The Curly Spider Plant is also known as the Bonnie Spider plant or airplane plant. It has unique curling leaves with good variegation.
Choose this plant if you like to decorate your place with plants.
I have 3 bonnie spider plants in my office and they are awesome. I don’t feel to buy anything else to decorate my office space.
This Bonnie spider plant needs simple care and has basic growing needs.
Today you will learn how to grow multiple curly spider plants without special kinds of tools.
What is a Curly Spider Plant?
Chlorophytum Bonnie or Curly Spider plant is a small size variety of spider plants. Its curling leaves make it different than normal spider plants.
Moreover, it only grows 8 to 9 inches tall with a spread of 8 to 10 inches depending on the care techniques of a grower.
Bonnie spider plant is native to Africa which means it is a warm weather plant. The good news is you can grow it in a cool climate without facing any problems.
Just protect it from direct sunlight and it will grow crazy. Pruning is also necessary in this case to encourage side shoots.
It is a decorating plant and you can decorate the dull corner of your home by growing it there. My curly spider plant is sitting on my office table.
It enjoys morning sunlight for 1 hour and then bright indirect light for the rest of the day length.
Do not expect flowers from an indoor growing bonnie spider plant. To make it bloom grow it in your outdoor garden.
Then it will produce small white star-shaped flowers.
Its leaves are more beautiful than its flowers and you should focus more on keeping its leaves healthy and variegated.
How Do You Care for a Curly Spider plant?
To take care of your growing spider plant you need to follow the best growing guide. Below is the complete process of growing and caring for a Bonnie Spider plant.
Curly Spider Plant Light Requirements
As you know the size of this plant is about 9 inches. It needs less amount of light than other plants.
To make its leaves bright and vibrant you should place your plant in a sunny window. Where it can enjoy morning sunlight for a while and indirect light for the rest of the time.
Partial shade is a must to keep its leaves variegated. In low light, you will not see a light green or creamy center part of the leaves.
If your plant is only having green leaves in this case increase the amount of light and it will develop variegation.
But you need to be careful with direct sunlight. It does not need direct sunshine because its leaves are small and delicate.
Direct sun rays are sharp for its leaf tissues and can burn them.
To avoid all light-related problems and to full fill its light needs. Place your plant in shaded light or install a curtain if your plant is growing on a sunny window.
Watering Curly Spider Plant
This is the tricky part because it needs moist soil and is also a drought-tolerant plant. Therefore, you must check the soil every time you water it.
I use my finger to check the moisture of the potting soil. If I found the top 2 to 3 inches of soil are dry, I Instantly give it water.
In simple words, let the top few inches of the soil dry, and then water your plant. This way you can always prevent the overwatering situation and root rot.
You can manage watering in the summer season the problem comes on winter days.
To keep your plant healthy do not follow the summer watering routine in the winter season. Curly Spider plants need less water and no fertilizers in the winter season.
Again, follow the same rule, check the soil moisture before watering.
The next thing is the quality of water because it is directly related to the Chlorophytum Bonnie health.
Without going deep into the water and its effects. Just remember that filtered water is best to use for watering the Chlorophytum Bonnie spider plant.
Do not use tap water because chlorine and fluoride present in the tap can damage its roots.
Best Soil for Curly Spider Plant
Lightweight and well-aerated soil is recommended for its great health. Bonnie Spider Plant has a small root ball and it needs potting mix that does not put pressure on them.
A soil that holds a good amount of moisture and also allows fresh air to pass through.
This type of soil is succulent soil and you can use any succulent soil formula, just add a few parts of coco coir before use.
Or
If you have general potting soil at home. You can make it suitable for your plant with some adjustments.
2 parts of potting soil + 1 part perlite + 1 part compost.
Perlite holds water and makes soil fully whereas the compost in the formula gives essential nutrients to growing curly spider plants.
Moreover, compost and perlite are lightweight ingredients and make the soil light and less compact.
Do not use your garden soil because it becomes compact and tight once it gets dry after watering. Garden soil is not well aerated and is not suitable for small-size houseplants.
Ideal Temperature
The ideal temperature range for a curly spider plant is between 50 to 80 degrees F. keep your home temperature in this range and give a comfortable environment to growing curling spider.
Make sure the temperature does not drop below 45 degrees F. Chlorophytum Bonnie cannot tolerate cold temperatures for a long time.
It will go into dormancy and if you do not increase the temperature, your plant will die in a few days.
In the winter season, you should change the place of your plant and put it in a warm and bright room. You can use Grow light if your warm room is less bright.
200 watts of grow light is enough to grow 2 to 3 spider plants under its light.
Above 80 degrees F is too hot for the plant. In this range, it starts using more water and doubles the chances of dehydration.
The leaves will shrink their size to keep the stored moisture and this destroys your plant looks.
Keep the room temperature in the ideal range and let your plant live a healthy life.
Humidity
The general home humidity is enough to keep it variegated and thriving. The minimum range of humidity that it can tolerate is 45%.
In low humidity, its leaves will turn leaves crispy and brown. You can identify the low humidity from its crispy brown leaf tips.
But you should catch the problem before it gets too late.
I have a temperature monitor and hygrometer on my office desk. They help me to keep eye on my office humidity and temperature.
You should also buy 2 in one device for measuring humidity and room temperature.
How to increase low humidity:
The best method of increasing low humidity is using a humidifier. You will be surprised to know that now we have plant humidifiers.
They are specially designed for plants and are less expensive than traditional humidifiers.
Place your plants in one room and turn ON the humidifier.
Fertilizing Curly Spider Plant
Small plants like it need less fertilizer. If you are using compost in the soil formula then you need to use less fertilizer.
Once in the spring season and 2 to 3 times in the summer season are enough.
But if the soil formula does not contain compost or any other organic material. In this case, you should fertilize your plant once in 50 days.
Stop feeding it in the winter season it is a dormancy time for plants.
General purpose houseplant fertilizer is good to use. It has all the essential nutrients to keep your growing airplane plant healthy and strong.
Moreover, general fertilizers are inexpensive and have years of shelf life. Use filtered water to reduce the potency of the liquid before giving your plant.
Do not overuse the plant supplements this will not make any difference in your plant growth and its leaf size.
It will only make your plant overfertilized, burned its leaves, and increase your problems.
Toxicity
As per the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals curly spider plant is not toxic to animals and humans.
It is safe to grow if you have pets and kids at home.
Keep your cats away from this plant they will destroy its beautiful leaves.
Pruning & Maintenance
Pruning is necessary to keep it in good shape. It will also keep your plant disease-free.
It is also mandatory to encourage your plant to produce new side shoots. These shoots are long stems dropping out of the pot with a cluster of leaves at the top.
For pruning use sharp and sterilized tools. Cut the dry and damaged parts of the leaves. You should also cut the healthy leaves that you believe are destroying its looks.
Once in a week use a damp cloth and wipe your plant leaves and pot. Also, lift the pot and clean the place.
Clean the bottom tray and keep your plant pot and surroundings neat and clean.
This way you can prevent most plant diseases and pest infestations.
Repotting Curly Spider Plant
Repotting is a necessary step for growing a beautiful and disease-free curly spider plant. Repot your plant once a year in the spring season.
This way your plant gets new soil every year. This puts new life in the matured plant and also increases its life span.
Repotting is an easy process just follow the below steps:
- Buy a 1-inch deep and wide pot than the current pot.
- Also, buy fresh potting soil for your plant
- Gently take your plant out of its current pot.
- Remove the soil from its roots and wash them with clean water.
- Place your plant on a newspaper and fill the new pot with new soil to its half.
- Plant your spider bonnie plant in it and fill the rest of the pot with soil.
- Gently tap around the plant base to support its structure.
- Give some water to keep the soil moist and place it back in its place. You are done with repotting.
Propagating Curly Spider Plants
It is easy to propagate, you just need to root the pups or plantlets and you are done.
Step-by-Step Process:
- Go to your plant and cut the healthy pups from a mother plant.
- Here you can directly sow the pups in potting soil and follow regular care.
- They will develop roots in a few days.
- But I use water instead of soil.
- I place the pups in a glass of water and place the glass in a warm location.
- Change the water when it gets dirty
- Once the pups produce roots then I transfer them into the plant pot.
It is totally depending on you, which method of propagation you think is easy for you. In my experience using water for rooting pups has more success rate.
Trouble Shooting
Pest Attacks
Pests are common on houseplants but if you keep the surroundings clean and timely prune your plant. You will hardly face pest infestation issues.
Aphids and scales are common spider plant bugs. Lift your plant leaves and see the undersides for their colonies.
The best solution to spider plant bugs is to use insecticidal soap and rise your plant.
Because the traditional methods of wiping leaves with rubbing alcohol will not work. The leaves are curled and chances are you can damage them while wiping.
Take your plant outside near the tap and wash it with soap.
Let it drain extra water and keep it separate until you see a healthy plant.
No need to use commercial pesticides they are too strong for this plant. It will not tolerate such strong chemicals and die right away.
Root rot
Root rot is a problem that damages the roots of spider plants. Overuse of water and wet soil is the main cause of it.
Limit the use of water to prevent this problem.
Once you are sure that your plant is suffering from root rot. The only way to save your plant from dying is to repot it in new soil.
Unpot your plant cut the damaged roots and plant it in new potting soil.
Burned leaf tips
An excessive amount of fertilizer and too bright light both results in burned leaves. If the tips are burned and the rest of the leaf is good. Then overfertilization is the cause.
To correct it, unpot your plant and rinse the soil with fresh water. Then place it back in the same soil.
On the other hand, if half of the leaves are crispy brown. This indicates that the light is too bright for the leaves.
Remove the damaged leaves, and stems and reduce the intensity of light.
The best solution is changing the place of your growing Chlorophytum Bonnie spider plant.
Leaves are not Curling
If the leaves of your curling bonnie spider plant are straight and not curling anymore. The reason is you are attending your plant too much
Or
You do not let the soil dry before watering.
To make your plant leaves curl naturally you should let the plant soil dry and then water it in limit. keep the plant on the drier side for a few days.
This will help your plant to naturally curl its straight leaves.
Conclusion
It is easy to grow and maintain spider plants with curling leaves. Bonnie spider plants are a nice piece of decoration. They grow best in pots as well as in hanging baskets.
It is not a pest-resistant plant therefore, keep the surroundings clean to prevent pests.
If you want to know more about its uses and care techniques, leave us a comment.
