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]

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 news:ekv9hj$r0v$ [e-mail]:

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

[Jen]

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

If that helps

Jen

[cdnspooky]

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:

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]

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.

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