Spider plant woes

[Robert Salmon]

I planted a spiderette two years ago and have little to show for it. The
plant has remained a bunch of rosettes without long leaves. I've tried
varying light, water, fertilizer, location (including outside last summer);
but nothing works. Any idea how I can persuade the plant to grow?

I posted a picture of the poor thing on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens,
titled "Spider plant woes - better pix", if you want to look at it.

Beware: my first picture post is too big for easy downloading - look at the
second one.

[M. Bauerman]

"Robert Salmon" > wrote in message
. 11...
>I planted a spiderette two years ago and have little to show for it. The
> plant has remained a bunch of rosettes without long leaves. I've tried
> varying light, water, fertilizer, location (including outside last
> summer);
> but nothing works. Any idea how I can persuade the plant to grow?
>
> I posted a picture of the poor thing on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens,
> titled "Spider plant woes - better pix", if you want to look at it.
>
> Beware: my first picture post is too big for easy downloading - look at
> the
> second one.


Posting it to a website would be better as not everyone gets the binaries on
their news sever. I do not. Are you sure you have a spider plant and not
something else? Mine thrive behind a lace curtain in a sunny south window.
Soil is moist and they're fertilized with Peter's or Miracle Grow once a
week at slightly less than recommended on the packages. Soil is flushed
every other month to remove excess fertilizer salts.

[Robert Salmon]

"M. Bauerman" > wrote in :

> ... Are you sure you have a spider
> plant and not something else? Mine thrive behind a lace curtain in a
> sunny south window. Soil is moist and they're fertilized with Peter's
> or Miracle Grow once a week at slightly less than recommended on the
> packages. Soil is flushed every other month to remove excess
> fertilizer salts.
>
>

Thanks. Yes, it's the real thing. I pinned it to soil while it was still
attached to its mother plant. It survives but does not flourish.

[Val]

I looked at your pictures. The plant looks healthy but it doesn't look like
my spider plant. One suggestion I'd make is to put that in a much smaller
pot. My spider plant is HUGE and has a waterfall of plantlets six feet down
from the pot and I have it in an 8 inch pot. Some house plants just do
better when they are root bound.

Val


"Robert Salmon" > wrote in message
. 11...
>I planted a spiderette two years ago and have little to show for it. The
> plant has remained a bunch of rosettes without long leaves. I've tried
> varying light, water, fertilizer, location (including outside last
> summer);
> but nothing works. Any idea how I can persuade the plant to grow?
>
> I posted a picture of the poor thing on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens,
> titled "Spider plant woes - better pix", if you want to look at it.
>
> Beware: my first picture post is too big for easy downloading - look at
> the
> second one.

[Jen]

"Robert Salmon" > wrote in message
. 11...
>I planted a spiderette two years ago and have little to show for it. The
> plant has remained a bunch of rosettes without long leaves. I've tried
> varying light, water, fertilizer, location (including outside last
> summer);
> but nothing works. Any idea how I can persuade the plant to grow?


They like to be rootbound. And prefer to dry out between waterings.

If that helps



Jen

[cdnspooky@persona.ca]

M. Bauerman wrote:
> "Robert Salmon" > wrote in message
> . 11...
>
> Posting it to a website would be better as not everyone gets the binaries on
> their news sever. I do not. Are you sure you have a spider plant and not
> something else? Mine thrive behind a lace curtain in a sunny south window.
> Soil is moist and they're fertilized with Peter's or Miracle Grow once a
> week at slightly less than recommended on the packages. Soil is flushed
> every other month to remove excess fertilizer salts.

How do you do this? Do you just flush with warm water once a month,
saturate then let it drain?

I generally wait until the salts form on top of the soil, then take off
the soil, and put in new soil.

K

[Robert Salmon]

"Jen" > wrote in news:_HQch.2343$HU.2182@news-
server.bigpond.net.au:

>
> They like to be rootbound. And prefer to dry out between waterings.
>
> If that helps
>

Thanks, Val and Jen, I'll try a smaller pot and new soil. Thanks to
everybody else, too, although I think I've tried your suggestions.

Rob

[M. Bauerman]

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> M. Bauerman wrote:
>> "Robert Salmon" > wrote in message
>> . 11...
>>
>> Posting it to a website would be better as not everyone gets the binaries
>> on
>> their news sever. I do not. Are you sure you have a spider plant and not
>> something else? Mine thrive behind a lace curtain in a sunny south
>> window.
>> Soil is moist and they're fertilized with Peter's or Miracle Grow once a
>> week at slightly less than recommended on the packages. Soil is flushed
>> every other month to remove excess fertilizer salts.
>
> How do you do this? Do you just flush with warm water once a month,
> saturate then let it drain?

I flush the pots about every other month with warm water, right. I keep
watering until the water runs out the bottom and down the drain. Over an
over, then let them drain for awhile.

>
> I generally wait until the salts form on top of the soil, then take off
> the soil, and put in new soil.

That doesn't remove the salts down deeper in the pot that can burn tender
root hairs.

>
> K
>