for quick and simple propagation.

Q: How can I make my spider plant produce babies?

All healthy spider plants produce babies or spiderettes.

If you want to encourage the production of spiderettes in your spider plant, so you can propagate them in water, give your spider plant a healthy environment to grow in.

This means moderate to bright indirect sunlight, warm temperatures, and well-draining soil like indoor potting mix.

Mist your spider plant occasionally and soon enough, you will see it flower.

The white flowerings are what will eventually grow into tiny spider plant babies or spiderettes.

Final Thoughts

We hope you found this article informative enough to learn how to propagate spider plants in water.

Spider plants are easy to propagate, which makes them the ideal plant to root in water, even if you are new to propagation.

We are certain that you will enjoy every moment of the process, watching your spider plant baby and its beautiful roots grow right before your eyes.

However, if you are going to propagate spider plants, we recommend rooting 2 or 3 spiderettes in water at once, so you get more spider plants (and satisfaction) for your efforts.

You can also transfer them to soil together, so they grow together into a lush bunch of spider plants. Although, you may need to use a larger pot to accommodate 2 or 3 spider plants together.

If you do not have a large enough pot, you can always plant them separately or separate them into different pots once they seem to outgrow their original, shared pot.