Why is My Spider Plant Dying [Practical Steps to Revive]

The cascading Spider Plant can extend their life for 20-50 years but will exhibit telltale signs of immature dying under improper watering and other care habits.

Luckily, these hardy plants do not perish overnight; symptoms before dying may include yellowing leaves from the bottom and losing leaves.

So, before you forfeit your Spider Plant entirely only due to cultural issues, run your hand to save it.

How to Save Spider Plant from Dying? (Causes & Solutions)

Though rare, Spider Plant is prone to plant problems, which can hamper growth, leading to dying signs and, ultimately, death.

To save the dying Spider plant, you must identify the core care failures and provide immediate actions to save them from dying.

1. Watering Issues

Spider Plants are drought resistant but may get discoloration of leaves from green to yellow, folding of leaves, and brown and crisp leaves.

These symptoms are preceded by dry soil for a long time.

Spider Plant, also known as Airplane Plant, produces thick tubers with tangled swollen roots, which are susceptible to overwatering.

If the plant remains in the water pool for a prolonged time, overwatering symptoms can accelerate with yellow leaves, mushy leaves, drooping of leaves, and root rotting.

Steps for Revival from Underwatering

• Prune the dead and damaged (yellow, brown, and black) leaves. This may help the plant to rejuvenate the energy to produce new leaves.
• Water the plant frequently during the initial weeks.
• If the soil is dry to dust, water the plant generously until the pot drips through drainage holes.
• Use an overhead dripper to give them the proper wetness if the plant is not getting sufficient water.

Steps for Revival from Overwatering

• Remove the pool of water from the pot and take it to the bright indirect sunlight.

• Pull the roots out and inspect them. The foul smell, dark, dark gray, black, and mushy roots are signs of root rot.
• Rinse off the roots with luke water and cut off the damaged roots.
• Alternatively, if there are more damaged roots, prepare a hydrogen peroxide solution (3% of hydrogen peroxide and water mixed in a ratio of 1: 5).

Water Spider Plants weekly or twice every 2-3 weeks during summer and once 2-3 weeks during winter.

2. Lack of Quality Water

Do you provide your Spider Plant with filtered water or tap water?

Remember, tap water contains toxic elements like chlorine and fluorine, which can cause Spider Plants to die.

These toxins can prevent photosynthesis, leaving the leaves reddish brown on edge.

Further, symptoms exceed with scorched or burned leaves, relatively smaller leaves, and young leaves that turn yellow and fall.

Steps for Revival

• Flush out the toxins with distilled or rainwater.
• Use activated alumina that can adsorb various contaminants alternatively.
• If there is excess toxin accumulation in the soil, it will be best for you to repot the plant.
• If you use tap water, keep it stagnant overnight so the chlorine and fluorine will disperse.

3. Transplantation Shock

During the transplantation, the Spider Plant may lose half of its root system, leading the plant toward stress.

Though the Spider Plants are hardy enough, they experience difficulty regaining life after repot.

You can witness your Spider plant showing dying signs like leaf scorching, wilting of leaves, and poor plant growth.

But don’t worry! Spider Plant will return to life within 2-3 weeks after regular care.

Steps for Revival

• Irrigate the soil immediately after the transplanting to accommodate the new environment.
• The best time to transplant your plant is at the beginning of spring.
• Observe the plant after transplanting for a few weeks as they are susceptible to the attack of pests and diseases.
• Avoid pruning and repotting during a stressful time for your plant; this will further trigger the shock.

4. Light Stress

Spider Plants are native to coastal areas of South Africa, similar to tropical regions.

They naturally thrive under the canopies, which remain safe from sunburn.

If you take them outside under bright sunlight, they may produce brighter leaf stripes than usual and browning of leaves.

Contrarily, low light or insufficient light can also hamper photosynthesis, turning the green leaves to yellow and brown.

Steps for Revival

• If you observe symptoms of a lack of light plants, place the plant in a sunny spot for a while.
• Expose the plant under 6-8 hours of bright indirect light.
• Make sure to rotate the pot every few days so that all sides can get equal light. Give your plant some time to get back to standard form again.
• You can also use artificial grow lights for your plant.
• Take the plant outside for full sun if the winter approaches.
• Contrarily, use shade clothes for plants if the sun is scorching during the summer.
• Place the potted Spider Plant under the umbrella trees.

5. Temperature Stress

Spider Plants prefer temperatures between 55°F and 85°F, making them an excellent choice for indoor plants.

According to the University of Florida, Spider Plants can endure frostiness down to 35°F, but it will be hard to grow them below 65°F.

If the temperature exceeds 90°F, it will increase the rate of transportation, which will increase the absorption of toxic materials.

The symptoms of excess temperature can be brown spots in the centers of leaves or black leaves and the burning of leaf tips.

Stunted growth, no flower production, and lack of enzyme secretion indicate low temperature.

Steps for Revival

• If you observe the symptoms of excess temperature, place the plant in a shady place and water the plant until the condition gets better.
• Mist the plant in the morning during summer.
• Water the plant frequently if the temperature increases.
• You can use frost blankets and row cloths to cover the plant during the low temperature.
• Withdraw the plant from the frosty window during winter.
• Avoid placing the Spider plant near cold drafts, including air coolers, fridges, and heating objects like fireplaces.

6. Improper Humidity

Spider Plants love to be around humid habitats and grow in descending humidity.

However, when the air is dry or low humid, plants can absorb the leaf moisture faster than roots absorb the water from the soil.

If there is high humidity in the air, the excess water content may be a problem, as Spider Plants have difficulty evaporating the water.

Thus, the symptoms like yellowish-brown leaves and drying out of leaves and soil become common.

On the other hand, the high humidity can yield black leaves and root rot.

Steps for Revival

• Mist the plant regularly to increase the humidity around the plant.
• You can cultivate the Spider Plant in a group of several plants, which creates a micro-ecosystem that will auto-regulate the humidity for them.
• The ideal humidity range of the room is around 40-50%, so you can use a humidifier or pebble tray for your plants to get a proper amount of humidity.
• Add a layer of mulch 2 inches above the soil so plants can have space for aeration and absorb more water.

7. Inappropriate Fertilization

Spider Plant requires a balanced liquid fertilizer for three weeks or slow-release fertilizer every three months.

Providing plants with excess or less fertilization can trigger over or under-fertilization.

The signs of a dying Spider plant from over-fertilization are brown leaves, defoliation, and death of seedlings. Meanwhile, under-fertilization can stunt growth and yield yellow leaves.

The plant can live on the water with limited soil nutrition for a few days but cannot afford overfertilization and salt build-up.

Steps for Revival

• Water the plant generously and offer balanced and nitrogen-oriented fertilization if you have left the plant without food.
• Rinse off the salt built up with the freshwater if you have overfed the plant.
• Inspect the root rot, cut off damaged ones, and repot the plant if necessary.
• Do not feed the plant during winter, as the plant goes dormant this time.
• Only use certified fertilizers and use them after diluting them with water.

8. Common Pests and Diseases

Like other houseplants, Spider Plants can be prone to leaf problems, such as yellowing, browning, and blacking leaves caused by pests and diseases.

Aphids, Mealy Bugs, Whiteflies, Spider Mites, and Scales are the common sap-sucking pests in the plant.

Besides, the plant also suffers from the diseases like fungal gnats, bacterial leaf spots, and powdery mildew.

As a result, these diseases and a pest infestation can yield symptoms such as rotting rot, wilting of the leaves, drooping, drooling, yellowing, and stunted growth.

Steps for Revival

• Rinse the plant thoroughly with a stream of water if you observe any pests on the surface of the leaves.
• Then hand-pick the pests and rub the infected area with sterilized Q tips.
• You can also use neem oil mixed with water and spray it on the infected area.
• Warm water mixed with insecticidal soap can also be a great help in dealing with pests.
• Prune the infected leaves as it will help to prevent the plant from further infection.
• Use the yellow sticky trap to prevent your plant from whiteflies, fungus gnats, and other pests.

Remember to sterilize the knife every time you cut through the infected area. It will prevent further infection in the healthy part of the plant.