Why is my Spider Plant dying?
A dying indoor spider plant usually has roots that are too wet or too dry, but light shock, cold, pests, or salt burn can look similar at first.
If you can already see the symptom
Answer what you can see
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The causes in full
Wet soil and root rot diseaseMOST COMMON
How to tell
Check for soil that stays wet, a sour smell, a heavy pot, no clear drainage hole, or brown-black mushy roots when you gently slide the plant from the pot.
What to do
If the soil is soggy or wet two inches down, empty the saucer, make sure the pot drains, and repot into fresh loose potting mix if roots are mushy. Do not water again until the top two inches feel dry.
Dry root ballCOMMON
How to tell
The pot feels light, the soil is dry two inches down or has shrunk away from the pot edge, and leaves look limp, folded, grey-green, or crispy at the tips.
What to do
If the soil is dry two inches down or bone dry and pulling from the pot, water slowly until water runs from the drainage holes, or soak the pot for 20 minutes and drain it fully. After that, water when the top two inches are dry, not on a calendar.
Too little lightCOMMON
How to tell
Growth is weak or fading slowly, the plant is leaning toward the window, and the soil stays damp for many days because the plant is not using much water.
What to do
Move it to bright but indirect light, close enough to a window that you can read comfortably there in daytime. Because low light keeps soil wet longer, water only when the top two inches feel dry; if the soil is damp, wait.
Sun, heat, or salt/fertiliser burnLESS COMMON
How to tell
Look for tan papery patches mostly on the window-facing side after strong sun, or brown tips with white crust on the soil or pot after frequent feeding or hard tap water.
What to do
Move the plant out of direct sun through glass and keep it in bright indirect light. If heat left the soil dry two inches down, water thoroughly; if the soil is damp, do not add water for leaf burn, and for salt or fertiliser burn stop feeding and flush the pot only at the next normal watering when the top two inches are dry.
Cold draught or window chillLESS COMMON
How to tell
Damage is worst on the side near cold glass, a draughty window, or an outside door, often after a cold night or sudden room-temperature drop.
What to do
Move the pot away from cold glass, draughts, vents, and outside doors. If the soil is damp, wait until the top two inches dry before watering; if it is dry two inches down after the plant is back in a warmer spot, water normally.
Spider mites, mealybugs, or scale pestsLESS COMMON
How to tell
Inspect leaf bases and undersides for fine webbing, tiny moving specks, white cottony clumps, sticky residue, or small brown bumps that scrape off.
What to do
Isolate the plant, rinse the leaves, then treat the pests with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil labeled for houseplants, repeating as the label says. Do not use dish soap as a substitute.
Will it recover?
Badly yellow, brown, mushy, or scorched leaves will not turn green again; the goal is to stop the cause and judge recovery by healthy new growth.
Stopping it happening again
Keep the pot draining freely, grow in bright indirect light, water only after checking the soil two inches down, protect it from hot sun and cold draughts, and inspect leaves regularly for pests.
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