Chlorophytum vittatum in the ground

Credit: Auckland Museum

Chlorophytum vittatum leaves

Credit: Krzysztof Ziarnek

Chlorophytum vittatum

Credit: Wildfeuer

Chlorophytum vittatum foliage

Credit: Krzysztof Ziarnek

Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum', the spider plant with cream foliage

Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum' comes to us from South Africa. This variety of spider plant can be recognized by its cream foliage edged with green. Grow it as a hanging plant to show off its long, drooping leaves!

How to recognize Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum'?

A bushy perennial, Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum' is as wide as it is tall. It measures from 40 to 60 centimetres in all directions.

Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum' grows from tuberous roots, capable of storing water.

Ribboned, arching leaves grow in rosettes. The leaf blades are distinguished by their color and pattern. Those of Chlorophytum comosum 'Variegatum' ' are green with white stripes.

Although this spider plant has no stem, it produces long, branched stolons. These support star-shaped white flowers. Once summer flowering is over, they are replaced by seedlings.

Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum' is classified by Nasa as a depolluting houseplant. However, this variety is toxic to cats. Make sure you keep your phalanx out of their reach!

Our maintenance tips

Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum' plants are perfect plants for beginners, the faint-hearted and anyone without a green thumb. They need only a little water and light. But with the right care and a little attention, their foliage reveals all its beauty.

Watering

Water when the soil is dry, for about three centimeters. Use room-temperature, non-calcareous water, preferably rainwater. When watering, avoid wetting the leaves.

Thirty minutes after watering, drain off any stagnant water in the saucer. It may rot the roots.

To improve humidity, place your Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum' with your other plants or place its pot on a dish of moist clay balls.

Spray

Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum' plants like humidity. Mist your plant with non-calcareous water at room temperature. Avoid spraying tap water. It leaves white marks on the foliage.

As well as improving hygrometry, spraying helps to prevent pest infestations.

Repotting

In spring, transfer your Chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum' to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.

Obtain a perforated jar.

Place clay balls or gravel in the bottom for drainage. Pour in potting soil for green plants and place your Chlorophytum 'Vittatum' in the center. Fill with substrate.

Water directly after repotting.

Fertilization

You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.

Apply liquid fertilizer for green plants when watering.

Cleaning

To promote photosynthesis, remove any dust that accumulates on the leaves with a feather duster or a clean, damp cloth.

Prune

Remove dried or yellowed leaves.

Plantation

Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can plant.

Choose a location sheltered from the wind. Leave a space of 50 centimetres between chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum and other plants. Your plant will particularly appreciate the company of tall trees: their roots absorb water and leave well-drained soil.

Dig a hole two or three times as wide and deep as the root ball. You can add gravel or pozzolan to the bottom to promote drainage. Place a layer of garden soil and plant chlorophytum comosum 'Vittatum in the middle.

Cover with soil, making sure to bury the root ball. Tamp down and water for the first time to eliminate air bubbles.

Cutting

Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.

Locate a young shoot and carefully separate it from the mother plant. Take care to remove its roots without damaging the rest of the root system.

Reproduce the various sections in the desired locations.

Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.

Locate a young shoot and carefully separate it from the mother plant. Take care to remove its roots without damaging the rest of the root system.

Select an aerial stem, then bury the new rosettes in a pot with sandy soil. You can use a wire or hairpin to secure it in the soil so that it doesn't move. But be careful! At this stage, the stems must not be separated from the mother plant!

When the roots reach two or three centimetres, cut off the stolon and repot the new plant.

Diseases / Threats

Information

Family	Asparagaceae - Asparagaceae
Type	Chlorophytum - Chlorophytum
Species	Chlorophytum comosum - Chlorophytum comosum
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Evergreen
Exposures	Half-shade Shade
Substrats	Clay soil Humus soil Sandy soil
Planting methods	Open ground In pots In tubs Planter
Categories	Interior Herbaceous
Origins	South Africa West Africa Central Africa
Hardiness (USDA)	10b
Leaf color
Flower color