The best houseplant? That spring to mind Sansevieria, or snake plant, is one of these plants. This plant checks off a lot of boxes on the “plant grim reaper” list, but you might have some questions, such as how fast does the snake plant grow or how to make snake plant grow faster?
The Growth Rate of Snake Plants
Snake plants tend to grow relatively slowly in moderate light or indoors. Growing snake plants in good amounts of sunlight can cause them to grow rapidly.
It depends on the variety of Sansevieria you have planted on how tall and wide the plant will grow.
There are several varieties of S. There is also a plant called Mother-in-Law’s tongue, or trifaciata laurentii. Due to the long, straight, sharp leaves that sprout from roots and soil, this is the case.
How Large Do They Grow?
When it comes to snake plants, the S. trifaciata laurentii variety is the most well-known. It features variegated foliage with a “snakeskin” green center and yellow lines running along both sides.
While it does not flower frequently, it can produce a fast-growing stem of little white bunches of sweet-smelling flowers.
Depending on the conditions, this Sansevieria can reach a height of 1-2 feet, with some reaching as high as 3 feet. It has even been reported to reach a height of 5 feet!
The S. trifaciata is another common snake plant species. This species is extremely similar to S. trifaciata laurentii, except that it lacks the laur.
There are no yellow lines running down the sides of its leaves, just a lot of green “snakeskin.” This cultivar also grows in the same manner as S. trifaciata laurentii.
The S. cylindrica, sometimes known as the Spear Sansevieria, is one of the most “exotic” varieties.
S. cylindrica leaves are cylindrical in shape and are unlikely to bend without breaking once fully developed. In a fan-like shape, the leaves grow upward and outward.
Some nurseries take use of the fact that the leaves are quite easy to bend when they are fresh. They make plaits or braids out of the snake plant’s leaves, similar to how they do with “lucky bamboo” or a “money tree.” A notable distinction between S. trifaciata/S. trifaciata laurentii and S. cylindrica, aside from leaf morphology, is the sheer size of the Spear Sansevieria.
While the S. trifaciata/ S. trifaciata laurentii (see on amazon) can reach heights of more than 3 feet on rare occasions, the S. cylindrica can reach heights of more than 7 feet. The variation S. trifaciata “hanhii” is at the other end of the size spectrum. This Sansevieria is just 4-8 inches tall and never grows to be more than a foot tall.
It has yellow stripes on the outside and a green snakeskin within, similar to S. trifaciata laurentii.
This cultivar of S. trifaciata is a dwarf variation, thus it stays small. It is frequently used in terrariums for this reason, as well as its slow growth.
How to Make Snake Plant Grow Faster
You can urge your snake plant to grow in a specific direction by managing its growth. A variety of factors can cause development to be stunted in any variety. Clipping the tip off a leaf is the simplest technique to prevent it from growing any higher.
The Sansevieria’s leaves generate a hormone that supports upward development, and when the tips of the leaves are clipped off, that hormone is no longer secreted. As a result, the leaf stops growing upward.
The Sansevieria’s outward expansion can also be stunted. This is accomplished by the size of the pot in which it is planted.
The roots will be compelled to confine themselves to a limited region if the pot is too small for the plant. This prevents the snake plant from spreading outward or producing more leaves away from the soil’s base.
While the snake plant does not mind being kept in a smaller pot or being root bound (see my post for solutions to these problems), it is a good idea to repot it every few years if you want it to keep growing.
It can even get to the point of splitting or breaking the pot with its roots if it’s in a clay pot.
Before replanting, some gardeners may wait for the Sansevieria to shatter the pot.
On the other hand, depending on the type of unwanted growth, there are numerous options for dealing with it.
If undesirable external growth occurs, just divide the snake plant and discard the unwanted leaves.
If you want to keep many plants, you can split the divided plants and put them in separate pots. They are good at dividing because they have a rhizome root system.
A rhizome is a horizontal root system that permits new shoots or leaves to emerge from the soil while remaining horizontal.
Cutting the rhizome between shoots allows for the development of two distinct plants from the two portions.
The rhizome of the Spear Sansevieria grows in a basal rosette, which causes the leaves to grow near to the center, giving it its fan-like splay of leaves.
You can also just trim the leaf at the desired height if there is undesirable upward growth. The leaf will not grow any further. The chopped sections can then be discarded.
You can also utilize the cut sections to grow new snake plants. It will be essential to cut the leaves into smaller pieces, around 2-3 inches apiece, in order to accomplish this.
After that, the chopped leaves must be allowed to dry for a day or two until the margins are no longer moist. You can then replicate them by pushing them into the soil in a new container.
Make sure the leaf in the new pot faces the same way it did in the old one, i.e. the end that was facing the roots is now in the dirt. They’ll soon be able to establish new roots.
If you do this with S. trifaciata laurentii, the yellow stripes down the sides of the leaves will most certainly disappear. It will revert to the S. trifaciata variety’s appearance, which is completely “snakeskin” green with no yellow.
The only method to maintain the yellow sides of the S. trifaciata laurentii is to divide it.
You can force your Sansevieria to bloom if you control both upward and outward growth. The snake plant will try to propagate elsewhere if it doesn’t have a way to grow in either direction.
Although the Sansevieria does not bloom frequently, this is a plausible strategy to encourage it to do so while putting relatively minor stress to the plant.
The plant will most likely stop developing new leaves once it has bloomed.
The snake plant offers a number of advantages that make it an excellent choice for someone who is new to plant care.
Though it is difficult to kill, taking good care of it and following the care recommendations will result in a happy and healthy plant.
If you value sleek lines and lush green leaves, the Sansevieria, or snake plant, is the plant for you!