To encourage me to bloom and produce my charming little offshoots, often called "spiderettes" or "pups," you must first understand and meet my basic needs. I am a resilient plant, but thriving and reproducing require specific conditions. I originate from the coastal forests of South Africa, which means I prefer bright, indirect light. While I can tolerate lower light, it will keep me in a simple survival mode. For the energy-intensive process of flowering and pupping, I need ample light to fuel my photosynthesis. Please place me near a sunny window, but shield me from the harsh, direct afternoon sun that can scorch my leaves.
My watering needs are straightforward but crucial. I prefer to dry out slightly between waterings. Constantly soggy soil is detrimental to my root system and will cause rot, preventing any chance of reproduction. Water me thoroughly until water runs from the drainage holes, then allow the top inch or two of soil to dry before watering again. As for food, I am not a heavy feeder. During my active growing season (spring and summer), a monthly feeding with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer diluted to half-strength is perfect. This provides the essential nutrients, particularly phosphorus, which supports blooming, without overfeeding me and causing excessive leaf growth at the expense of flowers.
This may seem counterintuitive, but a period of mild environmental stress is the key trigger for my blooming cycle. In my natural habitat, shorter days and cooler temperatures signal the approach of a time to reproduce. You can mimic this by giving me a "rest period" during the shorter days of fall and winter. Reduce watering significantly, allowing the soil to become much drier, and stop fertilizing entirely. Also, please keep me in a slightly cooler spot (around 50-55°F / 10-13°C is ideal, but avoid freezing drafts). This combination of cooler temperatures and drier conditions for several weeks tells my internal biology that it is time to send up a flower stalk to ensure my legacy continues.
Once the conditions are right, I will send out a long, arching stalk called a stolon. Small white, star-shaped flowers will appear along this stalk. After the flowers fade, the magic happens: the reproductive nodes on this same stalk will begin to develop into my baby spiderettes. To encourage these pups to grow strong, maintain the good care practices of bright light and proper watering. You can leave the spiderettes attached to me; I will sustain them as they grow their own roots. Alternatively, once a pup has developed a few roots of its own that are a couple of inches long, you can snip it off and plant it in its own pot of fresh soil. This is how you propagate me and create new generations of plants.
Do not be too quick to repot me into a larger home. I actually bloom and produce offshoots more readily when my roots are slightly crowded within my pot. This is another mild form of stress that signals to me that my space is limited, and I should focus energy on reproduction. Only consider repotting me when my roots are visibly circling the pot or pushing up out of the soil, and even then, only move me to a pot that is one size larger. A root system that is too comfortable in a vast pot will often prioritize expanding rather than flowering.
