Ask John Negus
What compost is best for houseplants?
Q What compost should I use to repot a spider plant and its offshoots? Would I use the same for repotting a mother-in-law’s tongue that has browning leaf edges?
Janet Savage, via email
A To propagate the spider plant, I would pot up one of the offsets. It will establish very quickly and soon make a decent-sized plant. You could also pot up several to give away to friends or donate to a plant sale – they’re a great way to start children off gardening as they are easy to take care of. If you look closely at the base of the ‘spiderlets’ attached to the parent plant you may already see roots developing.
The best potting compost to use is houseplant compost, which is fortified with extra nutrients, or multi-purpose. I wouldn’t use loam-based John Innes as it is too heavy for houseplants.
You can use the
