A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Spider plant question

I have a couple of varigated spider plants..I water then with water from our dehumidifier. They still get the brown tips on them.
Do they prefer to be moist or on the dry side? I have heard both ways.

I am certainly no expert...but I have a bunch of spider plants. Mine love the water...they don't do well dry at all. But, are yours inside or out?
I bring mine in for the winter only...and then it is outside they go...I have to seperate and repot them in the spring and again in the fall. They do get some brown tips from time to time...but usually more when they are in the shock of being moved, different temps..etc...Mine are pretty good size, would have posted a pic...but it is REALLY dark outside at 2am, and right now they are covered with shoots! I plant the shoots and give them as Mother's day, birthday, anniversary gifts etc...and pretty much to anyone who walks down the street!

I have 3 inside and 2 out. I had 2 outside last yr. and they got big over the summer and i brought them in and they lost all their leaves...
Greg

ALL OF THEM? I'm sure some of these smart gardeners will though!

Brown tips can come from a variety of mistakes.

1) too much water; tips are brown, but succulent
2) too little water; tips are brown & dry

if neither...

3) too little humidty; put other plants or wet pebble trays around the plant to add moisture to the surrounding air
4) tapwater; if you water with unfiltered tapwater, the minerals in the water can cause brown tips

When I first started keeping houseplants, I had brown tips. I worked on the watering until I could tell the plants were happy. Still brown tips. Got some houseplant books; read about the tapwater; began using filtered water or distilled from the market. No more brown tips.

Hey, thanks Rugby!

I also wanted to tell you that Gnash is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Spider plants are very senstive to chlorine. Try watering with bottled water or filter your tap water. Also, leaving them dry can lead to brown tipping.

Hello all,
Just a little tip for those who raise chemical sensitive plants such as spider plants. It is not necessary to buy bottled or filtered water to water your plants with. Not only am I a plant enthusiast but I also raise a variety of aquarium fish. What I do when I am finished watering my plants is I fill my watering can up with water and place it on it's normal shelf. After 48-72 hours the chemicals added to our drinking water to make it safe will disapate. ( have you ever noticed the little bubbles that form on the sides of a container after water sits for a day or 2?) I then use this to water my spider plants first when I start my watering. If you have a big enough container you can have enough to water all your plants in a few days. I know that bottled or distilled water is not all that expensive but every little bit helps. This is a common practice among aquarists as the same chemicals are toxic to fish.

I am bringing my spider plants out some each week so hopefully it wont be such a shock to them.
I wish i could keep them out all summer. I do have 2 out but my favorites i have been taking out when it rains and ever so often..
I wish they would grow as well as they do where i work..i have 2 there and they look wonderful and big...no brown tips at all!
Maybe i should start off with a big varigated one..who knows....
Greg