ADULTPLANTS
Plants / Asparagaceae / Chlorophytum comosum

Spider plant

Chlorophytum comosum

Family Asparagaceae Native to Coastal South Africa Habitat temperate forest floor

Spider plant wants bright indirect light and water every 7 to 10 days, once top inch dry. Non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Chlorophytum comosum. Photograph by Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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%.
Temperature
55–80°F
Keep away from winter window glass and heating vents.
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.

Listed as non-toxic by the ASPCA.

DISPLAY — in-content responsive

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.

Methodtop-water until draining
Test before wateringtop 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.

Propagation

Offset/pup in water or soil. Roots in 7 to 21 days.

Preferred methodoffset/pup
Mediumwater, soil
Time to root7–21 days
Node requiredNo
Best seasonAny time of year

Sources

  1. ASPCA Animal Poison Control, Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List — Chlorophytum comosum
  2. Missouri Botanical Garden, Plant Finder — Chlorophytum comosum
  3. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online
  4. Wikidata entity Q1164349

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