How Do I Trim My Snake Plant And Why Is It Necessary? (2021)

In order to get your snake plants to grow healthily, you need to trim them. Don’t worry about this action hindering their growth, in fact, trimming your plants will stimulate them to grow bushier and keep them in shape. Now before we jump into how do I trim my snake plant, let’s start with the preparation.


The Tools You Will Need

In general, whenever we talk about pruning any plant, we will need four or five items at the very least. However, it will be the exception in the case of the snake plant. Pruning this succulent only requires a sharp knife. Another option in preparing for how do I trim my snake plant is to use scissors. You can find these tools at home, so it won’t be hard to get them. Don’t forget to disinfect your knife or scissor before you begin pruning. Thus, the plant will not be exposed to the risk of transmission of disease.


How To Disinfect Pruning Tools

Now that we’ve seen how to get the tools, let’s check out how to disinfect them. The task is not complex, and you won’t need to spend much time on it. This does not have to be done before pruning. Your cutting tools can be sanitized with alcohol (ethanol). Gently rub the cutting blades with a cloth soaked in isopropyl alcohol. Then let it sit for a few minutes for more effective disinfection and then start pruning your snake plant.

You can also disinfect with bleach. In order to do this, soak your tools in a solution of water and bleach for 30 minutes. One part of chlorine should be added to every nine parts of water in this mixture. After that time, you can begin working. Leaf cuttings can be used for propagating snake plants. You can learn how to encourage snake plants to propagate. Hence, pruning is one of the most effective ways of creating new plants of this lovely succulent. Before you throw away pruning debris, think about it.


Why Prune?

Sansevieria pruning might not seem like an important task. Although your plant will survive if you do not cut its leaves, there are some reasons why doing so may be beneficial. The leaves of these plants are without a doubt the most important part of the plant. Their appearance reflects the state of the plant. Therefore, one of the main reasons for pruning is to get rid of damaged, diseased, or old foliage. Your plant will look much better if you cut these types of leaves.

Although it is a slow-growing succulent, at some point its size may become excessive. Pruning can help you control both the height and the width of a tree. It is possible to transplant the plant into a larger pot instead of pruning. Finally, pruning may be necessary to improve the shape of the plant. The leaves become curved or sloped in directions we don’t want them to go. To improve aesthetics, these poorly growing leaves can be trimmed.


How Do I Trim My Snake Plant

The way you trim depends on the reason why you want to trim your snake plants. So here are several ways to prune your plants based on their needs.


Pruning To Reduce Size

The first step in reducing the size of a plant is to cut the leaves that are at its edges. Since the snake plant grows from the center, the leaves on the edges will always be the oldest, so the task should begin here. Make sure that you cut as close as possible to the ground before you remove the leaves from their base. You can force the blade off with your hands from the top of the blade downward once you have cut it.

It may also be necessary to decrease the plant’s height if the leaves from the edges are removed. Those leaves need to be cut if they have grown taller. They are generally found in the center of the plant. With the cut in the center, you won’t be able to reach the base of the leaf, but if there is a stump in the center, no one will notice it.


Cleaning Pruning

It shouldn’t take too long to prune. Sansevierias rarely have many bad leaves. The rest of it is not too complicated. You just need to cut those leaves that are sick, dry, or too old, and you’re done. Leave pruning debris away from other plants if there are diseased leaves, otherwise, you may spread the disease to other plants.


Pruning To Improve Shape

Similar to pruning succulents that aim to improve the shape, cleaning is also done to enhance the look of succulents. It is just a matter of finding the damaged blades and cutting them. Be sure to remove each sheet as close as possible to the base.


More Related Articles

https://allthingsgardener.com/how-to-trim-snake-plant-superb-tips-2021/
https://allthingsgardener.com/how-to-prune-snake-plant/
https://allthingsgardener.com/learn-how-to-take-care-and-grow-your-snake-plant/
https://allthingsgardener.com/grow-your-snake-plant-from-leaves-2021/
https://allthingsgardener.com/how-to-populate-snake-plant/

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