Indoor Plant Series Part 2 - All about Snake Plant

"The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies, but never grows to the enduring happiness that the love of gardening gives." – Gertrude Jekyll

If you think the only type of plant you can keep alive is where you do not have to water for weeks, keep it anywhere, and just forget about even if you have it, Snake Plant is the best choice for you. Yes, you read it right, for this plant "Less is More" and it can adapt to any situation. So the second chapter of Indoor Series is this tough, hard to kill the plant, i.e. Snake Plant. This plant gives a tropical setting to your home and you must have seen this at many places around you, though this is a costly plant to your pocket.

About this Plant: Snake plant has its birthplaces in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Europe, Africa, and Asia with a scientific name Sansevieria trifasciata. It is from the Sanseveria family, though the recent research showed that it is actually from the Dracaena family. It is commonly known as Snake Plant and Mothers In Law's tongue. The plant does not have any outward visible stem, though it has a stem (rhizome) that grows underground and horizontally, which gives birth to new pups (smaller plants). The plant has long, upright, sword-like strappy leaves edged in yellow color or small yellowish-green leaves or green cylindrical leaves in some varieties. It is the most tolerant plants, which do not need much water, light, or fertilizer, on top of that they are pest resistant. They are a relatively slow grower and prefers to be somewhat root-bound. They grow best when cared least and in small pots. They are the best air purifier that NASA recommends that removes many toxins from the air.  They are very easy to care, despite some people face problems, let us talk in detail.

Varieties: There are like 70 varieties of this plant, all native to tropical and sub-tropical regions of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Let us talk about some most common of them in brief: 

• Mother in Law Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata): This is the most common type of snake plant and one of the most popular types preferred worldwide for the unique blade-shaped leaves and its erect nature. 
• Snake Plant Compacta (Sansevieria trifasciata Compacta): It has unique evergreen foliage with yellow margins. To make sure it stays happy, place it in a spot with bright, indirect light and avoid re-potting it in large pots, as it prefers to live in groups. It is also suitable for both homes and offices. 
• Black Gold Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata Black Gold): Black Gold is one of the best houseplants of all time. It has stiff, upright dark green leaves edged in gold. 
• Cylindrical Snake Plant (Sansevieria Cylindrica): Cylindrical is an interesting variety with round, dark green, striped leaves that grow up out of the pot like pencils and can grow to 2 to 3 feet (61-91 cm.). 
• Golden Bird's Nest (Sansevieria trifasciata Golden Hahnii): It is a dwarf snake plant and one of the most exciting and appealing types of snake plants due to its egg-yolk leaves with a green central stripe.
• Golden Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata Laurentii): It is a variegated snake plant and has creamy yellow leaf margins, and it is originally from Brazil. To propagate this plant, it must be divided rather than propagated from leaf cuttings. 

Height: It generally reaches a height of about 6 inches to 12 feet tall.

Benefits to keep: A NASA recommended plant which removes formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, toluene, nitrogen oxide, etc. from the air. What’s unique about this particular plant is that it’s one of the few plants that can convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen at night. This quality makes it an ideal plant for bedroom decor as it can help regulate healthy air flow. 

Sunlight: It grows well in the bright spot of your house, but little light works too. More is better, but anything is fine. Always suggested keeping indoors, as intense sunlight might burn the leaves. Expose some natural light once a month to all sides for even growth. If you see some leaves drooping towards one particular direction, then it's a sign that only some portion of the plant is getting the light, so always rotate for overall growth.

Water: Once you water, water it thoroughly and then forget it for a week or more, Yes, this plant is drought loving. The leaves show a sign of curling inwards or yellowish-brown in color if you water too less. Excess watering might rot the roots and drooping of the leaves. Always tries not to water on the main root, always water on the sides. Use a terracotta planter with a good drainage hole, so that the water is evaporated quickly. Every now and again - just whenever you remember - give the leaves a light wipe to keep their pores free of dust. 

Temperature: Home temperatures between 15°C to 28°C are fine, however, they prefer warmer temperatures. Lower temperatures cause them harm. 

Soil: Snake plants prefer a loose, well-drained potting mix to prevent waterlogged roots. It will do better in the sandy soil, so use a mixture of soil and sand.

Fertilizer: One rarely needs to fertilize this plant. So feed with a mild cactus fertilizer during the growing season (summer and spring) diluted to half-strength. Do not fertilize in the winter. One can feed homemade fertilizers (chai Patti) in 2 to 3 months. 

Pest Attack: Mostly this plant is pest resistant, but sometimes mealybugs and spider mites might attack, just spray a Dettol diluted solution or Neem oil. 

Re-potting: Since this plant is a slow grower, it does not require re-potting much, but if you have given it a very bright spot, it will grow rapidly and would need re-potting annually or semi-annually. Re-potting this plant during the growing season (summer or spring) with fresh new soil is good. 

Propagation: This plant is very easy to propagate and can be done in 3 ways mentioned below: 

• Just snip a leaf from the main plant and cut it into 3 to 4-inch pieces and place them about 1 inch deep in the soil. Always makes sure that plant cuttings facing up, the same direction they were growing. Do not water for 2 to 3 days to let callus grow. It will take about 20 to 30 days to get the roots. 
• Similarly, like above, this time puts the leaf cuttings in water, just make sure you change the water every week and do not forget them completely, else they will rot. Be careful you do not put leaves too deep in water to prevent rotting. I love this way as I can see the roots. 
• So we already talked about the internal stem(rhizome) architecture of the snake plant. This internal stem gives birth to new pups every now and then, so one can simply take these pups and propagate them to a new pot. Always take the baby plant with roots, and put it with new potting soil.

Some common problems faced: 

• Root rot: It is the biggest killer, but it can be avoided by watering properly, and not keeping the soil soggy. Watering twice/thrice a month is fine, one can increase this frequency as it always depends on your climate. 
• Drooping of the leaves: If all the leaves are drooping it is a water-related problem, the plant is getting too much water.  If only some leaves are drooping, then it is a light related problem, as only some portion of the plant is getting light. 
• Brown tips: Underwatering is the only cause.
• Curling of the leaves inwards: Underwatering is the only cause.
• Spots on leaves: Sometimes you see dark spots or patches on the plant, those are due to fungal infection to snake plants.

Thanks for reading!! 

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