What is an Ocean Spider Plant?
Ocean spider plants are very similar to regular spider plants except that they contain more white in their leaves than green. In fact, caring for either variety is exactly the same.
How to Care for Ocean Spider Plants:
These low maintenance houseplants grow well indoors or outdoors because they don’t require full sun. Actually, direct sunlight can scorch their leaves, so bright indirect light encourages optimal growth.
In addition, “Chlorophytum Ocean” can thrive in artificial light, making them good contenders for office plants. Not to mention, they are known for cleaning air of pollutants often found in offices as well as homes. (See below for more information.)
You can overwater or under-water spider plants without causing much damage. However, they prefer evenly moist soil. For this reason, I like using self-watering planters, because they take a lot of the guesswork out of watering.
I rarely fertilize my spider plants because the fertilizer can accumulate in the flower pot over time. As a result, the plant can produce fewer plantlets or off-shoots.
Spider plants are much easier to propagate from plantlets than from seed, therefore, many gardeners recommend just buying the plant. In fact ocean spider plant seeds can be pretty hard to find.
That said, each plant grows flowers as well as plantlets. The flowers produce seeds, which you can then plant. In other words, you can easily have an endless supply of variegated ocean spider plants from a single pot.
Note: You can get a 3-pack of ocean spiders in 4″ pots (the best deal I think). Or, if you prefer a larger spider plant, Hirt’s Gardens sells a more mature ocean spider in a 6″ hanging basket.
Are Chlorophytum Ocean Plants Safe for Cats?
All spider plants are non-toxic to cats. However, that doesn’t prevent felines from chewing on leaves. My best suggestion here would be to hang your plants out of reach.
Ocean Spider Plant Benefits
Besides looking really interesting and being easy to care for, spider plants have health benefits. In fact, they remove common toxins from the air according to the National Wildlife Federation.
Therefore, they provide an easy way to help detoxify your home. Specifically, the toxins they help remove include:
- Formaldehyde (in furniture, bedding, personal care products, fragrances)
- Benzene (in paint, waxes, polishes, sealants)
- Carbon Monoxide
- Xylene, (used in leather, rubber and print products)
