Do your Spider plant babies have no roots?
As you know, the Spider plant is known to produce many babies throughout its lifetime.
But it’s quite possible to see no roots on the pups for some reason.
So, what should be the plan of action in this case?
How do you propagate the Spider plant babies when no roots are on them?
Let’s find out in the following guide.
Contents:
Why Does My Spider Plant Babies Have No Roots?
Many times when the Spider plants produce pups, they don’t form roots immediately.
The pups may take several days or weeks to grow roots at the base.
If you see this issue in your plant, it may be for several reasons.
The first reason is stress.
When the plant suffers from root rot or any other underlying issue, it will focus more on the issue than on growing roots in the pups.
So, it becomes a significant factor in this type of situation.
The other reasons why you don’t see any roots in Spider plant babies are the environmental conditions and lack of nutrients.
If the plant doesn’t receive enough nutrients from the soil and the external conditions are not favorable, it will just delay growing pups on the runners.
This is why it may take a little longer to see roots on the Spider plant babies.
Other than that, the pups also get their nutrients and food supply from the mother plant.
This means they can’t grow without an external source.
Therefore, it depends on how the main plant is doing in its pot.
Now, let’s see how you can tackle this situation through the propagation methods.
How To Propagate Spider Plant Babies With No Roots
Here’s how you can propagate the Spider plant babies that don’t grow roots –
1. Let Them Grow For A Few More Weeks
This is the ideal thing to do when you don’t see roots in the pups.
Sometimes, it just takes time to see standard growth in the plant.
So, wait a couple of weeks and let the plant grow independently.
I’m sure you will see some growth at the base.
2. Remove The Pups From The Plant
Waited for a couple of weeks and still not seeing any roots?
No problem!
You can remove them from the main plant.
Take the scissors and cut off the spiderettes from the runner.
While performing this task, you must ensure that you don’t damage the nubs.
These are essential parts of forming the roots, so you need to be careful while cutting each plantlet.
3. Use Rooting Hormone Powder
The rooting hormone powder can be a great option to see some quick growth in your plant.
In case you don’t know much about this powder, it helps promote root growth in young plants.
It is specifically used in nurseries where they need to grow plants quickly.
But how do you use this powder?
- Simply dip the bottom part of the Spider plant baby in the powder.
- Dust off the excess powder on the plant.
- Place it in a pot.
That’s how easy it is!
Note: If you don’t have this powder at home, you don’t have to get it from the store.
You can use the following propagation methods without the rooting hormone powder too.
It might just take a bit longer to see the roots on these plant babies.
4. Use Water Propagation Method
The water propagation method is fairly simple and easy to follow.
You have to place the Spider plant babies in a water bottle, and the plant will start growing roots in a week or so.
However, there are a couple of things you need to understand here –
- Don’t forget to change the water every 2-3 days.
- Don’t place it in direct sunlight.
- Always use clean water for the propagation method.
- Dip into the water only till the base of the plant touches the water. You don’t want to submerge the leaves in water.
If you can follow these guidelines well, you shouldn’t have much of a problem in growing roots in your Spider plant babies.
5. Use The Soil Propagation Method
The second method is the soil propagation method.
For this method, you should take the plantlets and gently place them in small pots.
The pots should have well-draining soil.
You can also use a combination of peat moss and regular garden soil for this purpose.
Note: You won’t need any type of fertilizers at this stage, so it’s better to avoid them entirely.
In fact, they might burn the younger roots and will hamper the root formation process.
Now, here’s a list of things you might need to understand for this method –
- Don’t overwater the pot.
- Don’t remove the plant from the pot to confirm the root formation.
- Keep the pot away from direct sunlight.
- Don’t mist the plant.
Do follow these suggestions; I’m sure you will see the Spider plant babies thriving in a few weeks.
6. Transplant The Plant Once It Grows Well In The Existing Pot
This is the last step of this process.
Once you feel the plant is doing alright in water or pot, you can remove it from the existing setup.
It’s necessary because the plant will not grow properly in water or small pot for too long.
So, you will have to transplant it to another pot with more space and nutrients.
Again, the medium you choose to grow these plants in should be able to drain water quickly.
Do not place these pups in cocopeat or peat moss mixture.
Similarly, the pot should have a couple of drainage holes at the bottom.
Well, this is how you should tackle the problem of the Spider plant babies having no roots.
Hopefully, the above suggestions help in growing these platelets in bigger plants.
Moving on, let’s check out the FAQs section below.
FAQs
As explained earlier in the guide, there are two main methods to root the baby Spider plant.
These methods are nothing but water propagation and soil propagation.
Both these methods are effective in rooting the new plant.
There is one more method through which you can achieve similar results.
It’s called the paper towel method.
For this process, you will have to wrap the base or nubs of baby Spider plants and spray water on the paper.
You can keep them wrapped for 5-6 days, but make sure the towel is slightly moist all the time.
You don’t want to let it dry out completely.
After a week or so, you should see more prominent growth in the roots.
It can take up to a week or two to see the roots of your baby Spider plant.
The whole rooting process depends on environmental conditions as well.
So, if the weather is cold, it might take more time to root.
In this case, you just need to be a little bit patient.
Yes, you can leave the Spider plant babies on the mother plant.
Of course, they won’t grow as big as the main plant, but they will do just fine for a long period.
Ideally, though, it’s better to remove them from the mother plant and transplant it somewhere else.
This way, you will have more Spider plants in your garden.
Yes, the Spider plants can live in low light, but you won’t see the expected results in such conditions.
Generally, the plant prefers bright light conditions, and it’s always a good idea to grow this plant in a well-lit room.
No, you cannot grow a new plant using the Spider plant leaf.
The leaves of this plant are quite thin and do not contain any pulp that may help the rooting process.
So, there is no point in trying out this method.
If you do, the leaves will simply turn brown and begin to rot in the soil or water.
Over To You
It’s all about the patience game here!
If you don’t see any roots in the Spider plant babies, you shouldn’t get too worried about it.
The plants will produce roots, but as explained, they may need more time than usual.
Meanwhile, if you have more questions about this topic, please comment below.
If you liked this guide, do share it with your friends and family.
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