Are you wanting to become a plant parent but keep killing your babies? look no further than the gorgeous snake plant. The snake plant also known as mother-in-law's tongue or Sansevieria trifasciata is a very forgiving plant. The snake plant is very happy to live with a neglectful parent it actually prefers it! This makes the snake plant perfect for a beginner plant parent.
Bonus! it comes in a range of beautiful colours to match the aesthetic of your home. Snake plants are not only popular for their easy nature but their ability to clean toxins for the air in your home. Although the snake plant will survive neglect, here are some simple tips to improve the growth of this awesome plant.
Let's start with repotting our beautiful Snake plant!
Firstly, you are going to want to choose a pot with good drainage (New parents this means finding a pot with some holes in the bottom). The snake plant needs to be potted into well-draining potting mix. This can be achieved by buying a succulent potting mix or indoor house plant mix. Once you have your pot and soil, time to give your snake plant a new home!! You don't want to bury the snake plant too deep. If unsure of depth to plant, try planting as deep as it was in your previous pot. Always try to repot in spring to give the Snake plant the best conditions to deal with the shock of repotting.
Repotting tip for all house plants!! -
To help with plant shock from the repotting, traveling or relocating try a seaweed tonic-based plant food. Our favourite to use is Indoor plant food and spritzer. The Snake plant is a succulent so prefers to be sprayed in the soil over foliage.
Now we have our Snake plant in a new pot time to choose a location!
Although very forgiving, the snake plant is not a fan of the cold. When choosing its new home, make sure to choose a warm spot and without cold drafts. Snake plants grow best in bright indirect light. If you only have a shady spot don't stress the snake plant will forgive you but snake plants will grow slower in low light areas.
Our Snake plant has a new home! Time for some care tips
Watering! This is where Snake plants are happy to be neglected. Succulents most common problem is overwatering. Giving a plant more water than it can intake creates problem due to the water staying soggy which leads to the plants roots to rot. Root rot can cause the plant to die! Best to let your snake plant dry out between waterings. Great way to check soil it dry is to stick your finger a couple inches into the soil to make sure more than the top layer has dried out. To encourage growth water your snake plant from underneath to roots grow downwards to help hold up the tall leaves.
Feeling Confident Try Propagating your Snake Plant!
Let's make some babies! The fastest way to get a new plant from your original snake plant is to divide it. A snake plants root system is rhizomes which naturally multiple which makes it easy to divide. Say someone knocked you plant baby and he lost a leaf, oh no!! Lucky with propagation you can turn this leaf into a whole new plant. When this happened to us, we tried water propagation. Just like us plants are vulnerable to diseases when exposed to gems. To lower this risk its best to always use clean sharp tools when taking cuttings. If you are using a broken leaf, it is best to still make a clean cut. Next you will need a glass or vase that can hold the size of your cutting. Put the cutting in the water and change the water every three to five days until you see roots form. OMG you have roots!! Good job you have a new baby to plant. You could also use other mediums to root cuttings such as sand, Leca, potting mix, Spagmoss and much more. See our results in a few weeks using the water method!! So much fun.
Thank you for taking the time to read! Hopefully this will help you to look after your snake plant and if you still don't have a beautiful snake plant this is your sign to get one! Have $5.00 from us to put toward getting yourself your very own snake plant or any other purchase with Plant Collective! Use the Code SNAKEPLANTBLOG21!