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Indoor Plant Care
Light requirements · Spider Plant

Spider Plant Light Requirements

Clemson Extension HGIC 1450 puts Spider Plant in its medium-light group: 200–500 fc. Best window direction: East or north (ideal); south or west with sheer curtain.
Spider plantChlorophytum comosum
  • Bright indirect
  • Dry slightly between
  • Non-toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA)
Light category
medium
Foot-candle target
200–500 fc (Clemson Extension HGIC 1450, medium-light group)
Best window direction
East or north (ideal); south or west with sheer curtain

How low can it go?

Spider plant tolerates low light but grows best in the medium range (Missouri Extension); NC State Extension says it can even tolerate deep shade. Plantlets depend on day length rather than brightness: they develop when the plant gets less than 12 hours of light a day for at least three weeks (NC State Extension).

Signs your light is too low
Variegation fades, new growth is pale and sparse, and growth slows.

How much is too much?

Clemson Extension says spider plants grow best in bright indirect light and can take some direct sun, but midday light may scorch the leaves.

Signs your light is too high
Scorched, pale or washed-out leaves. Brown tips have other causes too: fluoride and chlorine in tap water (NC State Extension), excess fertilizer or salty water, low humidity and very dry soil (Clemson Extension).

The most common Spider Plant light mistake

Putting it in direct midday sun, which may scorch the leaves (Clemson Extension), or blaming every brown tip on light when water quality, fertilizer, humidity and dry soil can also cause them.

Grow light substitute

UMN Extension suggests keeping a grow light 12 to 24 inches from foliage houseplants and setting a timer so they get 12 to 14 hours of light a day. NC State Extension notes that plantlets develop when the plant gets less than 12 hours of light a day for at least three weeks.

See our best grow lights guide for picks.

How to measure light at home

Use a smartphone light meter app (NC State Extension notes some are free) or an inexpensive handheld light meter. Measure at the leaf surface, not the ceiling.

As reference points, Clemson Extension groups indoor plants by the light they prefer: low 75–200 fc, medium 200–500 fc, high 500–1,000 fc, and very high 1,000 fc or more. It notes that the inside of a well-lighted home is often under 100 fc. NC State Extension lists 25–74 fc as enough only to maintain low-light plants. UMN Extension and Missouri Extension use broader groups: low 50–250 fc, medium 250–1,000 fc, and high 1,000 fc or more.

Sources: NC State Extension — Chlorophytum comosum; Clemson Extension — Spider plant (HGIC 1513); University of Missouri Extension G6515; UMN Extension; Clemson Extension HGIC 1450

For full Spider Plant care — watering, humidity, soil, pests — see the Spider Plant care guide. Or learn where to place a Spider Plant in your home.