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Plants react to adverse physical and weather conditions in different ways. For instance, you may start to notice more broken leaves than usual from the spider plants in your home or garden, leaving you wondering why this may happen. Fortunately, this article will help you learn about why spider plant leaves break and more!
Spider plant leaves usually break when you don’t appropriately water them. Also, excessive sunlight or too little light can create this problem. Other problems that cause leaf breakage may include a pest infestation, application of impure water, and unbalanced soil acidity.
Although spider plants are pretty friendly and adaptive houseplants, they can also develop specific issues. Breaking leaves are a common sign of inadequate care or inappropriate environmental conditions. However, there are ways to care for your spider plant, even after its leaves break. So, read on to understand this problem better and learn about its solution.
Why Are my Spider Leaves Breaking?
One tricky thing about your spider plant leaves breaking is the multiple possible causes. This makes it quite challenging to pick out the exact problem, and the needed solution.
Here are a few issues that can trigger leaf breakage in your spider plant:
1. Underwatering
Not watering your plant enough is one of the most prevalent problems that cause the leaves to break. You should touch the soil with your finger to check if the water quantity in the soil is enough. If you’re having trouble determining when is the best time to water your plant, using a moisture meter like this one might come in handy to check the amount of water in the soil.
If your soil appears dry or your moisture meter indicates a level 3 or less, the soil is underwatered.
2. Overwatering
Overwatering also causes spider plant leaves to break, just as underwatering does. Therefore, measure the soil’s water level and check how frequently you water it. Watering the soil to a soggy level can create this problem and can cause leaf breakage. Other times, this problem arises due to the non-draining nature of the soil.
3. Soil Acidity
This feature is an essential factor in caring for your spider plants. These plants prefer moderately alkaline soils with pH levels between 6.1 to 6.5. As a result, it would be best to use a pH meter to test the soil’s acidity when you notice breaking leaves.
4. Use of Impure Water
Spider plants react quite intensely to chemical substances in the water. Therefore, this can be one principal cause of leaf breakage. So, if you cannot point out why your plant’s leaves are breaking, the tap water you apply to the plant may be the problem and needs to be examined. Severely impure, untreated water also causes this effect on the plant.
5. Root Rot
Breaking spider plant leaves can result from root rot, especially if the issue begins as dark brown soft spots on these leaves. Root rot is basically a fungal or bacterial infestation that comes about when you continuously overwater a plant. In overly wet soil, you may be dealing with root rot if you notice brown spots on the leaves of your spider plant, followed by broken leaves.
Foul smells emanating from the soil is also a symptom of root rot. Remember that it is always better to deal with root rot before it becomes more severe, causing your plant’s leaves to break.
If your spider plant smells and aren’t sure of the cause or how to fix it, check out this article: Why Does My Spider Plant Smell? (And how to fix it!)
6. Pests Attack
Common pests such as mealybugs and spider mites can draw the fluids out of the leaves of your spider plants, causing them to break. At first, this issue begins as tiny brown or red spots, honeydew, visible webbing, or the presence of hopping insects.
7. Pot Bounding
When your plants get pot-bound, it gets difficult for them to take in water and nutrients. Thus, this situation causes the plant’s leaves to break. When your spider plant becomes pot-bound, you will notice that the soil becomes compacted and hard.
Also, the spider plant’s roots and tubers would visibly grow around the pot’s interior. This indicates that the plant’s roots are searching for a way out. Therefore, this would result in weakened and broken leaves.
If this is happening to your Spider Plant, its time to re-pot and propagate. If you want to know how you can propagate spider plant tubers, check out this article: A Complete Guide to Propagating Spider Plant Tubers
8. Intense Sunlight
These plants grow better in indirect, bright sunlight. This occurs because direct, intense sunlight at midday can burn the leaves, causing them to break. For instance, after 10:00 AM, the sun’s rays can damage your plant’s leaves. Scorching can also cause your plants to develop dry, brown spots.
Fixes for the Issues:
| Causes | Solutions ✔ |
| Overwatering | Check the pot’s drainage and remove the plant’s rotten roots using a shear. |
| Underwatering | Constantly water the spider plant once a week. |
| Soil acidity | Use appropriately measured soils to grow your plant. |
| Use of impure water | Avoid using water doused with chemicals to water your spider plant. |
| Root rot | Repot the plant and go for fast-draining soils. |
| Pests attack | Spray neem oil or a mild insecticide on the plant. |
| Pot bounding | Take out the plant and report it in a larger container. |
| Intense sunlight | Place the plant close to an east-sided window to minimize sunlight infiltration. |
Should I Remove Broken Spider Plant Leaves?
Cutting off broken leaves from your plant is a good practice that gives your plant access to more nutrients, by freeing up the nutrients that should have otherwise gone to the broken leaves. However, failing to remove these broken leaves the right way could also cause the entire plant to wither and die.
Removing broken leaves gives your plant and entire garden a better look. Also, broken leaves do not grow back and do not heal on their own. Therefore, there is no need to allow them to hang on your plant.
So, three reasons why it is essential to remove broken leaves from your spider plant are:
- To prevent pests or diseases from proliferating and extending to other leaves.
- To allow the free flow of nutrients for plant growth and development.
- To create better health and outlook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Spider Plant Leaves Grow Back?
Spider plant leaves grow back quickly, but it is always best to prune them each spring to keep them healthy. Also, it is advisable to prune the foliage at its base to prevent the leftover leaves from drying out and taking up nutrients. Ensure to use sharp pruners during this process.
How Do You Treat a Damaged Spider Plant?
To treat a damaged spider plant, water it appropriately and allow the topsoil to dry between phases of watering. Also, keep it in the required temperature and place the plant in indirect, bright light. This helps revive even dying spider plants.
Final Thoughts
If you have some spider plants in your house garden, you may notice their broken leaves from time to time. Picking out the exact cause can be tricky because there are many issues that may account for this. Nonetheless, follow our article, and your spider plants are bound to return back to normal in no time!
References
https://plantdegree.com/should-i-cut-off-broken-spider-plant-leaves/