How to Revive a Spider Plant (Part 1)

Hello and welcome to HealthyHouseplants.com, where we teach you all about gardening in the great indoors. Today’s video is sponsored by our Amazon affiliate link, which you’ll find in the comment section below.

Today’s video was requested by one of my subscribers, Cristina. Hello, Cristina! You asked about reviving a spider plant, so that’s what we’ll be focusing on today. This little guy here, whom I’ve named Lucy, is looking a bit bedraggled with some crispy ends, which can happen, but she really needs some help, so we’re going to do that for her today.

Spider plants are fairly easy to grow, but they are particular about certain things. They don’t like to dry out, even though they can survive in dry soil. However, when they do dry out, you may notice crispy ends on the leaves, like we see with Lucy here. Additionally, spider plants need nutrients. You can see that Lucy isn’t as dark green as she should be, which indicates a nitrogen deficiency. To address this, I’ll be adding some of my special Green Gourmet Houseplant Food, which is a gentle fertilizer I created and sell on my website, HealthyHouseplants.com. This fertilizer is rich in nutrients and also contains mycorrhizae, which are microscopic fungi that attach to plant roots and help the plant absorb more nutrients and water, making it healthier overall.

When reviving a plant, repotting is often the best first step. I’ve chosen a couple of different pot sizes here, and it’s important not to pot a compromised plant in a pot that’s too large. The root mass of a struggling plant often shrinks, so putting it into a bigger pot can lead to too much soil and excess moisture, which can further harm the plant.

Lucy’s roots actually look pretty good—white and fibrous, which is a positive sign. However, the soil she’s in has likely been there too long and may have a buildup of salts, which can damage roots. We’ll shake off some of the old soil and give her some fresh, nutrient-rich soil.

The soil I’m using is Pro-Mix BX, my favorite because it drains well but also retains moisture, which is important for spider plants. I’m also adding some pumice to the soil mix for better drainage. Unlike perlite, pumice is a lava rock that doesn’t float to the surface when you water, so it stays in the soil, providing long-term benefits.

After choosing the right-sized pot, which in this case is a bit smaller than the one Lucy was in, we’ll fill it with soil and ensure the plant is potted at the right depth. The soil should be about an eighth of an inch below the rim of the pot, so when you water, it doesn’t overflow.

Once Lucy is potted in fresh soil, I’m going to prune off some of the dead and dried-out foliage. This not only makes her look better but also helps prevent pests and diseases, which tend to target dead plant parts first.

After a good watering with tepid water, Lucy should start to thrive. We’ll check back on her in a couple of months to see how she’s doing, but you can already tell she looks happier just being in new soil and knowing she’s being revived.

Thank you, Cristina, for suggesting this video! Please leave comments about any indoor gardening tutorials you’d like to see, and remember to like, comment, subscribe, and share this video.

Patreon:  healthyhouseplants  

One-time donation: https://ko-fi.com/healthyhouseplants

Sign up for my monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/g1PCSH

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below.

Link to Promix BX, which is my preferred soil: https://amzn.to/3uEVnn3

My Green Gourmet Houseplant Food: https://healthyhouseplants.storenvy.com

My Perfect Pumice: https://healthyhouseplants.storenvy.com

Perfect Pumice/Green Gourmet Houseplant Food: https://healthyhouseplants.storenvy.com