Okay, so, I’ve got this spider plant, right? I thought I was doing a great job, watering it like I do with all my other plants. But then, things started to go south.
It all began a few weeks back. I noticed the leaves on my spider plant were looking a bit droopy. Not just a little, but like, really sad and droopy. And the color! They started to go from a vibrant green to this dull, almost yellowish-green. That’s when I first thought, “Hmm, something’s up.”
I did what any plant parent would do – I went online to do some digging. There were so many articles, each with their own advice, it was a bit overwhelming. But the one thing that kept popping up was the dangers of overwatering. Could that be it? I mean, I do water it pretty frequently.
So I decided to take a closer look. First, I stuck my finger in the soil. Bone dry on top, but when I went a bit deeper, it was pretty damp. Okay, red flag number one. Then, with a bit of hesitation, I decided to take the plunge and check out the roots. I gently pulled the plant out of its pot – and boy, was that a sight. The roots were not the healthy white I expected. Some of them were straight-up mushy and dark brown. Plus, there was this weird, not-so-great smell coming from them. Not super strong, but definitely there. Yeah, it was not good.
I knew I had to do something. So, with my trusty scissors (cleaned them first, of course), I started trimming away all those mushy, yucky roots. It felt a bit brutal, but I knew it had to be done. After the root trim, I decided to let the plant chill out for a bit outside of its pot. Just placed it on some newspaper in a spot with good airflow, away from direct sunlight.
- Step one: I checked the soil.
- Step two: I examined the roots. Slimy and brown – not good.
- Step three: I trimmed off the damaged roots.
- Step four: I let the roots air out for a day or two.
I let it sit there for about two days, just letting those roots dry out. It looked a bit sad just sitting there, but I had a good feeling about this. It was a bit of a waiting game, but I was hopeful. I really didn’t want to lose this plant.
After two days I repotted it with some fresh soil, made sure to remove the old soil. I also started to cut the yellow leaves. Now I’m keeping my fingers crossed. It’s still early days, but I’m hoping my spider plant pulls through. I’ve definitely learned my lesson about overwatering. Less is more, especially with these guys! I’ll be keeping a close eye on it, and hopefully, it’ll be back to its old self in no time.
