Dracaena trifasciata aka snake plant is one of the most adaptable houseplants of all time. Its low-maintenance quality makes this plant a quick pick for any indoor gardener.
This hardy plant requires only some basic planting needs to thrive. This species of the Asparagaceae family is native to tropical West America, which makes it such a hardy houseplant.
The flexible tolerance excellence of this plant can make your indoor gardening experience smoother than you could ever imagine. Here are some basic tips on how to take care of a healthy snake plant expertly in the most effortless manner-
Snake Plants love well-drained soil, and bright indirect light, but are okay with direct sunlight too. Drought tolerant so easily forgives you for missing your watering schedule. Can survive with watering twice or thrice a month.
Snake Plant Care: Quick Overview
- Choosing the Best Planter: Medium-size terracotta pot with good-drainage holes
- Soil: Loose, well-drained soil mixed with sand and peat moss
- Water: once week or only when the tops surface of the soil turns dry completely
- Fertilizer: Any all-purpose balanced fertilizer in a very mild amount; twice a year
- Sun Exposer: Sun with partial to full shade
- Temperature: Maintain a high temperature of around 70 to 90 degrees F
- Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11
Taking Care of Your Snake Plants:
To take proper care of a growing snake plant and keep them healthy enough, you must follow these steps attentively-
Soil and Potting Mix:
- Prepare a potting mix combining sand, peat moss or coco coir, and normal potting mix in a 2:1:1 ratio
- You can alter sand with perlite if you want, they provide the same benefits
- Make sure the soil can drain well and never let the soil soggy ever
- Soil can be slightly acidic to slightly alkaline with a pH range between 5.5 to 7.5
When and How Often to Water:
- Try to water your snake plant thoroughly once, after the first plantation
- Then, wait till the top surface of your planting soil turns completely dry
- You should water at a 1-inch depth, whenever water your indoor snake plant
- Every time make sure that the excess water is darning well from the bottom of your planter
- Try watering after every 4-5 days, especially during the scorching the summer month
- You can mist the leaves once every month to keep them healthy
When to Fertilization:
- Snake plants are usually low-feeders and you don’t need to fertilize them often
- Try to apply in balanced all-purpose fertilizer in a 10-10-10 NPK ratio
- Attempt to feed your plant only twice a year to provide the adequate nutrients to thrive
- Use sow-released fertilizer in liquid form to get the best outcome for your process
Sunlight Needs for Snake Plants:
- Snake plants are too sensitive to tolerate full sun or direct sunlight
- Try to provide your indoor snake plants with indirect sunlight with partial shade
- Place your planter near a south or west-facing window
- Make sure your plant can get 5-6 hours of indirect sunlight every day
- Keep turning your planter and rotate after every few days to provide each portion of your plant with equal sunlight
- And don’t forget that a growing snake plant always seeks natural light, thus, never put a planter in a room, where you don’t have any window.
Humidity and Climate:
- Snake plants always want warm temperature along with indirect light
- Try to maintain the temperature around 70 to 90 degrees F for the utmost times
- Never let the temperature down less than 50 degrees F, ever
- It thrives best in a place with 40% or a bit more humidity
- And let your plant grow at a normal room temperature instead of using any additional temperature controller.
Pruning Session:
- Unlike other houseplants, snake plants don’t need to be pruned often
- If you want to keep the growing speed normal of your indoor snake plant, try not to trim it down
- Try prune your plant only if you locate any discolored leaf or infected stem part on your plant
- Otherwise, you don’t need to cut any healthy leaves or young stems to control its bushier form
- Snake plants are slow-growers and thus, you won’t get over-bushier frequently during their entire growing session
How to Propagate Snake Plant:
Snake plants are hardy and tolerant. Thus, you don’t need to worry about how to cut its healthy stem or young leaves for propagating. Let’s learn how to do the process properly in several ways-
Propagation Through Baby Offshoots:
- Wait for the baby offshoots of a growing snake plant to do the process more effortlessly
- Then, take out the entire plant from the current plant and separate the baby offshoot from the cluster along with its tiny roots
- Prepare a planter with cactus-type potting mix or the soil mixture we mentioned above
- Now, sow the offshoot into the soil and place it in a warm place in your house, where it get indirect sunlight constantly
- Wait for the baby offshoots to grow a little more and then, place it near an open window soon
Propagation Through Roots:
- For this course, wait for the repotting time of your indoor snake plant
- Once the plant overgrows the current planter, take it out and repot it in a bigger planter
- But, before the replantation, wait for a minute and clear the roots from the clustered soil
- Now, search for a healthy root section that is grown from the main root bunch
- Cut that part out and sow in a pot ¾ part fill with a cactus-potting mixture
- Follow the essential caring methods and get an expected outcome shortly
Propagation Through Leaf-Cuttings:
- Bring a fully sterilized shear or scissor and cut off a small stem part from your growing snake plant
- Make sure the stem portion has at least 5-6 healthy leaves on it
- Pour distilled water into a glass jar and put the cutting over that jar by keeping the bottom part submerged in the water
- Change the water after every 4-5 days and wait till small roots come out from the bottom of that cutting
- Once the new roots grow to 1 inch long, plant them in a planter prepared with proper potting mix
FAQ:
How Often to Water Snake Plant?
Try to water your indoor snake plant after every 7 days which is once a week. Make sure you follow the rule of making the top surface of the planting soil drys completely, from one watering session to another.
Are Snake Plants Toxic to Dogs?
Yes, Snake plants are poisonous to your pets. Snake plants contain a part named saponin which is rich in toxic elements. This part is highly dangerous for house pets, especially dogs. So, if your loving dog ever ingests any part from a snake plant, you must seek medical help immediately. Try to keep the planter away from the reach of your house pets to avoid such mishaps any further.
Do Snake Plants Like Humidity?
Snake plants usually do best in a normal climate like 40% humidity. To keep your plant best thriving, try to maintain a stable humidity instead of the fluctuating one.