September 2020 - 34

hot tropics
Chlorophytum
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With their versatility and the increased demand for tropicals, chlorophytum deserves your attention.
BY ANDREW BRITTEN
C
hlorophytum comosum, or spider plants, have been a foliage staple in
our industry for as long as I have been alive, and much beyond that
as well (I am trying very hard not to identify as young or old). They
are a perennial flowering tropical plant native to Tropical and Southern
Africa. This was one of the plants that I first had as a child that really got
me into the love of plants and the industry that we are in. I remember
watching the plants grow, develop their pups, and subsequently planting
them and making new pots full of this quite common yet tremendously
interesting plant. It was also the first plant my parents told me to stop
making more of. Having grown up in the north, in Maryland, everything had
to be brought inside for the winter and I had run out of space!
PRODUCING CHLOROPHYTUM
Much like a strawberry, chlorophytum are propagated through plantlets
formed off a stolon (runner) off the mother plant. These plantlets are
formed on the stolon and, as they grow, gravity forces them to the ground
where they can root and produce a new plant. For the production in the
nursery, these plants are generally grown off the ground to avoid the
rooting in, making the plantlets easy to pluck from the mother plant and
rooted to start new production in a liner or another pot. I find this to
be one of the more interesting methods that plants have developed to
reproduce. Now only if my growing gut could be plucked off as a clone!
VARIETIES
Chlorophytum come in a range of green and white variegations. Some of
the most common varieties sold on the market include:
* Variegated - This is the most sold variety in the market. It consists of
leaf blades that are a combination of white leaves with a green margin.
The stolons are white on this variety.
* Reverse - These are very similar to the above, but the center of the
leaf blade is dark green with white leaf margins. The stolons on this
variety are green.
* Irish - This is a much more compact version of chlorophytum with
much wider and shorter leaves then the more common varieties. These
do come in both a green form and a variegated. The variegated variety
has green leaves with white margins, although not as dark green as
the reverse.
* Bonnie - This variety also comes in both a green and a variegated
option. The variegation on this consists of white centers with green
leaf margins. The most distinguishing feature of these are the curling
effect of the leaves on the plant. It really gives a much different look to
the common spider plant.
34 SEPTEMBER 2020 GPNMAG.COM
* Hawaiian - These grow similar to the Variegated, although the
variegation holds a different color. The leaves are mostly green with a
champagne colored streak through the middle of the leaf blades.
PLANT HEALTH
Although this is a very hardy plant, it does have some potential issues
that need to be watched for and prevented. Control is relatively easy,
making them an exceptional plant for production.
Tip burn. When you see a reddish color in the affected area, this is
typically a result of fluoride toxicity. As all city water in the country
contains fluoride, it is best to water these without city water. When you
have a boron toxicity, the affected areas will become tan to gray in color.
Bleaching. When the plants are kept in too bright of light, it is common
to see some bleaching of the leaves. This is easily resolved by moving into
a lower light environment.
Root rot. This is likely the most common disease issue for spider
plants. This can be avoided with proper wet/dry cycles and potentially
preventative fungicide applications.
Mealy bugs and thrips. These are the most commonly seen pests on
spider plants. With proper monitoring and insecticide applications this
should be a very minor concern.
TIMING
The following are some guidelines on the timeline of production of
spider plants.
CONTAINER SIZE
4-inch pot
6-inch pot
6-inch hanging basket
8-inch hanging basket
10-inch hanging basket
GROW TIME
12 to 14 weeks
16 to 18 weeks
20 to 22 weeks
22 to 24 weeks
22 to 24 weeks
PLANTS PER POT
1 to 3
3 to 6
6
6 to 8
10
Chlorophytum are definitely an old standby that shows no signs of
slowing down. They are utilized in many environments from the patio to
indoors. With the current increase in demand of tropicals, especially due
to the pandemic, this is an item you will want as part of your mix, if it is
not already.
Andrew Britten is product development manager with ForemostCo Inc. He can be
reached at andrewb@foremostco.com

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September 2020

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