5 Vital Things Your Spider Plant Needs in November to Stay Bright and Healthy All Winter Long
Cut back on watering and boost humidity this month
Come November, our houseplants are desperate for a bit for a bit of TLC to cope with lower light levels and colder room temperatures. Spider plants, despite being one of the easiest houseplants to care for, are among those that need a bit of help to settle into the incoming winter season.
It's true that spider plant care is straightforward, which is why it's such a beginner-friendly houseplant. However, drafts, soggy soil, and dry air all put it at risk through the fall and winter months. These problems could cause root rot, pest problems, and foliage damage.
That's why I always do a handful of things in fall to keep my spider plant bright and healthy. With your houseplant care kit to hand (particularly a soil moisture meter, like this from Amazon), here's what to do with a spider plant in November.
1. Avoid Drafts
Spider plants are tropical houseplants, native to tropical and southern Africa. For this reason, they don't cope well with cold temperatures and sudden temperature fluctuations.
'Spider plants thrive at temperatures between 65-75°F. Avoid drastic temperature changes, like drafts. While the plant can tolerate short drops to 50–55°F, prolonged exposure to cold can kill it,' says Plantum plant expert, Marina Prokaten.
'If you put it on a windowsill, make sure the leaves don’t touch the cold glass,' she adds.
You can use a room thermometer (like this from Walmart) to monitor this. If needed, use a seedling heat mat (which you can pick up from Amazon) to keep your spider plant sufficiently warm.
Marina Prokaten is a resident plant expert for the Plantum app, which helps users identify plant species, diagnose their conditions, and get specific care advice. She has three years of experience consulting on botany-related topics for Plantum.
2. Move It Closer to a Window
As well as watching out for sudden cold temperatures, take note of how much daylight exposure your spider plant gets in its current position. To little light during fall and winter's shorter days can result in a loss of variegation, leggy growth, and even stunted growth.
'Place your spider plant near a west or east-facing window so it receives bright, indirect light,' Marina suggests.
Houseplant rotation can help provide balanced light exposure and result in more symmetrical growth. A plant caddy (like this wooden one from Wayfair) can make this much more convenient to do.
'Watch for pale and wilted foliage, which may indicate the plant lacks sunlight. If you see this, move the pot closer to a window or use a grow light,' Marina adds.
If you do need to boost lighting, a grow light with a timer can make it low effort. This bamboo grow light from Amazon doesn't compromise on aesthetics.
3. Reduce Watering
One of the biggest things to do when it comes to fall houseplant care is reduce watering. Soil dries out much slower in the colder room temperatures, and plants are entering dormancy so don't need so much water to support growth.
'Be careful not to overwater the spider plant, especially if it’s kept in a cool spot, since roots are more likely to get stressed in wet soil,' says Marina.
Overwatering now can risk houseplant root rot, houseplant pest problems, and the death of your houseplant.
You should use your finger or a soil moisture meter (which you can pick up from Walmart) to identify when around 50% has dried out before watering again.
'It's also best to choose a pot with drainage holes at the bottom so excess water can drain freely, and empty the saucer afterward,' Marina advises.
4. Check for Brown Tips
It's a common problem for a spider plant's tips to turn brown over winter, especially when your plant is located near radiators and heating vents, or indoor humidity has dropped.
'Brown leaf tips often signal low humidity or sensitivity to tap water chemicals. The damaged parts won’t recover, but increasing the humidity will prevent new leaves from drying at the edges,' Marina suggests.
Tap water can be bad for houseplants that are particularly sensitive to the chemicals and minerals in the water. Spider plants are fairly tolerate of tap water, but a build-up of minerals can cause brown tips and discoloring foliage. You can purchase distilled water from Walmart to use instead.
'To increase humidity for indoor plants, consider using a humidifier (like this portable humidifier from Amazon). You can also group your houseplants and place a container filled with water nearby,' Marina suggests.
Another easy way to boost humidity is placing your spider plant on a pebble humidity tray, which you can find at Amazon. As the water evaporates around the pebbles, it increases moisture in the air around your plant.
5. Don't Fertilize Your Plant
Now that your spider plant is entering dormancy, it's slowing down and isn't growing so actively as in spring and summer. This means it doesn't need fertilizer – in fact, fertilizing your spider plant now can cause more harm than good.
'In cooler temperatures and with less light, the spider plant slows its growth and uses very few resources, so fertilizing is unnecessary. Hold off on any fertilizers until early spring to prevent chemical burns to the roots,' says Marina.
You could risk killing off your spider plant by burning roots when it isn't taking up essential plant nutrients.
Instead, use this time to stock up on spider plant fertilizer (like this TPS spider plant fertilizer from Amazon), ready to use monthly in spring when your plant starts to grow again.
What to Shop
As the coldest temperatures settle in, it's important to keep your most sensitive houseplants warm in winter. If needed, you can wrap houseplant pots with a breathable material like burlap (available on Amazon) for extra insulation.
Our guide to winter houseplant care has more insights to consider for healthy and happy houseplants over the coming months.
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