Do Spider Plants Need Fertilizer? (What Type, How Much & More)

Spider plants are beginner-friendly plants with low demands and needs. New plant owners often wonder if they should fertilize their spider plant or not. Let us find out the answer to this question.

The spider plant doesn’t need much fertilizer, but feeding a small dose once in 6-8 weeks can boost the plant’s growth. Use any balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer during the growing season for the best result. Make sure you use half the recommended dose to avoid overfertilization and stop fertilizing during winter.

Fertilizing spider plants is crucial as it will fulfill all the nutrient needs of the plant. Spider plants need supplements to have proper growth and flow of nutrients.

All you need is fertilizing your spider plant during the growing period and let them rest during winters. They will thrive and flourish happily, with little attention and care.

We will go into details of all that touches fertilizing the spider plant and ensure that you end up with the right way and right fertilizer for your plant.

Should I fertilize my snake plant?

Spider plants need fertilizer but in moderation. They need fertilizer to fulfill their nutrient need that soil mix cannot provide.

Fertilizer contains all the relevant nutrients, i.e., micronutrients and macronutrients, to help the spider plant grow and stay healthy. The potting mix might not provide sufficient nutrients that the plant needs.

As the potting mix gets older, the soil starts losing the nutrients needed for healthy plant growth. Thus, we need to add fertilizer to replenish the lost nutrients.

Due to insufficient nutrients, the spider plant will become weak and will not have new growth or have very slow growth. Fertilizers give the plant the immunity to fight diseases and other plant-related issues.

Due to lack of supplements, the spider plants may suffer from these issues:

• Poor growth
• Yellow leaves
• Wilting
• Weak roots
• Thin leaves

Thus, make sure you watch out for these issues and supplement your spider plant with the nutrients they need.

What nutrients do fertilizer contain?

The fertilizers contain nutrients that are important to the plant’s growth. Being a plant parent, you should know what the essential elements present in it are.

Let us educate ourselves regarding what nutrients do fertilizer offer to your plant.

Nutrients	Functions
Macronutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium	-Mobile nutrients -Provides vital proteins -Cellular growth  -Involved in photosynthesis -Necessary for cell division -Boosting the immune system.
Secondary nutrients: Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur	-Helps in absorbing nutrients -Improves metabolism -Activator of enzymes -Promotes uptake and translocation of phosphorus -Involved in metabolic activities -Strengthen the immune system
Micronutrients: Iron, Zinc, Copper–Boron, Chlorine, Manganese–Molybdenum, Nickel	-Helps in nucleic and protein synthesis -Promotes formation of vitamin A -Necessary for maintenance of chlorophyll -Involved in the respiratory process of plant -Essential for cell division -Stimulates the activity of some enzymes

What is the best fertilizer for snake plant?

Fertilizing your spider plant is as important as fertilizing with the right fertilizer. We know you are confused regarding choosing the right fertilizer for your spider plant. We are here to solve this problem.

Spider plants are light feeders, and if fed with the right food, they will thrive and grow throughout the year.

Organic fertilizers with balanced formulas (10-10-10) have the three mobile nutrients that are a must for a plant’s overall growth. This fertilizer will promote vigorous growth of the plant if fed in the right way.

Nitrogen takes care of foliage, phosphorus for the roots and flowering, and potassium for the plant’s overall functioning. The other nutrients are also in the right quantity as the spider plant requires.

You can use locally produced worm compost to provide micro-organisms that are beneficial to the soil. Apply the worm compost as a ¼” layer on the soil. Apply in early spring. This will work for the whole year.

Types of fertilizer

The best one’s out of the above varieties are:

• Liquid fertilizer
• Granular fertilizer
• Slow-release fertilizers

Liquid Fertilizers: Liquid fertilizers are diluted and supply nutrients into the soil slowly. If you get fertilizer in powder form, you can dilute them with water and feed the plant. Supply should be consistent during summers, and during winters, you must stop feeding your spider plant.

Follow the instructions on the package and never overdose it. Keep watering as the soil dries so that the liquid fertilizer distributes evenly. 

Granular fertilizer: Granular fertilizers have a high potassium and nitrogen level and dump all their nutrients in the soil at once. They are better for outdoor gardening because you cannot control the number of nutrients the plant is getting, which might harm your plant.

Slow-release Fertilizer: Slow-release fertilizers have thick coatings that break down with time when fed. They are fed once and goes for a long time as they leach out steadily with each watering. They cannot be diluted, and you cannot completely control the nutrient supply.

So, liquid fertilizers are considered the best option for your spider plant.

Compost as a fertilizer

Compost works great as a fertilizer for the spider plant and has great importance and benefits:

• Enriches soil and helps in retaining moisture in the soil.
• Suppresses plant disease and prevents pest infestation.
• Reduces the need for chemical or other fertilizers.
• Encourages beneficial bacterial and fungus production that will help in improving the nutrient amount in the soil. 
• Compost will neutralize the toxins and metals found in the soil, saving the plant from absorbing them. 

Add the compost by putting a 1-inch layer on the soil, and it works great. Just keep watering the plant right and provide sufficient sunlight to absorb sufficient nutrients.

You can make compost at your home by mixing three brown matter parts (dried leaves, shredded newspaper, grass, or other carbon-rich materials) and 1 part of green matter (vegetables, grass clippings, coffee grounds and food scraps, tea bags, or other nitrogen-rich materials).

Ensure the quantity is right, and supplement your spider plant with organic fertilizer so that the plant doesn’t lack any nutrients.

What’s the best fertilizer for spider plant-My Top Pick

Spider plants should be ideally fertilized with all-purpose organic fertilizers, preferably. They are not heavy feeders and with very low demands.

You can use Miracle-gro succulent plant food for feeding your spider plant once every month. The best way to fertilize your spider plant is by using 1/4th of the recommended dosage.

Jack’s Classic 20-20-20 All Purpose Fertilizer is also one of the most versatile and useful fertilizers I have ever used. It works great as well

If you want to use compost, then add a 1-inch layer of the compost (you can make it at home or buy charlie compost from amazon) to the top of the soil.

If you want to go complete organic route but without the hassle of smell and mess then Espoma Organic Indoor Liquid Organic Plant Food will be the best choice.

All of these fertilizer works exceptionally well for spider plant and you can choose any of them for best result.

Do spider plants like coffee grounds?

Coffee grounds are a source of nitrogen and will help in boosting the growth of our spider plant. However, the coffee grounds should not be added directly to the soil, as they can cause more harm to the plant and even burn the roots and leaves.

Mix a handful of coffee grounds with other fertilizers, compost, or mulch beforehand to fulfill the nutrient needs of the plant. You can use the prepared mixture once in 6-8 weeks.

With that, you need to take care of the watering and light needs of the plant and keep the plant in proper ventilation.

Coffee grounds attract fungus and bacteria if you add them directly to the soil, due to which it is recommended to prepare them in the form of fertilizer, compost, or mulch.

Also read: Do spider plant like coffee ground?

How often should I fertilize my snake plant?

Fertilizing the spider plant is necessary but should be monitored. Fertilize your spider plant during spring and summer with organic fertilizers, compost, or whatever way you prefer.

Fertilize once a month during the growing season and give adequate water and light to your spider plant.

You don’t need to fertilize your spider plant during the dormant season as they rest during this time of the year.

How much fertilizer does the spider plant need?

The spider plant should be fertilized by diluting the fertilizer half the strength as given in the package.

If you are using compost, then put a 1-inch layer of compost on the top of the soil once a month.

A handful of coffee grounds can be mixed with the fertilizer beforehand, which can later be added to your spider plant.

How to fertilize the spider plant?

Fertilizing the spider plant is easy and if taken care of the dose and method. All you need to do is 

• Buy an organic fertilizer.
•  Add ½ or ¼ of fertilizer of the recommended dosage with a gallon of water.
• For compost, use only a handful of the same to the soil once every two months.
• Water your spider plant after fertilizing for thorough distribution of the nutrients in the soil and roots.

What happens if you over-fertilize a spider plant?

Over-fertilizing your spider plant is a big no, and that can harm your plant to the point that they can die. Spider plants are light feeders and can happily survive under fertilizing but cannot tolerate over-fertilizing.

If you keep overfeeding your spider plant, the plant will show stress through:

• Brown leaf tips
• Discoloring
• Stunted growth
• Yellow leaves
• White spots on top of the soil
• Wilting
• Burnt roots

Over-fertilizing will gradually harm the soil, suffocate the soil, limit the water and airflow, and will burn the roots over time. It should be stopped and monitored.

How to fix an over-fertilized spider plant?

If the damage of over-fertilizing your spider plant has been done, we will not lie that your plant may suffer, but we can still help you fix the damage as much as we can.

1. Examine the condition of the damaged plant closely.
2. Chop the damaged and burnt leaves and stems.
3. Scrape the top few inches of the soil to remove the concentrated salt due to over-fertilization.
4. Flush your spider plant’s soil with water thoroughly to get rid of excess fertilizer and allow the water to drain out thoroughly and repeat this several times.
5. Repot your spider with a fresh, sterilized soil mix if the condition is severe.

Another essential thing you need to do is stop fertilizing your spider plant for one month and provide proper airflow and lighting. 

Last words

• Fertilizing spider plants is essential, but you must have the right knowledge regarding the same.
• The amount, type, and method of fertilizing your spider plant should be right; otherwise, they can provide harm to the plant more than benefiting them.
• With proper care and other environmental conditions, the plant will thrive.