Poorly Spider Plant

Hi Everyone,

I have a poorly spider plant, I've had it a few years and it started off no bigger than 7 inches and has grown and grown, as you can tell from the pictures below.

Recently it has become unwell, its leaves are changing from the standard strong stiff texture to floppy and sometimes browning. I've always had brown tips, which I've read is due to over/under watering (which baffles me as I consistently water it).

I recently re-potted it, from a standard plastic pot, which fitted inside my ceramic pot, directly into the ceramic pot (this was because i was getting a build up of stagnant water in the bottom of the ceramic pot), i used enriched top soil to top the pot up.

From the pictures does anyone know what might be causing this? I seems to be spreading rather quickly, I'm worried i will loose this plant if i don't act quickly.

 

Hello Nick and welcome to Gardeners Corner.

I think you said it all above.

I have four pots of it and all live outside permanently .... and it gets pretty hot here in Algarve! Mine get watered infrequently except in the heat of the summer and they may get a daily sip. My eldest must be 20+ and the rest are her babies. I do have mine in shaded places like the one below which gets minimal sun. There are two pots starting in the hanging pots. They are from South Africa but were popular in Victorian homes where they were often neglected.

I would suggest you snip off the dead bits and cut back on the water.

 

Does the ceramic pot have a drainage hole? If not, there's your problem....

 

@Clare G I disagree with you here. A ceramic pot/china planter/plantaflor/ubertopf is to catch any over run of water so as not to mark furniture, rather like a posh saucer ... but I am sure you know that. It is not supposed too have holes in it. I have lots of them, even outdoors. The problem is overwatering and perhaps Nick needs to make sure there is no water standing in the pot.

I maintain he needs to cut back on the watering.

 

Yes, I do know that @Victoria. I have quite a few of that kind, but don't plant into them direct, always into a normal pot with holes which I can remove for watering so any excess water can drain out. I think most people do? Ubertopf certainly means "overpot"! Must be tricky never to overwater otherwise?

 

Apologies @Clare G ... I obviously didn't read the post correctly.

Nick, read the discussion between Clare and myself.

 

Thank you @Clare G & @Victoria, i guess it was staring me in the face the whole time! I will reduce the watering and hope it makes a full recovery!

p.s wish i was in the Algarve!

 

I dont think it looks all that bad, yes a pot with no drainage is a recipe for disaster but its only a couple of leaves, just cut them off.
Repot into something with drainage, water and empty any water remaining in a saucer, then leave until fairly dry before watering again.
No direct sunlight.