“Why is my snake plant not rooting?”
After observing it for a while, you realize that your snake plant does not appear to have roots, which is essential for its survival. You may have gotten this snake plant from a gardening supply store, or perhaps a friend or coworker gave it to you in this condition.
What does this mean for your snake plant? Is it dead or can you save it? We will help you to find out.
Underwatering
Despite being very drought tolerant, snake plants will drastically reduce their growth rate without enough water. It is true that snake plants can go up to 6 weeks without water, but don’t put them under extreme strain!
How to tell that your snake plants need more water?
Generally, dry soil, curling leaves, brown leaf tips, and little growth are the main symptoms of underwatering. To make sure you water your plant when it needs it, test the soil for dampness by digging a finger into it every few days. Also, raising the pot and feeling the weight of the soil will quickly give you an idea of how light the pot should be before it needs to be watered.
Overwatering
This is the main culprit of your question: why is my snake plant not rooting?
It is very easy to overwater snake plants since they do not need a lot of water. Too much water in the soil can make the roots of the plant unable to access oxygen, as oxygen in the soil is pushed to the surface.
Overwatering, on the other hand, can also hinder your snake plant’s growth. The result of overwatering is root rot, which often kills the plant. In fact, underwatering your snake plant is not nearly as harmful as overwatering.
Becoming Rootbound
A snake plant can grow new growth only if its roots are healthy and strong enough to support the new growth. Your plant may be hindered from producing new growth if its roots have filled the pot.
Although snake plants prefer tightly packed foliage, a root-bound snake plant will also reach a point where new foliage simply cannot grow.
When repotting your snake plant, make sure that your pot is 1-2 inches larger than the current pot. This will promote new growth on your plant. You may be tempted to put your plant in a much larger pot, but this increases the risk of overwatering. Since there is so much more soil in the pot, it will take a lot longer for it to dry out, and for the roots to develop into the new soil.
Diseases and Pests
Your plant can be severely stressed by both pests and diseases, and its growth can be completely halted. It is crucial to avoid snake plant diseases by properly watering since overwatering is the major cause of disease.
Scale and mealybugs seem to especially “love” snake plants, and their damage can greatly impact their health and growth. The best way to deal with all pests is to check your snake plant often and treat it promptly.
Getting Accustomed
You need to consider this one in case you have gotten this snake plant from a gardening supply store, or perhaps a friend or coworker.
Remember that when you first bring plants home, they need time to adjust. Growing snake plants in your home is unlikely to provide the same optimum conditions as the one used by the grower. Hence, snake plants may experience a temporary halt in development when they adapt to the new conditions for a month or two.
Don’t worry. You should soon see new growth on your plant if you are providing all the basic care conditions it needs.
Sum up!
“Why is my snake plant not rooting?”
Now you know the answer. Most snake plants lack roots because they have been underwatered, or killed by fungi beneath the soil, or because overwatering damages the roots. You can also consider the fact the plants need to get accustomed. Well, we hope this article is helpful to you!