Temperature
55–80°F
Keep away from winter window glass and heating vents.
Spider plant
Chlorophytum comosum
Spider plant wants bright indirect light and water every 7 to 10 days, once top inch dry. Non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Light
Bright indirect
LowMediumBright indirectDirect
Bright indirect keeps the variegation crisp. Direct sun bleaches the leaves.
Water
Every 7–10 days
Baseline for a 6-inch pot indoors. Check first: water when top inch dry, not on a schedule.
Humidity
40% and up
Fine in normal household air. Prefers 60%.
Difficulty
Easy
Scores 1 of 5: Forgiving of most mistakes and non-toxic, which makes it the default recommendation for homes with cats.
Habit
Clumping
Grows to 12–24 inches. No support needed.
Non-toxic to cats and dogs
Eating a large amount of any plant can still cause mild stomach upset.
Detail for cats → Detail for dogs →
What each authority says
- ASPCA
- Non-toxic to cats and dogs
- NC State Extension
- Entry exists and records no poison data.
Light
Bright indirect light. Bright indirect keeps the variegation crisp. Direct sun bleaches the leaves.
Water
Every 7 to 10 days in a 6-inch pot, when top inch dry.
Treat the interval as a starting point and the test as the actual instruction. Pot size, light level and season all move the number.
| Method | top-water until draining |
|---|---|
| Test before watering | top inch dry |
Soil and potting
Standard potting mix with one part perlite added.
Repot roughly every 1.5 years, or when roots come through the drainage holes and water runs straight through without absorbing.
Common problems
Ranked by how often each turns out to be the cause for this species. Each links to a diagnosis page with the causes ranked for this species.
- Brown crispy edges monitor
- Yellow leaves this week
- No offsets monitor
Pest and disease guidance for this species consulted at the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, checked 2026-09-11.
Pests
Recorded for this species. Each links to identification and treatment.
- Spider mites act today
- Aphids this week
Propagation
Offsets in water or soil. Roots in 7 to 21 days.
| Preferred method | offsets |
|---|---|
| Medium | water, soil |
| Time to root | 7–21 days |
| Node required | No |
| Best season | Any time of year |
Sources
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — Chlorophytum comosum Checked 2026-09-11.
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Chlorophytum comosum (consulted; entry exists and records no poison data.) Checked 2026-09-11.
- Wikidata entity Q1164349 — taxonomy and entity identity.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — Chlorophytum comosum Accepted name; family Asparagaceae. Checked 2026-09-11.
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder — Chlorophytum comosum Pest and disease guidance. Checked 2026-09-11.
- Photograph: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 4.0.
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-02
Tony Valcarcel is the editor and publisher of this database, not a horticulturist
or a veterinarian. Every fact above is drawn from the sources listed, and
toxicity severity is reported only where one of them stated it.
How this is sourced.
Last updated 2026-09-02