Cleaning The Roots On My Spider Plant.

A while back I made a mistake and put this in a pot I knew was too big and with too much dirt, all my other ones that were free were smaller then it current one. Now that some time has passed it has gotten stringy roots.  That is my term not sure what it is really called.  There was way to many thin and stretched out roots.  It was making the Spider Plant weak and limp. 

 

 You can see how much soil is between the visible roots and the top.    I started by gently breaking away the soil with my fingers.  I was not worried about hurting the thin roots because they will grow back in no time.    The thick worm looking ones are what you need to be careful with.  Luckily, they are not very delicate,  and can be as thick as your finger.   This is one of my favorite things about Spider Plants.  Not only are they cool looking above ground they are cool under the soil.

 You can see it has many yellow leaves, That is what gave me my first hint something was wrong.  I had not changed my watering so it had to be the roots or soil.

 This is what I had left after rinsing the old soil our with a hose.  Have it on a low flow.  I prefer to have a sprayer nozzle on the hose it makes the water work for you without having to use your finger to spray.    Lesson learned from doing; Start with the lowest flow you think you will need and go up, less chance of hurting the roots.   And if you haven't figured it out by now, you should do this outside. Not in your tub or sink.   I put it in the same pot as before just with less soil.  

 

In The end this Spider Plant is very happy I gave it a good root cleaning. Within hours of re-potting it it was perky, had vibrant colors and popped out flowers.  I also rigged its pot to hang instead of being on that stand. I think that contributed to its new found happiness.   I am not sure why Spider Plants like to hang. I have noticed that some plants like hanging and don't do well when not in the air. They are not what is classified as "Air Plants" but I am sure there is something to it.  However that is for another post.