My spider plant was inside and seemed to be doing well, but then it lost its leaves. I repotted it because the pot it was in was too big anyway, the soil had gotten hard, and it had no drainage. Everything I have read said they are hardy plants that are hard to kill. Does anyone have advice?
There's a couple of different plants called "spider plants". The one I always think of is this one. http://ps-m.s3.amazonaws.com/9000816_0.jpg http://ps-m.s3.amazonaws.com/9000158_0.jpg Is this the plant you have?
Spider Plant ( photo / image / picture from Georgia Girl Beth's Garden ) This is what it looked like before. I will post a picture of the roots and what it looks like now a little later.
( photo / image / picture from Georgia Girl Beth's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Georgia Girl Beth's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Georgia Girl Beth's Garden ) This is what it looks like now.
How long have you had the plant? Did you repot after it started losing leaves? The plant looks a little skimpy and that's not a very big root ball. Also I'm wondering if it really is a spider plant. Reminds me of a corn plant I have. Did it ever put out the "babies"?
Mmmmmm...looks like a bi colour dracaena, which I think is what you guys over there call a corn plant. Cheryl could be right, not thick enough or floppy enough for a spider plant.
I just assumed it was a spider plant. It didn't come with a tag. It came in a bowl with three other plants. One died almost immediately. Two have been repotted and are doing great. Then there is this one. It never did produce any babies. Is this irreparable or can I help it? I really liked it.
I'm pretty sure that's not a spider plant. Someone said a dracaena, which I think it looks more like. You could try putting the root section in water rather than soil. It might put out new roots, and when there's enough you can repot it. I've done that with the occasional houseplant over the years. Sometimes it's wildly successful, and sometimes not. But I just HATE to give up on any plant, so I'll tend to try everything before I decide it's a goner.
Eureka! I agree, Dracaena marginata. I'd let it dry out, as close to a bright window as possible. I was interpreting the pic of the roots as still being attached to the plant? Unless they are mushy/slimy, there should be no reason to expect this plant can't keep living. Very slow-growing, and nothing about your pics show anything wrong with it. All Dracaenas are sensitive to the myriad of chemicals that can be in tap water (many of which, like fluoride and lime, do not evaporate if water sits.) Using rain water, distilled (not bottled drinking water,) and/or condensate from a dehumidifier or A/C should help it stay as healthy as possible.
I am in agreement that is is a type of Dracena. I have recently had success with rooting the plants in water. I had several that became to tall and leggy, so I cut them off the stalk, rooted the tops (which takes a while) and the base will sprout new growth. I never knew it was possible, but it is! Dracenas are easy to grow, they do not like to be fussed with. Good potting mix, medium light, and do not over water.
The roots look good and feel strong. Should I just cut them off the stalk and root them in water or soil? I really want to save it.
I've never tried to grow a new Dracaena from just pieces of roots, but your existing plant won't mind if you cut some of them off. Sorry if I didn't express clearly before. Yes, I would put it back in its' pot, not packing the soil tightly, give roots room to roam and have space between soil particles, air pockets so roots don't rot. The first few times I water a newly potted plant, I try to use a very gentle sprinkle so the force of the water doesn't compact soil much, a little is unavoidable. Then let it dry well before watering again, as a regular practice. When I do cut pieces of these lil' trees off to propagate (which I do often,) I just put them in a pot, although I did out of laziness kind of ignore one in a cup of water once. It did grow roots, but as said, very slowly. This is a plain green one with a variegated cutting added recently, to the right. I put it at an angle so when I bend it back toward the pot, it will have an interesting bend in the trunk. Your plant can look like these in a few years. Two Dracaena marginata plants. ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden )
