Sansevieria Trifasciata(aka Mother-in-Law’s Tongue)
Ever marvel why you never see stilted snake plants ? It ’s because you do n’t call for contrived versions . The real thing is pretty much unkillable and survives in almost any grow experimental condition .
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Heck , as I was putting this together I realized our readers do n’t necessitate a growing guide forSansevieria .
All we involve to do is to take care at what we do n’t want to do with a snake plant . Like many houseplants , it thrive on disregard and suffer from too love a hand .
What You’ll Learn
Thrives on Neglect
Yep , that ’s good . Snake plants do n’t take a tender helping hand to prune their foliage , and they do n’t require much to drink . They can suffer deep subtlety and full sun , and they ’ll even put up with a few night of freeze temperatures .
It does n’t involve to be repot often , either . My aunt had a colony of snake plants in every recess of her home and would never repot them until their base - bound rhizomes snap their clay pots . They thrive in pot - bound conditions .
However , it ’s worth noting that you could easily violate the plant up and divide it into multiples , each quick for a novel nursing home as an individual potted flora .
This species thrives in poor conditions because they evolved in the jungle of the Congo . Despite being cradles of sprightliness and biodiversity , jungles tend to have very short soil tone . That ’s because those mineral and nutrients are locked up inside the overwhelming amount of verdure .
Costa Farms 12 - Inch Snake Plant via Amazon
Snake plant life need a cramped , poor lineament home to mimic the dirt conditions of its native habitat .
Care and Water Requirements
My wife loves the houseplants decorating our abode , and she ’s got an disingenuous hand when it comes to propagating clones from our set up greenery . But she ’s given up the duty of watering our indoor foliage to rest squarely on my shoulders .
Many of the houseplants we ’re intimate with take an articulate watering schedules to ensure their right wellness . But even a agenda of “ once or twice a hebdomad ” could stretch out into several weeks without a beverage if condition are right , and that ’s where a sleepless centre comes into fun .
But Snake River plants ? Nah , they ’ll get by . You could cast aside one into a closet during the winter and forget about it until you stumble on it during your spring cleaning . Guarantee you ’ll find the works in the same condition .
Sansevieriais very well overwatered during the winter . I give mine a small stir of water every few calendar week during the winter , just enough to keep the soil from cracking too much , but that ’s it . Snake plants prosper on ounces of watering during the intact wintertime , and too much will easy waterlog and rot them .
Costa Farms Snake Plant with 6.5 - Inch broad Planter via Amazon
During the warm months you could still get away with irrigate the works every few calendar week , sometimes stretch out over a period of a calendar month between drinks .
The exact timing between watering look on the conditions of where you ’ve get your container situated . Sunnier locations during very ardent period of the summer will dictate more even watering , but a Snake River plant tucked into a shady corner can go for weeks without postulate a drinking even during the summertime .
I ’ve never fertilized my collection and they seem to be felicitous as can be , but if you ’re interested in giving them a bite to eat you may ! I ’d hint using applications at half the recommend rate and at half the frequency . If a plant food suggest one ounce of fabric applied every two week , I ’d go with half an ounce once every four weeks .
Never fertilize them in the wintertime , or they ’ll really stick out from it .
Why So Little Water?
It ’s because snake plants are one of the few species that have evolved a metabolic process known ascrassulacean window pane metamorphosis .
Plants exchange gases through their pore and release urine vapor in the process . For many plants their stomata can be open up or close as a chemical reaction to the surroundings , but Sansevieria open its stomata only at night to maintain piddle .
However , that process of gas exchange is often called a “ necessary evilness ” for plants . plant expend very trivial water supply in their metabolic process and expel as much as 95 % of it through this process of transpiration . But snake plants ?
Their pore are open only at night , which means they hold onto H2O far longer than your other houseplants . If we supply too much for them to drink they become waterlogged and begin to rot .
Give Me Light! Or Don’t, Whatever
Many homeowners have a few really great window for plant growth , but an abundance of location in the homewithout adequate lightto grow most houseplants .
While a good identification number of houseplants enjoy the tone and many enjoy shiny light , few thrive under any light condition at all the way Sansevieria does .
you’re able to bemuse these guy cable in full sun or thick shade condition and they ’ll keep on truckin ’ all the way of life .
Something’s Bugging Your Sansevieria?
The only pests I ’ve visit bother serpent plants aremealybugsandspider mites , both annoying pests but not terribly difficult to control . I ’ve become reliant on a spray bottle with fret intoxicant inside for spritzing on plants with pest problems , but chemical solutions work too .
If you position the Hydra plant in chilly temperature for too long it could make grow scarring on its leaves . I ’ve found this stipulation to be mostly cosmetic and not something that need to be refine , but if you need your works great and tiny you could lop away brown tips on leaves .
Most of the condition aside from a handful of pests and scarring from cold-blooded weather are induce by too much piddle or moisture on the industrial plant . In fact it ’s the only direction a snake plant could be regard “ raw ” . Always err towards underwatering and you ’ll find out more than one-half of the conditions afflictingSansevieriaeliminated .
But Wait, There’s More
One of the outskirt benefits of uprise an well-off - to - upkeep - for houseplant like this is that it ’s quite good to the air quality of any indoor space . TheNASA Clean Air Studytested a variety of conversant houseplant , and snake works was found to slay four of the five toxin the study targeted .
Propagation
Propagating whole works is easy . The flora responds well to a few unlike methods of cultivation to include leaf cuttings , base division , from offsets , from “ pups , ” and from seed .
For more tips on this subject area , check out our snake flora generation guide .
Repotting
A lot of these guys will actually crack the skunk they ’re moderate in , so do n’t place it in one you ’re too attached to . When it ’s clock time to repot , it ’s a similar scenario for other houseplant .
Remove the plant from the container and repot it into another container one size up ; an 8 - column inch plant should go into a 10 - in pot , and a 10 - inch plant into a 12 - in throne .
A potting mix for cacti like this one , useable via Amazon , is a serious option to use when repotting your ophidian flora .
Common Snake Plant Types
You ’ll findmany unlike type ofS. trifasciatafor your tastes and preferences .
There are over 70 recognized subspecies ofSansevieriaand hundred of varieties and cultivar ofS. trifasciata(snake plant / mother - in - law ’s clapper ) , but the selection below represent a few of the most common one that you ’ll be to find at your local green theater or find online to order .
S. trifasciata
S. trifasciatais an all - green variant and my personal favorite . It ’s more patient of of deep shade than other varieties of snake plant . It certainly looks more like a snake in the grass than other diverseness and is the original from which most other cultivar originated from . The leaf tend to be on the thinner side , but it seems to have a much more vigorous growth pace .
S. trifasciataSnake Plant , available via Amazon
The almost - mottled color is appealing but not striking and makes this industrial plant perfect as a shapely accent plant without steal too much attention from the others in the room . I ’ve used these plants in dry , outside containers during the summer in Philadelphia and they take right to the weather condition .
S. trifasciata‘Laurentii’ (Golden)
The most recognisable variety isS. trifasciata‘Laurentii , ’ the yellow - edged and variegated snake works .
In Zones 9 to 11 it can be develop outside . That vivid yellow is at its warm in the sun and will grow less pronounced the more it ’s in the shade .
S. laurentii superba(Golden Snake Plant ) via Burpee
That yellow edge is really lovely and helps the plant toss off visually when in a shady corner . My only hangup with this multifariousness is how obvious any harm to the leaves becomes , but otherwise it ’s a sturdy and handsome plant . The leaves find thick and fleshier too .
S. trifasciata‘Gold Hahnii’
‘ Gold Hanii ’ is a tiny version for cramped spaces and windowsills . I love this plant and bump it to be as hardy and forgive as its gravid cousin . The tiny , compact shape allows for multiple specimens in homes where every inch needs to look .
Green Sansevieria trifasciata ‘ Hahnii ’ – 4″ Pot via Amazon
You may be conversant with its nickname “ Birdsnest ” on account of how much it looks like … well , like a dame ’s nest . twin these plants with hen and wench and creeping thyme in containers is a surefire combination for hot and dry conditions .
S. trifasciata‘Moonshine’
‘ Moonshine ’ has a very different feeling from other cultivars with its silvery tone upward pointing dagger mould leaves . As a specimen , it can give a modern vibe and would work well with bloodless , contemporary furnishings or mid - century modern .
‘ Moonshine ’ Snake Plant via Burpee
It can also bestow to a bit of pop of dividing line when set among other serpent flora varieties while still keeping an overall theme of form and pattern .
learn out ourroundup of 21 of the good mixed bag of Snake River plantsto grow at home for more options .
So Long, Sansevieria
stupefy ta love these Guy ! well-heeled to care for , unmanageable to wipe out , air purifiers , and pronto distribute . What more could you ask for ?
Sansevieriamakes an awesome gift for masses because of all of these attribute , and an excellent plus to your own zoological garden .
While the snake plant is well-favoured on its own , maybe you ’re front for something a bit more colorfullike the croton , or perhapsone of these non - toxic optionsfor your menage with PET that are just too rum ?
We ’ve also get ourhandy template on the basic forethought of houseplantsfor your other question about indoor gardening .
And formoreSansevieriacare tips , find out out some of these guides next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Cartesian product photos via Bio Garden , Hirt ’s Garden , and Burpee . Uncredited photos via Shutterstock .
About
Matt Suwak
