Snake Plant Care
Snake plant is one of the most loved household plants. This plant is not only a beautiful decoration for any environment. It is also pretty low-maintenance, thus. Even if you are a beginner, this beauty can be the perfect plant. If you want your plant to thrive, then you will need to fulfill its requirements. In this article, you will find the snake plant care guide which will help you every step of the way.
About Snake Plant
Care for a fun fact? The snake plant was also called “Mother-in-law’s tongue”? Dracaena trifasciata is a scientific name for this green beauty in the wild. It grew in the locations of South Africa. Because of its hardiness, this particular greenery belongs to the Succulents class. You can have it grown indoors or outdoors. Remember that the perfect climate is the USDA zone of 8 and above.
The snake plant has sword-like foliage and growth in the size of 6 to 8 feet. Its leaves are very stiff and have different colorations depending on the species. Typically, the color is dark green with yellowish borders.
Snake Plant Care
Watering
Typically, the snake plant is not problematic. But, inconsistent watering, overwatering, or underwatering can cause a lot of problems. Those beauties do not like too much water and soggy soil. If overwatered, root rot develops quickly.
Remember to not water your snake plant often. The watering schedule is dependent on the climate, temperature, humidity, and soil type. , you can guess that the plant needs water when the soil dries out. Yet, many people make mistakes and only check the top part of the soil. This is not a great thing to do. Even if the top part is dry, there may still be moisture inside. You can stick the finger or the stick in the dirt several inches deep to check the moisture level. If the soil is still moist, then avoid hydrating your snake plant.
One of the best methods of watering is bottom watering. Well, if the size of the plant and pot itself gives the possibility of it. This will help the roots to develop and grow downwards. You will have to wait for a longer period of time in winter between waterings.
Soil Preference
The snake plant is similar to the succulents and has almost the same requirements. It prefers the potting mix that is aerial and well-draining. We recommend having soil with a low peat content and higher sand amount. The succulent soil mix or Cactus soil mix will do the job just fine.
Light
As for the light requirements, the Snake plants like medium light. Those Sansevierias also can tolerate low and high lite conditions. However, they thrive in medium light. If you plan to place your new plant in the shade, get the species with dark leaves.
Make sure not to expose your beloved greenery to the direct sun rays. This can scorch and burn the leaves. We recommend placing your sansevieria plant by the western or southern Windows. Make sure to put them at least 10 inches away from the window, to avoid direct sunlight.
Humidity And Temperature
Beauties known as snake plants love the warm climate and do not like the low temperatures. The temperature range for the Snake plants is between 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. (20- 33 °C) If the temperature goes below 50 (10 degrees Celsius), the plant will suffer. If you have stale or dry air at home, they will not be affected by this a lot. Yet, the snake plants prefer to be placed in areas with high humidity between 30-50%.
Fertilizer
The snake plant requires fertilizer in spring, during the growing season. We recommend using the liquid fertilizer with half-strength diluted. The recommended ratio is either 10:10:10 or 20:20:20. The plant does not have to be fertilized in the winter.
Another option for plant feeding is compost or homemade fertilizer. The snake plants will also be happy if you give them a layer of compost every spring.
Pests
When the snake plant has problems and issues, it gets weak and is more susceptible to pests and diseases. The plant is often attacked by whiteflies, scales, spider mites, aphids, and mealybugs. The pests can spread to other plants pretty quickly. Because of it, act as soon as you notice them.
Those harmful pests can be removed by “washing” the plant with a squirt of water. If you combine the water and liquid soap it will kill the pests and eggs too. You can also remove the small pests with oil.
Pruning
You have to prune the snake plants in order to remove the damaged leaves. Pruning also encourages new growth. The only thing that is required for pruning is either a knife, scissors, or pruning shears. It is recommended to prune the snake plant during the growing season. You can also remove tall leaves if you want to control how long the plant grows. By removing the old leaves, the nutrition and energy start to flow towards the new growth.
Did you know that Snake plants clean and filter the indoor air? This amazing greenery can convert Carbon dioxide into oxygen. Snake plants are very low-maintenance sansevierias and killing them can be pretty difficult. It can even do well in dry areas with lower humidity and light. Yet, they can die if you expose them to extreme conditions.
Those beauties come with a sassy, bold look. B of this, they are often seen placed in the hallways, offices, and receptions. If you give the snake plant a try, you will definitely become addicted to this gift of nature.
