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It can be distressing for your spider plant to smell bad, as these plants usually purify the air. But when it begins to smell, it indicates something is wrong. Not to worry though, this article will explain exactly why this happens and how to beat it!
The most common reason plants smell is root rot. Root rot occurs when bacteria or fungi thrive on roots surrounded by overly damp soil, or when your roots suffocate and die from over-retaining water. Another reason for the bad smell could be blight or leaf tip burn.
If your spider plant smells, it will become uncomfortable for you. If you want to know more about the causes of this smell and how to get rid of it effectively, keep reading.
Smell Caused By Root Rot
The main reason your plant could smell bad is because its roots are rotting. This happens due to overwatering or bacterial or fungal buildup, as microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi feed on the spider plant’s roots and absorb nutrients.
Root rot is particularly common in spider plants, as they grow tubers as part of their root system, which allows the plant to store more water than other plants. Therefore, if you water it too often, you allow microorganisms to thrive, as single-celled bacteria and fungi need moisture for metabolic processes and reproduction.
To learn more about how spider plant tubers work and how to use them to grow new (non-smelling!) spider plants, read this article: Can you propagate spider plant tubers?
However, smell is not the only symptom caused by root rot. Check the table below to see the root rot causes and other symptoms to watch out for:
| Possible Cause Of Root Rot | Symptoms |
| Overwatering and poor drainage: If you’re watering your plant too often, or have it in a pot that’s too big, has no drainage holes or poor aeration, you’re most likely suffocating your plant and cutting off its oxygen. This results in root rot | Yellowing leaves, bad smell, soggy soil |
| Bacterial buildup: Overly damp soil provides the nutritional requirements for microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and others, to grow. Microorganisms In the soil feed on the roots of your spider plant to grow and reproduce. In doing so, they leach nutrients your plant would need, increase in number, and secrete smelly waste. | Soggy and sticky soil, bad smell, poor growth |
If you’re curious about what types of microorganisms can be causing your plant to rot, here is a list of causal agents and how common they are:
| Causal Agent | Occurrence |
| Bacteria (Dickeya and Pectobacterium genera) | Relatively Uncommon |
| Viruses (Potyviridae family) | Rare |
| Oomycetes (a wide range of species) | Abundant |
| Fungi (a wide range of species, such as Pythium spp., Phytophthora spp., Fusarium spp., and Rhizoctonia solani.) | Abundant |
Other Causes For Bad Spider Plant Smell
Blight
Blight is a condition caused by bacteria or fungi when they attack the leaves of your spider plant. It is often caused by having your plant in cold, damp conditions, or when your home has poor air circulation.
The microorganisms that cause blight like to feed on chlorophyll produced by the plant. When they absorb the chlorophyll, they damage leaf tissue, causing discoloration. Dead leaf tissue still left on your spider plant may smell bad. So, if you notice that it smells terrible, check your leaves.
If you suspect your plant is suffering from blight, it’s important to take quick action, as this condition can spread to your other plants very easily. If you want to learn how to treat blight, keep reading as I’ll be discussing the solution shortly.
Leaf Tip Burn
Leaf tip burn is a common issue in spider plants. It usually occurs due to environmental conditions such as exposure to excessive sunlight. Spider plants have delicate leaves which can be damaged when exposed to too much sunlight. If you leave your plant under direct light, it may cause its tips to burn.
Other reasons for leaf tip burn may be when the plant’s soil contains too much chlorine or fluoride salts from tap water, or when you’re using too much fertilizer. This will cause the tips of its leaves to turn brown or look burned.
Brown leaves usually indicate dead tissue, which may produce a foul smell. Nonetheless, as with bacterial blight, leaf tip burn in spider plants is not as likely to cause them to smell as much as root rot would.
Is it normal for my Spider Plant to Smell?
It’s not normal to have a stinky spider plant. Being an indoor plant, a stinky spider spider plant tends to diffuse the room and would make staying there uncomfortable, as its smell resembles that of a swamp. In some cases, it can have a slightly sulfurous smell.
If the cause of the smell is root rot, it will be easy to identify because the smell usually comes from the soil, not the plant’s shoot.
However, spider plants typically don’t smell bad when they’re in good condition. In fact, when these plants bloom, their flowers produce a faint pleasant scent.
How to Fix Spider Plant Smell
Now that you know the causes for your smelly plant, it’s time to fix the foul stink. So, let’s talk about ways to remove the bad smell from your plant
Identify the Cause
Before you do anything to your plant, check the roots to see if they are mushy and turning black. This will confirm that in fact the cause for the smell is root rot. However, if you check your roots and they look healthy, your plants may be suffering from blight or leaf tip burn, which will require a different approach to treat.
How to Treat Root Rot:
- Remove the plant from its pot and clean the roots: Place the roots under running water and try to remove as much soil from the roots as possible. This is important because your soil may be infected with fungi bacteria, or other microorganisms.
- Remove the affected roots: With clean hands and clean equipment, prune away all the dark or mushy roots. It’s important to remove all of it because root rot can spread again if you leave some of it behind. Don’t worry if you end up cutting the majority of your root system off. To give your plant the best chance of survival and minimize the shock, cut away some of the plant’s leaves so that the remaining roots have less growth to support.
- Discard the soil: Never use the same soil to re-pot when dealing with root rot, as the soil may be carrying the microorganisms that caused your plant to rot and smell in the first place.
- Wash the pot and all your equipment thoroughly: Even when you discard the soil, fungal spores or bacteria may still be present in your pot of the equipment you used. Clean everything thoroughly with rubbing alcohol before repotting your plant.
- Re-pot the plant in fresh soil. To re-pot your plant, gently separate its remaining roots and place them in a clean pot and fresh soil. Spider plants prefer slightly acidic soil, so you might want to try a potting soil mix of 1 part peat moss/coco coir, 1 part perlite, and 4 parts pine bark fines. Another option is to buy a premade soil mixture from your local plant store. After you re-pot your plant, lightly water it.
How to Treat Blight:
Blight is highly contagious and can be a pain to deal with. However, it’s treatable with the right steps:
Steps to Treat Blight:
- Remove affected leaves: Using latex gloves, remove all the affected leaves from your plant. To discard, place the leaves in an enclosed container or bag and throw it away. This is important because your blight could be caused by fungus and its spores can infect your other plants.
- Use a solution of plant fungicide or make your own: You can buy an organic fungicide spray that will help with the blight such as this one or you can prepare your own solution using 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of dish soap and 1 gallon of water
How to Treat Leaf Tip Burn:
Unfortunately, once the tips of your leaves turn brown (whether it be from too much sunlight, tap water, or too much fertilizer) you can’t undo the damage. However, if this is the cause for your smelly plant, you might want to cut off the brown tips with clean pruning scissors such as these.
In the future, place your plant in bright but indirect sunlight, use filtered water for your plant, and only fertilize once a month with a low dose of fertilizer to avoid burn.
Preventing Spider Plant Smell:
Once you’ve treated your spider plant smell, you want to take prevention measures so this doesn’t happen again. Here is what you need to do:
- Only water your plants when necessary: Many people will tell you to water your plants every week or every X amount of days, but with plants, there is no one size fits all approach. Always check your soil and only water when it’s dry. If you need help when knowing when to water, check out this soil moisture meter. Pro tip: use filtered or distilled water in your plants to avoid burning of your leaves.
- Keep plants in proper pots: Make sure your plant pot has a good drainage system so that water doesn’t accumulate at the bottom and suffocate your roots. Also, make sure your soil has good aeration.
- Routinely check for fungus and disease: Make it a routine to check your plants leaves to make sure it doesn’t have any diseases. This way, if there are, you can catch them early and fix them before it turns into that horrible smell.
Final Thoughts
Spider plants smell when they aren’t kept in optimal conditions. So, if you notice a foul smell coming from your plant, it’s time to take action as quickly as possible to better the chances of your plant surviving. Now, go stop your spider plants from smelling!
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