Sansevierias are easy-care house plants with a lot of potentials. Here you’ll find Snake Plant Tips including a few things to know.
A Sansevieria (Snake Plant) is one of the toughest plants found anywhere. Whether indoors, outdoors, or on your balcony, these spiky plants can take almost anything. Growing Snake Plants are easy, but you need to know a few tips for indoor care. Keep reading to discover how low maintenance Snake Plants really are.
Sansevierias are popular & easy-care houseplants. Here you’ll find Snake Plant Care tips including things good to know to keep yours growing.
Sansevierias (Snake Plants) are some of the toughest plants you can find. Whether indoors, in your garden or on your balcony, these spiky beauties can put up with almost anything. They’re easy to grow, but there are a few things you should know. Keep reading for Snake Plant care as a houseplant – you’ll see how low maintenance they really are.
SNAKE PLANT CARE TIPS
This plant isn’t for everyone due to its strong, strong appearance and hard, pointed leaves. It’s not soft and nice to touch, but does have character and presents quite the striking silhouette.
Modern, edgy and easy to maintain, their designs appeal to me. The strong desert sun frys them, but the succulents handle this dry air like champs. I also have a couple in pots outside in the bright shade. I even have cacti growing in pots on my covered patio in Tucson.
There are many different varieties of Snake Plant on the market that are often new to the market each year, so if you’re looking for one, there are several species and varieties to choose from.
They can be tall, short, concave or flat leaves with variegated color including white, chartreuse, chartreuse or yellow foliage. Sansevieria trifasciata and Lunarii are among my favorites, as well as cylindrica (it is the one they braid), Moonshine, Futura superba and Hahnii to name a few.
Size
Snake Plants can grow from 8′′ to 7′ high as houseplants. You can buy them in 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14′′ pots.
Uses
They can be grown as floor and tabletop plants, and even in kokedama and dish gardens.
Growth Rate
Generally, Sansevierias are slow to moderately growing plants. They spread by underground stems called rhizomes, which emerge as new growth.
The plants will grow quicker and slower in stronger light and slower in a lower light.
Water
Snake Plant care is all about taking it easy with the watering. Just make sure not to overdo it or your plant will rot out. Always ensure the soil is nearly completely dry before thoroughly watering again.
You should water Snake Plants every 2-8 weeks depending on your environmental conditions, types of soils, and pot size.
Do not allow any water to collect in the center of the leaves (where they form a cup) as this will lead to a mushy plant and eventually rot.
This is the perfect plant for travelers or those who tend to disregard plants.
Light
The Sansevieria prefers medium light, probably about 10 feet away from a south or west window. They will tolerate low light, too.
Sansevieria trifasciata and Sansevieria hanhnii jade grow better in low light and are the ones you should purchase. Colors that are brighter will appear lighter in low light.
Keep Snake Plants out of the sun as much as possible, especially when they are directly facing west or south.
Air Circulation
The plants thrive in the dry or stale air in our homes and offices. They do well in bathrooms with higher humidity levels. This versatility is one of the reasons why this houseplant is known as a true “diehard”.
Temperature
Sansevierias will tolerate a warm to cool temperature range in our homes. Your house won’t be uncomfortable for them if it is for you. Just keep them away from air conditioner or heat vents and drafts.
It does well for me in a pot growing outdoors in the desert where the summers are very hot and the winters can be quite cold.
It’s a good idea to get yours inside if you are going to leave it outdoors during the summer. They won’t tolerate frost or snow, so be sure to move them inside before it gets too cold.
Pests
The Snake Plant is highly pest-resistant, however, this does not mean it is always free of diseases.
When you see any pest, it is best to take action right away for they multiply rapidly. Pests travel quickly from one houseplant to another so take action as soon as you spot them.
Propagation
A Snake Plant may be the only snake plant you’ll ever need, since they’re easy to propagate.
As a houseplant, division followed by cuttings are the easiest ways to propagate them. They spread by underground stems called rhizomes when growing in the garden.
Soil
A fast and well-draining soil is recommended in order to prevent root rot on Snake Plants, because that is one of the main causes of death.
A 1:1 ratio of succulent and cactus mix to potting soil works best for me, but sometimes I’ll add in a handful of pumice or perlite to beef up the drainage and aeration, especially if the pot only has 1 or 2 smaller drain holes.
Fertilizer
The Snake Plants have not been fertilized until this year. In the spring, they are fed with a topping of worm compost and compost.
Most of my houseplants get a light dusting of worm compost and a light layer of compost every spring. It’s easy, 1/4 inch for a 6″ houseplant.
You could fertilize Snake Plants twice each year if you prefer. Snake Plants don’t need much fertilizing — especially in winter.
You want to avoid fertilizing house plants that are stressed, i.e. bones dry or soaking wet, in the late fall or winter when they tend to rest.
Repotting
Repotting your Snake Plants is not in your best interests. Since the roots are tough, I have seen some of them break their pots.
Repotting your plant every two to five years is usually fine. If your plant isn’t growing much and it’s growing in low light, transplanting every five to ten years is fine.
Safe For Pets
No Sanseviera plant has ever been chewed by my cats indoors or out. The leaves are rather tough, so I suspect they’re not as appealing as a crunchy leaf, such as a Spider Plant.
To find out if plants are toxic or not, I rely on reputable sources of information.
Dogs and cats should be aware that Snake Plant is mildly toxic to them. I consult the ASPCA website for more info about this and find out in what ways the plant is toxic.
Flowers
Snake Plants do flower when grown indoors, but they don’t happen very often and seem to be hit or miss . I had one variety of Snake Plant growing in my yard in Santa Barbara that flowered almost every year, but other varieties did not.
Sweet-smelling whitish to greenish flowers cover the yard.
You need to have a Snake Plant in your collection if you’re a beginning houseplant gardener. Snake Plants are easy to care for!
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