Renowned for its dense spider-like plants which dangle downwards, the Purple Spider plant is indeed a fancy for every home. Apart from its usefulness for ornamental purposes, it can serve as the perfect air-purifier you need to keep your home fresh. There’s more to tell you about this beautiful houseplant, so hop on!
What is a Purple Spider Plant?
There are various species of the Spider Plant, botanically known as chlorohytum comosum. However, the purple spider plant is distinct because of its bright purple color. Other eye-catching types include; shamrock, variegated, bonnie, fire flash and Zebra spider plant, to mention a few.
The purple spider plant’s nomenclature is known as oxalis chlorophytum. It is characterized by aromatic green and white leaves embellished by purple oxalis. Upon maturation, it produces violet sweet-fragrant flowers, strengthening its ornamental appeal.
Like many other species of the Spider Plant, it’s a fast grower if tended to properly under environmental conditions. If not, it’s prone to root rot and gradual death as its nutrients may get sapped gradually.
What’s more? It doesn’t require much watering and should only be provided with mild watering when its soil looks dry from the top. Let’s not forget to mention that this plant cannot survive the scorch of direct sun rays. As such, it should be kept under regulated lightning conditions.
Origin and Classification
Purple Spider Plant hails from the temperate region of South America, Asia and Tropical Asia but can now be found anywhere in the world. It’s of the family Asparagaceae and subfamily Agavoideae.
Features
1. Height
Regarding its height, this plant shares similar characteristics with several spider plants. It’s a typical plant that can extend up to 45cm in height. It can also stretch sideways to attain up to 0.1 cm in width.
2. Flowers & Leaves
The plant has long and narrow leaves, which are primarily green. It also has several purple oxalises. Its flowers specially possess inflorescence qualities and can grow up to 75cm in length.
3. Foliage and Stem
Like other spider plants, the oxalis chlorophytum has arched, thin and long foliage. Its stem can extend outward to form an arch, thus, giving the plant enough room to thrive and produce many plantlets.
4. Evergreen
Spider plants belong to the category of herbaceous tropical perennial evergreen plants. This implies that their leaves are always green all through their lifetime. The purple spider plant has evergreen potential because its leaves stay green but mix with purple oxalis to produce a decorative effect.
It’s normal for the leaves to turn brown at specific points when the plant is subjected to water stress.
Basic Care of Purple Spider Plant
Caring for the purple spider plant is easy and stress-free. These plants are tough and can withstand any environment, yet they need to be correctly cared for to remain fresh and appealing.
1. Size and Growth
Purple spider plants have blades or leaves that resemble blades of grass. They are long with pointed tips and form from the plant’s centre. This plant’s tuberous root can reach 4 inches into the earth. They can also grow as high as 30 inches, adding to the home’s aesthetics. They have flowers that emerge from small plantlets that grow into new plants. The plant is up to 12 inches spread and wide, and they are easy to grow.
2. Light Requirement
The purple spider plant can grow well under any available lighting conditions. But it is best to keep them in a light shade or indirect sunlight. You can also grow your purple spider plant with artificial lighting, and you’ll have nothing to worry about.
Direct sunlight or bright light is dangerous to the broth of the plant. Only twelve hours of indirect light is enough for the plant to produce offspring.
3. Water requirement
These plants require you to keep the soil moist and water them regularly. Water the plants on the soil surface, not the leaves, once a week. Watering the leaves alone does not go well with this plant as the water will stay on the leaves, dry out, and not run into the soil.
Water the plants with room temperature or warm water as cold water might damage the root. You can place the plant in a sink and soak it with tap water, then allow the water to drain before hanging it.
Water your new baby purple spider plant occasionally; you can water them often once they attain maturity. Allow the water to dry out entirely before rewatering.
4. Soil Requirement
This plant will grow well in soil that retains moisture but is also well-draining. Using the wrong soil to grow your purple spider plant can impede its growth. Place your purple spider plant in an average, well-draining loamy soil indoors.
Use soil with the best quality as anything below this can put the fresh and beautiful roots at risk of contracting diseases. These plants grown at low-quality soil and can only condone quality loamy soil. These plants should be placed in a small pot containing soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 and the ability to grow in 7.0 pH soil.
5. Temperature & Humidity
This plant should be kept at a temperature that is above 60°F. Any temperature below this will stunt their growth and they’ll enter dormancy. It prefers warm temperatures and thrives properly indoors, especially during winter.
This plant frowns at a cold temperature, so they might not turn out well when you have a cold breeze blowing over them. They also prefer their humidity at 40 to 60%. Since most homes have a low humidity range from 30 to 50%, frequently mist the plant with distilled water to keep them moist.
Humidity in homes gets lower during the winter; you can shower your plants in the bathroom to boost their humidity.
6. Drought and Disease Resistance
These plants are resistant to drought as they don’t need to be watered often. In drought, the plants will still do well for an extended period. They are also disease resistant as they don’t get to encounter many diseases during their growth.
Still, that doesn’t mean that the plants should not be handled with care, as they are prone to root rot. This disease can cause small brown discs, resulting in blemishes on the leaves.
This disease can be prevented when you water your plants appropriately. This disease can be caused when water stored at the root does not drain properly or when you water the plant too often.
7. Toxicity
The purple spider plant is considered less toxic. It contains some hallucinogenic properties which are considered to be less harmless. Nevertheless, you should keep your pets from eating this plant to keep them away from any potential harm.
The purple spider plant also has a chemical substance related to opium. These chemicals are less toxic, and your pest can’t die from eating them. Yet, ingesting this plant can result in your pest experiencing diarrhea, vomiting, and an upset stomach. Although the effect of the purple spider plant is mild, it is better to keep your cats away from this plant.
8. Fertilizing
One factor that makes growing purple spider plants easy is that they don’t need much fertilizer. You don’t have to worry about spending so much on fertilizer for the plant to come out well. The right amount of fertilizer and the feeding solution should be diluted from 15-15-15 to half of the recommended strength.
You can fertilize your purple spider plant once per month during the winter months. Adding too much fertilizer to your plant can cause it to experience too much stress during this period. You can also boost your plant’s nutrients by adding more potting soil before entering the spring month.
9. Potting and Repotting
Unlike many other plants, you often don’t have to worry about repotting this plant. This is because they grow through their plantlets and leaves. Purple spider plants should be planted with their roots in a small pot. Repot in cases where the root ball begins to rise beyond the trim of the pot.
You can also consider repotting these plants during spring in a pot two times bigger than the current pot. Ensure that the pot is made of something sturdy and has drainage holes because the roots can burst the pot.
10. Pruning Requirements
Another way to take care of these plants and keep them in good condition is to prune them. Pruning helps the plant to remain fresh, neat, and attractive. Trim the leaves properly, especially during summer or spring. You can also prune the spiderettes to keep them under strict control.
By allowing the plant’s offspring to grow, you’ll need to increase the amount of fertilizer and water to help the plant maintain its healthy nature.
How to Propagate Purple Spider Plant
Purple spider plants are one of the easiest plants to propagate. These plants often produce plantlets that have roots right from the flowers when the mother plants are planted in summer. The following steps will come in handy for propagating the plant:
Step 1
Get a small-sized pot, cut off the plantlets that grow from the tiny white flowers of the mother plant and plant them into this new pot.
Step 2
Another method is to root them in water. Allow the root you intend to propagate to sit in water when you suspend the plants.
Step 3
You can also set aside a small pot filled with soil and separate the parent plant while securing the baby plant into the dirt.
Step 4
Allow the baby of the mother plant to root itself into the soil, then cut it away from the mother plant.
Step 5
Plant the small stalks that pop up to grow new plants. Once the baby plants begin to form on these stalks, get a small pot where you can pin them down against the soil with a toothpick.
Step 6
Once you notice that the root starts to grow, then cut the babies free. Ensure that you do this properly so the baby can live. If you have any problem with this, aid the root growth of new houseplants with a rooting hormone.
Common Problems Caring for Purple Spider Plant
Tending to this plant is easy but can become worrisome at some point when the plant is subjected to certain conditions. We examine some of these unpleasant situations below:
1. Water Stress
Its leaves would turn black or brown when the plant is overwatered. When it lacks proper moisture, the foliage gets discolored too. This is why misting is the ideal way to water the plant.
2. Toxic chemical buildup
When exposed to fertilizers or water highly concentrated in fluoride, its leaves would become reddish-brown. Also, if the color changes to gray or tan, the leaves have been exposed to boron which is highly toxic to the plant.
3. Infestation of Pests
Unfortunately, the purple spider plants are not immune to pest infestation. Aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs are some of the pests that attack these plants. Aphids release honeydew on the purple spider plant, thereby attracting other pests to its leaves.
Spider mites cause yellowing of leaves in these plants. Like aphids and spider mites, mealybugs are small insects that can cause problems in the purple spider plants. In addition to causing yellowing of leaves, mealybugs can limit the growth of your plant.
4. Leaf Discoloration
Factors such as overwatering, underwatering, and poor water quality can cause leaf discoloration in purple spider plants. Too much water in the soil often results in root rot, which causes yellowing or browning of leaves.
On the other hand, not enough water can cause the leaves to become dry and brown. Additionally, excess chlorine or fluoride in water can cause the leaves of the purple spider plant to lose its color.
5. Environmental Stress
Too much heat or cold can cause the purple spider plant to go through stress. Temperature fluctuations can also cause its leaves to lose its color. Without taking a quick action, the leaves may become curly and the plant may struggle to survive.
Also read a similar post: Anthurium Ace of Spades
Outro
The Purple spider plant has life-long advantages. It can outgrow generations without them being prone to diseases or pest attacks. Its unfussy spiderettes and purple oxalis are the elements you need to make your home elegant.
Buying Options
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to put a purple spider plant?
This plant can survive under any lighting condition. However, it’s advisable to grow them in indirect light. It’s also possible to subject them to artificial lightning, but you must ensure that the temperature is between 55F and 80oF.
How do I take care of a purple spider plant?
Ensure to provide the plant with indirect light and well-drained soil. It will naturally blossom under this condition. You must subject them to mild watering as excessive watering can result in discoloration and root rot.
How long can a purple spider plant live?
The Oxalis chlorophytum is a perennial plant. As such, it can live up to 50 years and above. It will only die if subjected to extreme humidity and insufficient or overwatering.
Hey, I’m Lisa and I’ve been an avid gardener for over 30 years. I love writing, talking and living in the garden! Feel free to connect with me on my socials below
