Natural leaf aging
An occasional yellow lower leaf on a healthy spider plant is completely normal.
Diagnosis
Natural leaf aging
What's happening
Spider plants retire their oldest leaves to put energy into new growth and into sending out plantlets. If only one or two of the lowest, oldest leaves are yellowing and the rest of the clump looks lush and green, nothing is wrong.
How to fix it
Pull or snip the spent leaf off at the base if you like the tidier look, and carry on with your normal care. Just keep an eye out that the yellowing stays limited to the oldest leaves and doesn't start spreading through the crown.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Spider Plant care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this