The most important thing we want to know when we grow a plant is how long it will take. It only makes sense that people are curious as to how long it will take the snake plant to grow to full size since it is so popular.
Snake plants grow roots after about three to four weeks from a cutting. Thereafter, the roots will grow for approximately 6-8 weeks. Within four to six weeks of being potted, the plant will begin to grow.
It usually takes 2 weeks to a year for the plant to reach its full size.
How Big Can Snake Plants Grow?
The question, “How big can snake plants grow?” is tricky because there are so many of them. Others are so large, you’ll have to keep them in the corner of the room.
Laurentili snake plants are the biggest snake plants. Leaves can measure two inches wide and grow to 3 feet tall. A small apartment may not be the best option.
It is the Fischeri snake plant that is the smallest. Plants like this don’t grow higher than 16 inches, so they’re perfect to keep on your desk.
Snake plants typically grow to about one metre in height.
Snake Plant Growth Rate
Cutting to Tiny Roots
To propagate a snake plant, the first step is to let the cutting grow roots. You can do this by placing it in a small tub of water and waiting for the roots to sprout.
It usually takes between 3-4 weeks for this to be completed. If the conditions are perfect, it will take shorter, but it may take longer if the variety is larger.
After it has roots, you can move it from the water to a pot.
From Small Roots to Full Roots
As your roots grow, you need to allow them to spread. Having a lot of roots is essential for a large plant. In addition to growing roots, soil nourishes them with nutrients. It still has a baby’s digestive system, so it will eat slowly.
Depending on the soil, the roots could take up to six to eight weeks to grow fully. However, depending on the conditions you keep it in and the type of snake plant you are growing, it may take less or more time.
It is important that you allow your roots this time, however, so they can be at their best health.
To Plant from a Pot
Snake plants grow roots first, then the rest of the plant grows. But this is not the case.
During the same time period, both the roots and the plant will grow. As the roots get bigger, the plant grows with them. As a result, the question arises, “How soon after the roots emerge do they begin to grow?”
It usually takes 4-6 weeks for the plant to begin growing after it has been potted. It can take anywhere from a few months to a few years for it to reach its full length – it all depends on how big it will be.
How to Speed Up Your Snake Plant’s Growth
Sunlight
You can speed up the growth of your snake plant by making sure it gets enough sunlight. Plants get their energy from the sun, as most of you already know. Photosynthesis is responsible for this. If plants have a lot of energy, they will use it to grow.
Keep your snake plant in a room with plenty of filtered sunlight. Curtains will have to stay open for this.
Big Pot
You can also speed up the growth of your snake plant by making sure the pot it’s in is big enough. A large plant requires large roots to support it, as we discussed earlier.
It’s impossible for the roots to grow to your requirements if the pot the plants are in is too small.
As a larger pot will reduce the chances of root rot, it may also be beneficial to the plant. The roots of your plant cannot absorb any minerals in the soil when they are rotten, which will seriously stunt its growth.
Temperature
It is impossible to predict what will happen to plants. It is essential that you create the perfect environment for your plants if you want them to thrive. Climate is one element of the environment that can make or break any plant.
Plants prefer whatever temperature they would find in their natural habitat. Snake plants thrive in a temperature range of 55-85F.
Avoid sudden temperature changes as well. It is best to keep it away from drafts, air conditioners, and heaters.
Fertilizer
Sunlight provides plants with energy, but they also need nutrients from the soil. The plant could not repair its cells without nutrients. You can forget about growth if there is no cell repair.
Therefore, it’s super important that you feed your plant with fertilizer. The snake plant doesn’t need a lot of fertilizer. Just a couple of times a month during the spring and summer, and you should be fine.
Root rot can result from too much fertilizer, and stunting growth is the result. However, providing it with some nutrients will do wonders for it.
Water
Just like any other plant, snake plants need to be watered occasionally. Water makes up the majority of plant cells, just like animal cells. The water will be used up and evaporate, so it will need to be replaced.
Depending on its size and environment, you should water your snake plant every 2-8 weeks. When the top two inches of the soil are dry, it needs water.
Overwatering is the leading cause of root rot in snake plants. Roots shouldn’t be drowned.
How to Slow Your Snake Plant’s Growth
Cut the Tips
Clipping the leaves of snake plants is the most effective way to stunt their growth without killing them. There is a very interesting reason for this.
In the tip of a snake plant’s leaves, there is a hormone that stimulates upward growth. You cut off the part of the leaf that contains this hormone when you cut the leaves’ tips.
The snake plant will wait for the leaf tips to recover before continuing to grow until it has the hormone telling it to.
Clean instruments should always be used.
Smaller Pot
Another way to stunt the growth of a snake plant is to move it to a smaller pot. You remember how earlier we said that a larger pot would promote faster growth?
With that logic, it shouldn’t be hard to figure out that a small pot is best for slower growth. You will find that your plant’s roots will stop growing when you put it in a smaller container. Leaf growth would stop quicker in a smaller pot because the leaves would be confined too close to the base.
For a small plant to survive, it only needs small roots.
How to Change the Growth Direction
Perhaps it’s not the rate of growth you’re concerned about. Rather, it is the direction. A house plant’s main purpose is to look nice. The look is ruined when your leaves are sprouting in every direction!
It is quite simple to fix this problem by simply cutting off the leaves that are going that way. Snake plants have rhizome roots, so cutting off leaves is okay.
The roots of a rhizome grow horizontally. New shoots can grow when old ones die or are cut off.
Indoors vs Outdoors
You might wonder whether it’s better to keep your snake plant indoors or outdoors to get the best growth rate, and it depends.
In a hot climate, the outdoors has better access to the sun, and there is less chance of overwatering.
Nevertheless, indoors there is more carbon dioxide, and it tends to be warmer in colder places.
Whether you should grow your snake plant indoors or outdoors depends on where it lives. While snake plants do better outdoors in climates similar to their natural habitat, for most of us, we should keep them indoors.