How to Root an Airplane Plant
Imagine growing a houseplant that not only takes care of itself, but also cares for the health of you and your family. This describes the airplane plant (Chlorophytum comosum), also called spider plant. This South African native made NASA’s list of plants that help reduce indoor air pollution, specifically for its ability to remove formaldehyde from the air. The lilylike leaves and easy-care nature of the airplane plant make it a favorite houseplant, although it can be safely grown outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. To top it off, airplane plants reproduce prolifically, with tiny airplanelike baby plants, known as “offsets ” or pups, that hang from the plant. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Garden snips or scissors
- Planting pot
- Soilless potting mix with at least 50 percent peat moss
- Distilled water or rain water
- Wire or paper clip
Instructions
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Cut the stalk that attaches the offset to the mother plant using snips or sharp scissors. Cut the stalk all the way back to the mother plant’s foliage. Cut the stalk from the pup at the foliage and discard it.
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Fill a planting pot with a commercial soilless medium that contains at least 50 percent peat moss. Water the medium with distilled water or rain water until it is completely moist. Airplane plants suffer from fluoride toxicity when watered with tap water.
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Make a hole for the airplane plant pup’s tiny roots with your finger. Place the offset's roots in the hole and pack the medium gently around the roots. If it topples over, bend a piece of wire or a paper clip into a “U” and insert the ends into the soil on either side of the pup to hold it in place. As it produces a larger root system it will be able to stand on its own.
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Place the potted airplane plant in an area that is out of direct sun and that remains between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime and 55 to 65 F at night. Keep the soil moist at all times by watering the plant with distilled water or rain water.
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References
- Colorado State University Cooperative Extension: Plants "Clean" Air Inside Our Homes
- Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture: Chlorophytum Comosum
- K-State Research and Extension: Spider Plant
- Clemson Cooperative Extension: Spider Plant
- Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory: Fluoride Toxicity in Spider Plants
- Photo Credit George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images
