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Home » Indoor Plant Guides » Trimming Spider Plant Roots: 6-Step Guide

July 10, 2021

Trimming Spider Plant Roots: 6-Step Guide

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Trimming Spider plant roots is essential and can be achieved by removing the unwanted and damaged roots using sharp scissors.

While trimming, prune the dried and dead outer edges first and move to the bottom parts of the roots subsequently. Once pruned, replenish the plant with fresh soil and water.

Let’s understand this process in more detail in this comprehensive guide!

baby spider plants in the pot

Jump To:

  • Here’s Why You Should Consider Trimming Spider Plant Roots
    • 1. Overgrown Spider Plant
    • 2. Rootbound Conditions
    • 3. Effects Of Overwatering
    • 4. Seasonal Root Trimming
    • 5. Addressing Yellow or Brown Leaves
  • Step-By-Step Guide To Trimming Spider Plant Roots
    • 1. Take The Plant Out Of The Pot
    • 2. Clean The Dirt Attached To Roots
    • 3. Trim The Overgrown Roots
    • 4. Prepare A New Pot With Fresh Soil Mix
    • 5. Put The Plant Back In The Pot
    • 6. Water It Well
  • FAQs

Here’s Why You Should Consider Trimming Spider Plant Roots

Now, these are some of the reasons why you must prune the roots on your Spider plant – 

1. Overgrown Spider Plant

Does your Spider plant look overgrown?

Do you see too many leaves on the plant?

overgrown spider plant
Overgrown Spider Plant

Well, if the answer is yes, you should consider pruning the leaves as well as the roots.

As you know, root trimming helps in keeping things tidy underneath the topsoil.

This way, they won’t grow too much, and the plant will continue to produce new roots in the soil.

The other benefit of trimming the roots of such plants is that you will not have to transplant them for at least 5-6 months.

The Spider plant will continue to grow nicely in the same pot for an extended period.

Therefore, whenever you feel the plant is overgrown, do take a look at the roots as well.

2. Rootbound Conditions

Yes, the Spider plant can also get rootbound.

This generally happens when you neglect the plant and let it grow for a long time.

But how do you know it’s rootbound?

There are a couple of ways through which you can get to know more about it.

Firstly, if you think the plant is not growing at all for a few weeks, it’s likely because of the rootbound issue.

The second way to confirm is by uplifting the whole plant from the pot.

This is a better option to check the issue, as you get to see how well they are doing inside the pot.

So, try to confirm whether the plant is rootbound or not.

If it does seem to have a rootbound issue, you can trim some of the roots from the plant.

3. Effects Of Overwatering

Overwatering can cause a lot of issues to the roots.

When the water sits in the pot for a while, it becomes difficult for the roots to thrive in such conditions.

spider plant falls over
Overwatered Spider Plant

As a result, the roots will begin to rot.

Now, if you want to avoid the situation from getting aggravated, you should quickly remove the plant and check the roots.

It will help you understand the extent of damage caused to the roots.

Once you confirm this issue, you can safely perform the trimming process.

4. Seasonal Root Trimming

As I mentioned earlier, the root-trimming process can help in keeping the plant growing for a long period.

So, if you have grown the plant well for the past few seasons, you should think of performing an inspection on the whole plant.

This, of course, includes the roots as well.

Ideally, this process should be done before or at the beginning of the growing season.

This way, the plant will get enough time to rejuvenate and form new roots in the soil.

5. Addressing Yellow or Brown Leaves

Many times we get to experience leaves turning yellow or brown due to some existing issues.

It happens with most indoor plants because it’s quite a task to keep up with their water and light requirements.

If your plant leaves are turning yellow, you should have a look at the roots.

The soil might have rot or dry root conditions, leading to issues with your plant leaves.

Hence, you must confirm the problem by uprooting the plant.

If you feel there is a need to remove the roots, you must go ahead and perform the trimming process.

In the next section, I have shared some insights on how you should go about this process.

Do take a look at it if you have never pruned the Spider plant roots.

Step-By-Step Guide To Trimming Spider Plant Roots

Here’s how you can trim the roots of this plant – 

1. Take The Plant Out Of The Pot

This is the first step of the process.

Without removing the plant from the pot, you won’t be able to proceed with the trimming process.

So, gently take the plant out of the pot and make sure you don’t apply too much pressure.

You may also water your plant a day before performing this activity, as it will loosen the soil and make the whole process a lot easier.

Also, if the soil is already loose, don’t try to uplift the plant.

Instead, it would help if you thought of flipping the pot upside down.

It will be easier for you to remove the plant with this method.

2. Clean The Dirt Attached To Roots

Removed the plant from the pot?

Now, it’s time to rinse the roots.

Cleaning is an essential part of this process because it will allow you to look at the entire root system carefully.

So, use a garden spray and remove the dirt attached to the roots.

When you are done cleaning the roots, let the plant dry out for a bit before you begin the next step.

Note: You don’t have to remove all the dirt from the roots. 

Just get rid of it as much as possible.

3. Trim The Overgrown Roots

Although the trimming process sounds easy, you will have to think deeply before removing the roots.

First and foremost, you should remove the damaged and dead roots from the plant.

You will find these roots on the outer part of the root system.

Trim them off and discard them into the bin.

Don’t throw these roots in your compost bin, though.

Once you have removed these roots from all sides, you can have a look at the root system again.

If needed, you can perform another round of trimming.

But make sure to keep most of the roots intact, as you don’t want to put the plant under a lot of stress.

Here’s a detailed video on how to trim Spider plant roots –

4. Prepare A New Pot With Fresh Soil Mix

In this step, you should place the plant in a new pot with a fresh soil mix.

Fresh soil is quite important because it will allow the plant to grow at a standard rate.

If you use the same potting soil, it may not have enough nutrients to fulfill your Spider plant’s needs.

Thus, it makes sense to prepare a fresh batch of soil for the new pot.

5. Put The Plant Back In The Pot

When the soil mixture is ready, you can simply place the plant in the pot.

While performing this step, you must ensure all the roots are placed under the soil.

Cover them properly with the remaining soil mix.

6. Water It Well

Finally, don’t forget to water the plant.

At this stage, you can water the plant till it comes out of the drainage holes.

It’s an important step because it will help rejuvenate the roots.

Alright, these are the few steps you need to follow if you want to trim the roots of the Spider plant.

Now, let’s take a look at the FAQs below.

FAQs

1. How Do You Prune A Spider Plant Root?

You can make use of sharp scissors to prune any damaged or dead roots from the plant. The process is quite straightforward, but you should be careful while removing the roots. Do not remove any fresh roots from the plant.

2. Should You Trim Spider Plant Roots?

It depends on the condition of your plant. If it has any root-related issues, you must trim the affected roots from it.

3. Do Spider Plants Like To Be Root Bound?

Yes, the plant does like to be slightly root-bound.

4. Can You Cut The Roots Of A Plant Without Killing It?

Sure, you can! You just have to perform the light pruning method on the roots to get rid of the unwanted roots from the plant. With this method, you won’t hurt the plant a lot, and it shouldn’t face many issues with it.

5. Is It Okay To Cut Roots When Repotting?

Yes, you can cut the roots while repotting. However, it should only be performed if necessary. Do not cut them off if there isn’t much overgrowth.


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  4. 3 Things To Do When You See Jade Plant Roots On Stem

About Harshad Sawant

I'm Harshad Sawant, a houseplant gardener and the founder of Indoor Mint.

Join me as I distill my 15+ years of hands-on gardening experience into valuable guidance right here on this blog.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ida L. Wright says

    May 5, 2022 at 8:04 pm

    You have covered the root systems very well however I have a question; there are a lot of fat white roots on the outer sides of the central root system. I understand that the plant feeds from these however it means having quite a big pot. I would like to cut some of these off so my question is, how many of these can I cut off? I have one huge plant that is being pushed over to one side of the pot ( ie; it is no longer in the middle of the pot.) It is already in a big pot but I want to repot it to the middle again.

    Reply
    • Harshad says

      May 7, 2022 at 2:36 pm

      Hey Ida,

      Ideally, you shouldn’t cut off any of the roots, as they all play an important role in ensuring the growth of your plant.

      However, if you absolutely must cut some roots, you should never cut more than 10-15% of the total roots.

      This will minimize any damage to the plant and give it the best chance to recover and continue growing strong.

      Reply
  2. Jill Fuller says

    April 16, 2022 at 10:31 pm

    Harshad
    what type of soil do you recommend?
    thank you jill

    Reply
    • Harshad says

      April 17, 2022 at 5:34 am

      Hey Jill,

      I recommend potting soil mixed with peat moss for Spider plants.

      You can also add perlite or vermiculite to the mix for better drainage.

      Good drainage is important for spider plants, as they are susceptible to root rot.

      If you live in an area with high humidity, you may also want to add a bit of sand to the mix to help with drainage.

      Reply

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I'm Harshad Sawant, a houseplant gardener and the founder of Indoor Mint.

Join me as I distill my 15+ years of hands-on gardening experience into valuable guidance right here on this blog.

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