An indoor succulent garden or houseplant collection would be incomplete without Sansevieria ballyi. This is a close cousin of the classic mother-in-law’s tongue, and it’s just as easy to take care of…let’s get started!
Quick Care Guide
Sansevieria ballyi, a Sansevieria native to southern Kenya and Tanzania, is also known as the dwarf snake plant. It was named after Dr. Peter R. O. Bally, a Swiss botanist who worked at the Coryndon Museum in Nairobi. In honor of him, numerous species bear his name. He described and named many succulents growing in East Africa.
As a rule, Sansevieria ballsyi leaves are lateral compressed, cylindrical and reach a length of 2-4″ and a thickness of 1/4″. There is a spine grooved on the face of the apex that is red-brown in color. Stolons and rosettes are covered in scale leaves.
An attractive plant with pale greenish white, showy flowers up to 1″ long and growing in racemes up to 6″, dwarf sansevieria is a flowering plant. Two flowers are usually found in each cluster. Only about 10 inches tall, this plant does not grow very tall.
Sansevieria Ballyi Care
Temperature and Light
No matter what kind of light it receives, it thrives whether it is bright light and full sun or low light and shady. The plant is tolerant to low light levels, but for optimal growth, provide it with bright filtered light. In low light conditions, leaves become darker green, etiolated, and longer and thinner than usual.
If you choose to grow a dwarf snake plant indoors, make sure that it faces north or in front of a bright sunny window with a bit of protection from the sun. When leaves are exposed to extreme brightness, they will turn yellow at the edges.
While Sansevieria ballyi is supposed to be hardy down to 24°F (-2°C), you need to protect the plant from freezing temperatures and also ensure it doesn’t receive any winter rain so that it will continue to grow normally. Temperatures between 60 and 75 °F (16-24 °C) are ideal.
Water and Humidity
There isn’t much water needed to water dwarf sansevierias throughout the growing season as they are very drought tolerant. Between individual waterings, allow the top 1 inch of soil to completely dry. Overwatering will cause root rot. During winter, water only enough to prevent the soil from drying out completely.
Wherever you decide to put your plant, make sure it has a low humidity level. Moisture doesn’t sit well with them.
Soil
Like most xerophytic plants, Sansevieria ballyi grows best in porous, well-drained potting soil. It is ideal for plants to grow in slightly acidic soil around pH 6.5. By adding weight and improving drainage, you can use gravel, perlite, and decomposed granite.
Fertilizer
Unlike most plants, Sansevierias feed on small amounts of nutrients. Once a month, a balanced fertilizer mixture can be used to fertilize during the summer. Dilute it to half the strength as indicated on the container. Fertilizing is not necessary during winter.
Repotting
It is a slow-growing Sansevieria ballyi. When your Sansevieria’s roots grow too big for the pot, you can repot it every two to three years into a larger container. Add commercial lightweight cactus mix to the new container. For ease of repotting, remove the plant from its existing container when the soil is dry.
Propagation
By division or leaf cutting, vegetative propagation is the most effective. Remove the plantlets produced at the end of each stolon and root them.It is important not to remove the rootlets until they have developed stilt roots when rooting them. The plantlets grow a rosette of leaves before they begin to grow roots, so patience is essential.In a pot with slightly moist and porous soil, cutting off the stilt roots allows you to pot the new plant once the roots have grown sufficiently long. A minimum of one inch should be cut from the cuttings.
Pruning
In case you don’t wish to prune, you’re free to stop at any time. As and when necessary, remove dead foliage. Pruning grows a heavier and bushier appearance to mature plants.
Problems with Growing
Under normal circumstances, you won’t experience any serious growth problems.The most common problem with this plant is overwatering as it quickly rots in wet soil. If the plant is overwatered, mold and fungi will grow and the roots will rot. Brown and mushy roots result from it. Yellow, wilted, drooping leaves also occur as it progresses. As well as becoming mushy, they later melt.If the temperature drops below 55 °F (13 °C), do not leave the dwarf snake plant outside as cold damage can result in scarring of the leaves.
Pests
Mealybugs and spider mites are the most common pests.If you see mealy bugs, dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and wipe the leaves down with it. This problem can be solved permanently with a systemic insecticide.
Rub alcohol should be used for spider mite stings as well. However, if the infestation is bad, you might have to cut the infected sections off the plant.
Diseases
Sansevieria ballyi is not affected by diseases. Root rot is usually the cause of fungal infections in these trees. The soil should be kept free-draining and not kept wet so that these can be treated with fungicides.