WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Chlorophytum comosum (SHADE), WUCOLS IV

How often to water spider plant in California

In July in the Central Valley, established spider plant in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days: about 1.5 gallons each time for a plant 2 feet across, about 1.9 gallons a week. Spider plant is a South African perennial that forms fountains of strap-shaped leaves, often striped white, over thick, tuberous roots. Long arching stalks carry small white flowers and baby plantlets that root where they touch the ground. Outdoors it makes a shade groundcover in mild gardens and forgives an occasional missed watering.

PerennialRated for 5 of 6 zones

How often to water spider plant, month by month

Your city
Plant width
2 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for spider plant and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1 foot of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area the plant covers, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure plant width

A shrub with its width marked from one side to the other and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the plant, from the tips of the leaves on one side to the tips on the other.

Water the whole area the plant covers, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that area.

A wider plant means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While it is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry 2 inches down in a shady bed of spider plant in summer signals that it needs water
  • Leaves turning pale and limp and the clump looking flat point to a dry spell lasting too long
  • Brown leaf tips can come from salts, fluoride or chlorine in the water rather than from thirst
  • Yellowing leaves and soft, rotting roots in soggy soil can point to overwatering or poor drainage
  • Leaves bleaching or scorching in direct sun mean the spot is too bright, not too dry

How to water it

  • Water at the base of the clumps, soaking the root zone about 8 inches deep
  • Let the top inch or two dry between waterings, since the tuberous roots hold reserves
  • Plant in part or full shade in well-drained soil, out of direct afternoon sun
  • Mulch lightly between clumps to keep the soil cool and slow drying
  • Water the plantlets that root around the edges as the planting spreads

Through the seasons

A new spider plant needs steady moisture while its roots settle. Established clumps grow from spring into fall and want regular summer water, less where they rate low water. Water less in winter as growth slows. It stays evergreen in mild areas, and plantlets form on long stalks as the days shorten. Rain covers most of the cool season on the coast and in the Central Valley, though it prefers nights above 45 degrees. WUCOLS rates spider plant low water on the north-central coast and the south coast. It rates moderate water in the Central Valley, South Inland and the low desert. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the high desert.

In pots

Spider plant is a classic hanging basket and pot plant. Check the mix an inch down every few days in summer and water when it is dry. Let water run from the holes, then empty the saucer. Its tuberous roots handle a short dry spell better than soggy mix. If leaf tips brown, flush the pot with a long soak or switch to rainwater, since salts and fluoride in tap water can burn them. Water less in winter, and shelter the pot when nights drop below 45 degrees.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
2.67gal per sq ft in JulyModerate water use in the Central Valley zone
A year
17.11 gal per sq ft
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses
0.711.42.12.90.4JAN0.65FEB1.09MAR1.52APR2.08MAY2.48JUN2.67JUL2.39AUG1.8SEP1.18OCT0.56NOV0.34DEC0.711.42.12.90.4JFM1.52AMJ2.67JAS1.18OND
Gallons per square foot per month, Central Valley. Peak 2.67 in Jul, 17.11 a year.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Spider Plant: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan0.150.40.310.78–0.78
Feb0.210.650.320.87–0.93
Mar0.351.090.461.3–1.52
Apr0.471.520.561.61–1.95
May0.582.080.641.95–2.45
Jun0.642.480.692.29–2.79
Jul0.642.670.792.51–2.85
Aug0.62.390.742.33–2.6
Sep0.51.80.61.86–2.08
Oct0.351.180.461.33–1.49
Nov0.190.560.330.9–0.96
Dec0.120.340.260.68–0.68
Year4.817.116.218.41–21.08

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated moderate water in the Central Valley, like spider plant. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

DahliasDahlia spp.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyFernsNephrolepis cordifolia (SHADE IN DESERT)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyDayliliesHemerocallis spp. & cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBegoniasBegonia & ssp. & cvs. (shade in the desert)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCalla LiliesZantedeschia aethiopica SHADE IN DESERTmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySageSalvia officinalis and cvs.moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyBicolor MonkshoodAconitum cammarummoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGarden MonkshoodAconitum napellusmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyCarpet BugleAjuga reptans (shade)moderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySnowdrop WindflowerAnemone sylvestrismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain SandwortArenaria montanamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulySwamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnatamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyOrange MilkweedAsclepias tuberosamoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyGreater MasterwortAstrantia majormoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyHardy BegoniaBegonia grandismoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in JulyWax BegoniaBegonia semperflorensmoderate water, Central Valley2.67 gal/sq ft in July

Similar plants that need less water 16

Rated lower than spider plant in the Central Valley. Worth a look for a new bed or a lawn replacement.

AgapanthusAgapanthus orientalislow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyGeraniumsPelargonium x hortorum and cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySalviaSalvia greggii ssp., cvs. & hybridslow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyIrisesIris germanicalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySucculentsEcheveria spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyRussian SagePerovskia spp. & cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyYarrowAchillea millefolium (non-native hybrids)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain AlyssumAlyssum montanumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilver SageSalvia argentealow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPurple MulleinVerbascum phoeniceumlow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulySilvery YarrowAchillea clavennaelow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyFern Leaf YarrowAchillea filipendulinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyCalifornia Native YarrowAchillea millefolium (CA native cultivars)low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyWoolly YarrowAchillea tomentosalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyPerennial HollyhockAlcea rosea cvs.low water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in JulyMountain Lady's MantleAlchemilla alpinalow water, Central Valley1.07 gal/sq ft in July
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes spider plant, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water spider plant in summer?

In July, established spider plant in loam needs a deep watering about every 5 days in the Central Valley, about every 18 days on the south coast and about every 6 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does spider plant need per day?

In July in the Central Valley, established spider plant needs about 0.3 gallons a day for a plant 2 feet across and about 1.1 gallons a day for a plant 4 feet across. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for spider plant change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates spider plant separately for each of the six California climate zones: low water in the North-Central Coastal zone, moderate water in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Why are my spider plant leaf tips brown?

Brown tips often come from salts, fluoride or chlorine in tap water. Flush pots with a long, slow soak, or water with rainwater. Trim the brown tips with clean scissors if they bother you.

Is spider plant safe for pets?

It is listed as nontoxic to cats, dogs and horses. That makes it a good choice for shaded beds near pet areas.

How do I get more spider plant babies?

Plantlets form on long stalks after a few weeks of short days, with under about 12 hours of light. Heavy fertilizing reduces them. Pin a plantlet onto moist soil, and cut the stalk once it has rooted.

Can spider plant grow in sun?

It does not tolerate direct sun, which bleaches and scorches the leaves. Grow it in part or full shade outdoors and in medium light indoors.

Can spider plant stay outside in winter?

In mild coastal gardens it stays green outdoors through winter. It prefers temperatures above 45 degrees, so move pots under cover in cold snaps. Where frost is common, keep it as a potted plant you can move.

More plant watering guides

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Sources