Spider plant produces a long stem with pups when it turns mature. But it can easily break off due to its thin structure. If the Spider plant's stem is broken, you can fix it with tape, support it with a stake, or cut it from the plant to root the baby plants.
Let's learn more about these fixes in the following guide.
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What To Do When The Spider Plant Stem Breaks?
Firstly, you must assess the condition of the Spider plant stem. If it's not broken entirely, you can still revive it using tape or support it with available tools.
So, check for the extent of the damage and see if the stem can be salvaged.
In most cases, you should opt for transplanting the baby plants on the stem. Since the revival of a damaged stem is difficult, you must save the new plants by moving them to new pots.
How To Fix A Broken Spider Plant Stem
If you want to recover the broken stem, you will need to follow a step-by-step process. Let's delve into the details of each step below.
Tools Required -
You will need the following tools for the revival process.
- Stake or strings or any other tool to support the stem
- Tape
- Scissors
- New pots to transplant the Spider plant pups
Now, let's take a look at the step-by-step guide to resolving the broken Spider plant stem issue.
1. Support The Spider Plant Stem
As mentioned earlier, there are many ways through which you can support the broken stem.
You can support it with stakes or strings to reposition the damaged part of the stem. If you don't have any of these tools, use something sturdy to place the stem back in its original position.
Here's how I placed the supporting pot below the stem -
With this pot, the stem gets much-needed support and allows me to root the new Spider plant pup. If you have a similar-looking stem on your Spider plant, use the same strategy of supporting the stem while rooting the pup simultaneously.
As you can see above, the stem has got enough support from the pot and the bigger plantlet is trying to grow new roots in the fresh soil.
And the best part is you don't even need a tape or stake to support the stem.
2. Cut The Stem
Alternatively, you can cut the broken Spider plant stem using scissors.
When the stem is nearly detached from the plant, you won't have many options. You will need to remove it from the plant, as you can root the pups in new pots.
Tip: While cutting the stem, make sure to make a fine cut. Don't damage the stem or pups further.
3. Transplant The Spider Plant Pups
As I said earlier, it's better to remove the pups from the stem and transplant them into new pots. This way, you can save the pups and grow them into full-grown plants.
To transplant the pups, cut them from the stem carefully. Keep their roots intact, though.
For the potting medium, you can choose water or soil. I prefer soil because you don't have to move the plants from water to a soil-based medium. Also, the pups get the required support from the soil.
Once you remove the pups from the broken Spider plant stem, place them in new pots with general-purpose soil. Later, water them well and keep the planter in indirect sunlight.
Moreover, you can watch the following video for detailed steps about this process -
What To Do With Broken Spider Plant Leaves?
There might be a possibility that the leaves of your Spider plant are broken as well. In such cases, you must remove the broken leaves too.
You shouldn't keep such leaves on the plant, as they don't grow any further. The leaves will start wilting eventually and won't look good on the plant.
So, cut them off and allow the plant to produce new leaves.
Note: If it's a slightly bent leaf, you can reposition it with some external support. There is no need to remove such leaves from the Spider plant.
4 Ways To Ensure The Spider Plant Stem Doesn't Break
Here are some guidelines to follow -
1. Do Not Keep Your Plant On A Table Or Desk
The Spider plant grows pretty quickly if it gets decent conditions.
Once it gets bigger, the leaves of this plant grow like ribbons. These leaves can get pulled by any moving object, especially if you keep the plant on a table or desk in your home.
It can damage the leaves and stem unnecessarily. So, move the plant from such a place.
2. Keep It Away From Your Pets And Children
As I said earlier, you shouldn't keep this plant in a busy place in your home. If you do, the kids and pets will definitely pull the leaves when they play around in the room.
Find a place in your home where the plant will be far away from them.
3. Use A Hanging Pot For The Spider Plant
Yes, hanging pots are the safest way to keep this plant from any accidents.
But the only thing you need to take care of is you shouldn't place it near your head or eye level. The leaves of this plant are reasonably sharp, and they may hurt someone while passing by.
4. Use A Small-Medium Size Pot For The Plant
Don't want to use hanging pots? No problem!
Use small or medium-sized pots to grow your Spider plant. These pots will limit the growth of your plant, and they will also keep the leaves shorter.
With this simple strategy, you will be able to avoid possible accidents around the plant.
Also, the indoor plants look pretty in small pots, so that's a bonus too. Moreover, try to follow these things because it's always better to prevent damage than to work on saving the plant later.
FAQs
Yes, you must tape a broken plant stem. It will straighten the stem and help recover from the damage.
No, the broken leaves cannot grow back. You need to remove such leaves from the plant.
Yes, you can reattach a broken branch of your plant, but there is a low probability of reviving the branch from damage.
You can use stakes or some kind of tool to get the stem back to its original position. Once you do that, let the plant grow in this position for a couple of weeks.
Over To You
When you see a broken Spider plant stem, it can be a frightening scene for sure.
But there is no need to panic here. If you follow the steps suggested above, you will be able to revive the plant from this type of damage.
In case you're still not sure or have any further queries, please drop a comment below. I'd be glad to guide you in this process.
Alicia says
I’ve been growing spider plants for many years, and I feel like I always learn something new each time I read new articles. I do have a question about the stems. Once you take the baby from the stem, can it reproduce another baby? Can the small flowers produce babies that are up and down the stem? I have A spider that produced several stems a few months ago but did not produce babies. Should I just cut them, or will they eventually develop? I usually just cut them off and throw them away but it occurred to me that they could be reused or replanted. If you have some free time I would appreciate a response. Thank you so much.
Harshad says
Hi Alicia,
If you cut the entire stem, it won't produce any new babies.
As for the small flowers, they can come up with the spiderettes. But there are quite a few factors you need to take into consideration. For e.g., if the plant is fairly young, it won't have the strength to produce new babies. So, you may not see further growth in the plant.
Similarly, environmental factors can also impact this process in your plant.
Therefore, it's better to cut them off. You can keep the ones that look relatively better in shape and size, as they might produce new babies in the future.