How to Make a Spider Plant Bushier: Proven Methods

To make a spider plant bushier, combine four core actions: move the plant into bright, indirect light, water only when the top inch of soil feels dry, fertilize with a balanced liquid fertilizer every two to four weeks during spring and summer, and propagate the baby plantlets back into the mother plant’s pot to fill gaps.

The single most important requirement is adequate light, since low light is the primary driver of leggy, sparse growth.

If you have ever stood in front of your spider plant feeling vaguely disappointed by a handful of sparse, arching leaves when you were expecting a lush, overflowing cascade, you are absolutely not alone.

I felt the same way about a small Vittatum I rescued from a clearance shelf a few years back. It sat on my windowsill looking thin and dejected for months before I figured out exactly what it needed.

Today that same plant, now tripled in size with several generations of babies tucked around it, is the centerpiece of my living room shelf.

Getting there was straightforward once I understood the real reasons spider plants stall out, and this guide covers every one of them in plain language designed for beginners and intermediate growers alike.

What Does ‘Making a Spider Plant Bushier’ Actually Mean?

Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) grow naturally as a rosette of long, arching leaves that fan outward from a central crown.

A single plant grown from one baby cutting starts as just that: a single crown in a pot, surrounded by a lot of empty space.

A truly bushy spider plant looks dense and full from every angle, with multiple crowns of leaves filling the pot and, in a hanging basket, a generous cascade of foliage spilling over the edge.

The process of making a spider plant bushier is not a single action.

It is a combination of giving the plant the right growing conditions to generate healthy new leaf growth, pruning away weak or damaged foliage so energy is redirected to vigorous growth, and using propagation to physically add more plants to the same pot.

Most sparse spider plants are suffering from one or more correctable problems: insufficient light, inconsistent watering, depleted soil, or a root system that has run out of room to expand.

Understanding the difference between those causes matters because the fix is different for each one.

This guide walks through all of them in order so you can diagnose your specific plant and apply exactly the right solution.

Why a Bushy Spider Plant Is Worth the Effort

A full, well-grown spider plant is not just prettier, although it certainly is that. A denser plant is also a healthier plant.

When foliage is thick and the root system is well-established, the plant is better able to withstand fluctuations in watering, recover from pest pressure, and tolerate the occasional missed fertilizing session.

A bushy spider plant also produces more spiderettes, which means a continuous free supply of new plants to add back into the pot, pass on to friends, or use to start new containers.

Spider plants are also genuinely effective air purifiers. Research from NASA’s Clean Air Study identified Chlorophytum comosum as one of the most efficient common houseplants for removing formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and xylene from indoor air.

A fuller plant with more leaf surface area simply does that job better, making the effort to grow it bushy a practical benefit as well as an aesthetic one.

There is also a satisfying momentum to the process.

Once a spider plant reaches a critical mass of healthy growth, it tends to stay bushy with minimal ongoing effort. Getting it there is the work. Keeping it there is easy.

When to Start: Timing Your Effort for Best Results

The growing season for spider plants in the United States runs roughly from late March through September.

This is the window when the plant is actively producing new leaves, sending out runners with spiderettes, and able to absorb fertilizer efficiently.

Starting your bushing-up campaign at the beginning of this window, in early spring, gives you the maximum runway for visible results before the plant slows down in fall and winter.

That said, correcting basic care problems such as light and watering can and should happen immediately, regardless of the time of year.

Pruning is also appropriate any time damaged or brown leaves are present. Propagation and fertilizing, on the other hand, are most productive when done during the growing season.

If you are reading this in November, fix the light and watering now, then plan to add plantlets and start fertilizing when growth resumes in spring.

What You Will Need

Most of what you need to make a spider plant bushier is either already on hand or inexpensive to acquire. The table below covers everything you may need across all of the methods in this guide.

Comparing the Main Methods for a Bushier Spider Plant

There are several distinct approaches to getting a fuller spider plant. They are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the best results come from using all of them together.

But it helps to understand what each one does and how long it takes so you can set realistic expectations.

Step-by-Step: How to Make a Spider Plant Bushier

Work through these steps in order.

Steps 1 through 4 address the underlying conditions that allow a spider plant to grow dense and full.

Steps 5 through 7 are the active techniques that accelerate and amplify that fullness.

Step 1: Diagnose Why Your Plant Is Sparse

Before doing anything else, identify the root cause of your plant’s sparse appearance. Pull the plant out of its pot and check the roots.

If they are tightly coiled and filling every inch of the pot, root binding is your primary issue. If the roots look healthy and the pot has room, look upward: assess your light situation honestly.

A spider plant that is more than three feet from a window in a room with no strong natural light source is almost certainly starving for brightness.

Check the soil moisture next. Push your finger two inches into the soil.

If it is consistently wet or the soil smells musty, overwatering is contributing to the problem. If it is bone dry and pulling away from the pot edges, the plant has been underwatered.

Both situations cause the same visible symptom: limp, pale, sparse leaves.

Step 2: Move the Plant to the Right Light

Bright, indirect light is the single most important condition for a bushy spider plant.

This means a spot one to three feet back from an east- or west-facing window, or near a south-facing window with a sheer curtain to diffuse the direct afternoon sun.

Low light causes etiolation: the plant stretches its leaves long and thin in a desperate attempt to capture more photons, producing exactly the leggy, sparse appearance you are trying to correct.

Spider plants can tolerate low light and will survive in it, but they will not thrive. The difference between a low-light spider plant and a well-lit one is dramatic.

My own experience bears this out: after moving a thin, struggling plant from a north-facing hallway to a spot near a bright east window, I saw compact, dense new leaves appearing within about five weeks.

The difference was striking.

If your home does not have adequate natural light, a full-spectrum grow light positioned 12 to 18 inches above the plant and run for 12 to 14 hours per day is an effective substitute.

I have used this approach through winter months in my north-facing apartment with good results.

Step 3: Establish a Correct Watering Routine

Spider plants prefer to dry out slightly between waterings. The practical test is to push your index finger about two inches into the soil.

When that depth feels dry to the touch, it is time to water. When it still feels slightly moist, wait another day or two and test again.

This approach prevents both of the most common watering mistakes: overwatering (which drowns roots and causes rot) and underwatering (which shrivels roots and stops growth).

When you do water, water thoroughly until water runs freely from the drainage holes. Then let the excess drain completely and empty the saucer.

Never let a spider plant sit in standing water, because the roots will begin to rot within days in stagnant, oxygen-depleted conditions.

Water quality also matters more than most guides acknowledge. Spider plants are sensitive to fluoride, chlorine, and mineral salts that accumulate in tap water.

Over time, these cause the characteristic brown leaf tips that make an otherwise healthy plant look ragged.

Switching to filtered water, rainwater, or water left to sit uncovered overnight to off-gas chlorine makes a visible difference within a few watering cycles.

I made this switch about two years ago and the brown tipping on my plants dropped significantly within a month.

Step 4: Fertilize Through the Growing Season

A spider plant growing in depleted potting mix does not have the raw materials it needs to produce new leaves, even when the light and watering are correct.

During the growing season (late March through September), feed your plant with a balanced liquid fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 formula diluted to half the recommended strength.

Full-strength fertilizer can cause salt burn on the sensitive roots of spider plants, producing the same brown-tip symptom as fluoride damage.

Apply fertilizer every two to four weeks during the growing season.

Stop fertilizing entirely in fall and winter when the plant’s growth naturally slows.

Fertilizing during the dormant period forces the plant to process nutrients it cannot use, which builds up salt deposits in the soil without producing growth benefits.

Organic options such as worm castings worked into the top layer of soil or a diluted compost tea work well for growers who prefer to avoid synthetic fertilizers.

The release rate is slower but gentler, which reduces the risk of tip burn considerably.

Step 5: Prune Strategically to Redirect Energy

Pruning a spider plant is counterintuitive for many beginners because it involves removing leaves to get more leaves.

The logic becomes clear when you understand how plant energy budgets work.

Every damaged, yellowing, or dead leaf on the plant is a net drain: the plant is still using resources trying to maintain tissue that is not contributing meaningfully to photosynthesis.

Removing that dead weight forces the plant to redirect those resources into new, productive growth from the central crown.

Use sharp, sterilized scissors or pruning shears. Dull blades crush plant tissue instead of cutting it cleanly, which creates a ragged wound that heals slowly and can invite fungal infection.

Make each cut at a 45-degree angle at the base of the leaf, close to the crown. The angled cut allows any moisture to run off the wound rather than sitting on it.

Also consider the spiderettes (the baby plants on long runner stems) as part of your pruning strategy.

Each spiderette that remains attached to the mother plant is being fed by the mother’s root system.

A plant with ten or fifteen babies hanging off it is expending significant energy on those babies rather than on growing its own leaves.

Clip excess spiderettes off, root them, and replant them in the pot to add physical volume without draining the mother’s resources.

Step 6: Repot if the Plant Is Root-Bound

A spider plant that is tightly root-bound will not produce vigorous new leaf growth no matter how good your light, water, and fertilizer routine is.

The roots have no room to expand, which physically limits the plant’s ability to grow.

Signs of a root-bound spider plant include roots circling the bottom of the pot, roots pushing out through the drainage holes, soil that dries out within a day or two of watering, and growth that has completely stalled.

When repotting, choose a new pot that is only one to two inches larger in diameter than the current container.

Going much larger might seem logical, but an oversized pot holds far more soil than the current root system can absorb water from.

That extra soil stays wet for extended periods, creating perfect conditions for root rot.

Use a fresh, well-draining indoor potting mix.

Gently loosen the outer root mass before placing the plant in its new pot, which encourages the roots to grow outward into the fresh soil rather than continuing to circle inward.

After repotting, water thoroughly, place the plant in its usual light spot, and hold off on fertilizer for four to six weeks to give the roots time to settle without the additional stress of processing nutrients.

Step 7: Propagate Spiderettes Back into the Mother Pot

This is the most visually impactful technique for making a spider plant bushier, because it directly increases the number of leaf-producing crowns in the pot.

The approach is simple: wait for your spider plant to produce spiderettes (the small plantlet clusters that dangle from long, arching runner stems), root those spiderettes, and then plant them in the empty spaces around the mother plant.

Wait until each spiderette has at least five leaves that are each at least two inches long.

Smaller babies lack the leaf mass to photosynthesize effectively during the transition and tend to struggle. Once they reach a good size, you have two rooting options.

Option A (direct planting): Simply press the base of the spiderette into moist soil in the mother pot while it is still attached to the runner.

Once you can feel resistance when you tug gently on the plantlet (meaning roots have formed), snip the runner connecting it to the mother.

Option B (water rooting first): Place the base of the spiderette in a small glass of water, keeping the leaves above the waterline.

Roots typically appear within one to two weeks. Once the roots are half an inch to an inch long, pot the plantlet in soil in the mother’s container and snip the runner.

Either method works reliably. Water rooting lets you confirm that a strong root system has formed before committing the plant to soil. Direct planting is faster and requires less handling.

Step 8: The Instant Method – Buy Small Plants and Interplant

If your plant produces few or no spiderettes yet because it is young or not in peak condition, you do not have to wait.

Buy two or three small, inexpensive spider plants from a nursery or garden center and plant them around your existing plant in the same pot.

This creates immediate visual fullness while the underlying care improvements are working to generate long-term organic growth.

Choose plants of the same variety as your existing plant so the foliage looks cohesive.

Space them evenly around the pot, pressing each one into fresh potting mix and firming the soil gently around the roots.

Water thoroughly after planting and place the pot back in its bright spot. Within a few weeks, the new plants will be established and the entire pot will look dramatically fuller.

Spider Plant Varieties and How Variety Affects Bushiness

Most information about making spider plants bushier applies equally to all common cultivars.

However, there are some meaningful differences between varieties that can affect your expectations and strategy.

The most widely sold varieties in the United States belong to two main types: Vittatum (mid-green leaves with a broad central white stripe) and Variegatum (darker green leaves with white margins).

Both produce spiderettes freely and respond well to all the techniques in this guide. Between the two, Variegatum is somewhat more compact, which can make it look fuller in a smaller pot.

The Bonnie cultivar is a curly-leaved spider plant with tighter, more coiled foliage. Its compact, curling growth habit means it naturally looks a bit denser than flat-leaved types.

If you are specifically shopping for a plant that is easier to make look bushy, Bonnie is worth seeking out.

The downside is that it can be harder to find than Vittatum or Variegatum at mainstream garden centers.

The solid green, non-variegated spider plant (sometimes sold as the Hawaiian Spider Plant) is the least common type in retail settings.

It tolerates lower light than the variegated forms because it does not need as much light to sustain the pigment production in its plain green leaves.

This can be an advantage if your space is genuinely dark.

Realistic Timelines: What to Expect and When

One of the most common frustrations with spider plant care is expecting faster results than the plant can realistically deliver.

The table below provides realistic timelines for each intervention so you can track your progress without discouragement.

Troubleshooting: Why Your Spider Plant Is Still Not Bushing Up

Even with the best intentions, things do not always go to plan. Here are the four most common reasons spider plants fail to respond to bushing-up efforts, with specific solutions for each.

Problem 1: The Plant Keeps Looking Leggy Despite Better Light

If you have moved the plant to a brighter spot but the new growth is still long, thin, and reaching upward rather than arching outward in that classic rosette shape, the light is probably not as bright as it seems.

Our eyes adapt to different light levels and poor interpreters of what plants actually receive.

A practical test: hold a piece of white paper near the plant in the middle of the day and hold your hand above it.

If the shadow your hand casts on the paper is clear and sharp, the light is adequate for robust spider plant growth.

If the shadow is faint or barely visible, the light is too low no matter how bright it seems to your eyes. Move the plant closer to the window or add a grow light to supplement.

Problem 2: Spiderettes Keep Dying Before They Can Be Propagated

Baby spider plants that are cut too early before they have developed enough leaf mass simply do not have the energy reserves to root successfully.

Wait until each spiderette has at least five leaves, each at least two inches long. Smaller than that and the baby will usually shrivel and fail before roots form.

When water rooting, change the water every three to four days to prevent stagnation and bacteria buildup that inhibit rooting.

Place the glass in a warm spot with indirect light. Cool, dark conditions slow rooting significantly.

I have found that a warm kitchen windowsill produces roots faster than almost any other spot in the house.

Problem 3: Brown Leaf Tips Are Making the Plant Look Ragged

Brown tips are overwhelmingly caused by one of three things: fluoride or chlorine in tap water, salt buildup from over-fertilizing, or low humidity.

They are cosmetic rather than a sign of serious illness, but they undermine the lush appearance you are working toward. Switch to filtered or rainwater immediately.

If you have been fertilizing heavily, flush the soil by watering with plain filtered water several times to leach out accumulated salts.

You can also trim the brown tips with sharp scissors, cutting at a slight angle to preserve the natural leaf shape rather than creating a blunt cut that looks worse than the original browning.

Problem 4: The Plant Is Not Producing Any Spiderettes

A spider plant produces spiderettes in response to a combination of maturity, adequate light, and slight root restriction.

Very young plants simply have not reached the stage where they produce babies yet.

If your plant is mature (more than six months old and actively growing) but still not producing runners, the most likely causes are insufficient light and a pot that is too large with too much empty soil space.

Spider plants are slightly more likely to produce spiderettes when their roots are somewhat snug.

This does not mean the plant should be severely root-bound, but a pot that is appropriately sized rather than oversized tends to trigger earlier and more prolific spiderette production.

Quick Reference Troubleshooting Table:

Advanced Techniques for an Even Fuller Spider Plant

Division: Splitting a Large Plant Into Multiple Pots

A mature spider plant that has been growing for several years develops a large, dense root mass with multiple crown points.

You can divide this root mass by removing the plant from its pot, using clean hands or a sterilized knife to separate it into two or more sections, each with several leaf crowns and a good portion of root system, and repotting each division separately.

This is a dramatic technique that temporarily reduces the size of the original plant, but if your goal is to fill out a new or separate pot quickly, division achieves it immediately without waiting for propagation.

I have done this with a large, overgrown spider plant that was taking up too much shelf space, and the two divisions each recovered to a respectable size within about two months.

The key is to make clean cuts and ensure each division has an adequate root system to support the crowns you are leaving with it.

Using Epsom Salt as a Growth Supplement

Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) supplies magnesium, which is a central component of chlorophyll and directly involved in photosynthesis.

Some growers use a monthly Epsom salt drench during the growing season by dissolving one tablespoon of Epsom salt in one gallon of water and using it in place of a regular watering.

There is anecdotal evidence among houseplant enthusiasts that this boosts leaf color and growth rate, though it should be understood as a supplement to balanced fertilizing rather than a replacement for it.

If your plant’s leaves are pale and you have already addressed light and watering, adding magnesium may help deepen the leaf color.

Root Pruning to Stimulate New Growth

Root pruning is a technique borrowed from bonsai cultivation.

When repotting a severely root-bound plant, rather than simply moving it to a larger pot, you trim back some of the outer and bottom roots with sterilized scissors before replanting in fresh soil in the same pot size or a pot only slightly larger.

This removes the old, dense root mass and stimulates the plant to generate a fresh set of actively growing roots that absorb water and nutrients more efficiently.

Use this technique sparingly and only on plants in otherwise good health.

Using a Humidity Tray

Spider plants prefer moderate humidity (40 to 60 percent relative humidity), which is typical of most American homes.

However, in heated homes during winter or in very dry climates, humidity can drop well below this range.

Low humidity slows leaf development and contributes to browning tips.

Placing the pot on a shallow tray filled with pebbles and water (with the pot sitting above the water line, not in it) creates a local humidity buffer around the plant as the water evaporates.

This is a gentle, low-effort way to improve conditions without significantly increasing watering frequency.

Pet Safety: What Every Cat and Dog Owner Needs to Know

Spider plants are listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

They do not contain compounds that cause the kind of serious organ damage associated with truly toxic houseplants like lilies or pothos.

However, spider plants do contain chemical compounds that have a mild hallucinogenic effect on cats, similar in chemistry (though not in strength) to catnip.

This is why cats are often drawn to spider plants and will return repeatedly to chew on the leaves.

While the plant is not poisonous, ingesting a significant amount of leaf material can cause mild gastrointestinal upset including vomiting or diarrhea.

Practical solutions for households with curious cats include placing spider plants in hanging baskets above cat-jumping height, on wall brackets, or on high shelves.

Since the bushing-up methods in this guide often involve adding multiple plants to one pot and keeping it at accessible levels, this is worth planning for in advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to make a spider plant bushy?

The timeline depends on which methods you use and how significant the starting problem is. Interplanting store-bought small plants produces an immediately fuller pot.

Propagating spiderettes typically takes three to six weeks from cutting to established plant. Improving light and watering conditions produces noticeable denser new growth within four to eight weeks.

If you are combining all these approaches, expect a dramatically bushier plant within two to three months.

Starting from a very sparse, root-bound plant may take a full growing season to reach genuinely lush fullness.

Should I cut off the spider plant babies to make the plant bushier?

Yes and no. Leaving a large number of spiderettes attached to the mother plant drains its energy, so removing excess babies does redirect resources back to the mother’s own leaf production.

However, the best strategy is not simply to cut babies off and discard them. Remove them, root them, and then replant them in the mother’s pot.

This way you are simultaneously reducing the energy drain on the mother and adding new crown volume to the pot.

The result is a fuller overall display rather than just a slightly healthier but still sparse mother plant.

Can I make a spider plant bushy by pruning the leaves?

Pruning alone will not make a sparse spider plant bushy.

It removes dead weight and redirects energy, which encourages denser new growth from the crown, but it does not increase the number of leaf-producing crowns in the pot.

Think of pruning as preparing the plant to grow well rather than producing instant bushiness by itself.

Combined with better light, correct watering, fertilizing, and the addition of propagated babies, pruning is a valuable part of the overall strategy rather than a standalone solution.

Why is my spider plant growing tall but not bushy?

A spider plant that is growing upward rather than arching outward in a full rosette is almost certainly not getting enough light.

In low light, spider plants stretch their leaves upward and outward in an attempt to maximize their light capture surface, producing the classic leggy appearance.

Move the plant to a significantly brighter location, ideally within two feet of a bright window, and the new growth that emerges after the move should be more compact and the classic arching shape of a well-grown spider plant.

How often should I water my spider plant to make it bushier?

There is no fixed schedule because the right watering frequency depends on your specific conditions: pot size, soil mix, temperature, humidity, and light level.

The correct approach is to check the soil every two to three days by pushing your index finger about two inches into the soil, and water only when that depth feels dry.

In typical American home conditions during summer, this often works out to watering every seven to ten days.

During winter, it may be every fourteen to twenty-one days. Overwatering is far more damaging to spider plant growth than underwatering, so when in doubt, wait another day.

Do spider plants need fertilizer to grow bushy?

Fertilizer is not strictly required for a spider plant to survive, but it makes a meaningful difference in the speed and density of growth.

A plant in depleted soil can have perfect light and watering and still grow very slowly because it lacks the nitrogen needed to build leaf tissue.

During the growing season (spring through summer), fertilizing every two to four weeks with a balanced, half-strength liquid fertilizer accelerates growth noticeably.

Stop fertilizing in fall and winter when the plant’s growth naturally slows.

Is it better to propagate spider plants in water or soil?

Both methods work reliably, and the choice largely comes down to personal preference and what you want to observe during the process.

Water propagation lets you watch root development clearly and confirm a strong root system has formed before potting.

It is also slightly faster in warm conditions, typically producing roots within one to two weeks.

Soil propagation skips the water-to-soil transition step and may produce roots that are better adapted to a soil medium from the start.

Whichever method you use, the key is to wait until roots are at least half an inch long before moving a water-rooted cutting into soil.

Why is my spider plant not producing babies?

Spider plants produce spiderettes in response to a combination of maturity, adequate light, moderate fertilization, and slight root restriction.

The most common reasons a mature plant is not producing babies include insufficient light (the most frequent cause), a pot that is significantly too large, and under-fertilizing during the growing season.

Plants that are heavily shaded may never produce spiderettes regardless of how well they are otherwise cared for.

Increase the light level first, then assess pot size and fertilizing routine. Most spider plants will begin producing spiderettes reliably once light conditions are corrected.

Are spider plants safe for cats and dogs?

The ASPCA classifies spider plants as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

However, the plant contains compounds that have a mild effect on cats similar to catnip, which can cause repeated chewing behavior and, in large quantities, mild gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting.

The plant itself will not cause serious harm, but fertilizer-contaminated soil or saucer water can be harmful to pets. If you have cats that are attracted to your spider plant, consider hanging it or placing it out of reach rather than leaving it at floor level.

Key Success Factors: Your Bushy Spider Plant Checklist

Use this checklist to track your progress. Check each item as you implement it, then give your plant six to eight weeks before evaluating results.

1. Place the plant in bright, indirect light, within one to three feet of a window that receives good natural light for at least four to six hours per day.
2. Water only when the top two inches of soil feel dry to the touch. Water thoroughly until it drains from the bottom, then empty the saucer.
3. Switch to filtered, distilled, or rainwater to eliminate fluoride and chlorine damage that causes brown tips and stunted growth.
4. Fertilize every two to four weeks during spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half the package-recommended strength.
5. Prune all yellowing, brown, or dead leaves at the base of the crown using sterilized, sharp scissors or pruning shears.
6. Remove excess spiderettes from runner stems, root them in water or soil, and replant them in the mother plant’s pot once roots are established.
7. If the plant is root-bound (roots circling the pot or pushing from drainage holes), repot it into a container one to two inches larger in diameter using fresh potting mix.
8. Rotate the pot a quarter turn weekly to ensure all sides receive equal light and grow evenly.
9. Stop all fertilizing in fall and winter. Resume in late March when active growth returns.
10. If no spiderettes are available yet, purchase two or three small spider plants of the same variety and interplant them in the same pot for immediate fullness.

Final Thoughts

Spider plants are genuinely one of the most forgiving and rewarding houseplants you can grow, but they reward attentive care with dramatically better results than most beginner growers realize.

The path to a lush, full, cascading spider plant is not complicated: enough light, careful watering, seasonal fertilizing, timely pruning, and using the plant’s own babies to fill out the pot.

What I find most satisfying about this process is that it builds on itself.

Once a spider plant is healthy and well-lit, it starts producing spiderettes freely, which you then use to make it even fuller, which produces more spiderettes, and the cycle continues.

The plant essentially gives you the tools to keep improving it, free of charge, season after season.

The most important first step, as I have reinforced throughout this guide, is light. If you do nothing else from this article, move your spider plant somewhere brighter today.

That single change will deliver more improvement than any other intervention, and it costs nothing.