The mother-in-law’s tongue, also known as the snake plant, is very popular because it doesn’t need much care and has beautiful green leaves. It used to be that the snake plant was in the genus Sansevieria, but now it is in the genus Dracaena.
They have more than 70 different kinds, but all of them look the same: pointy, have thick leaves, and need the same amount of care.
The hot houseplant is simple to take care of because it does well with little light and likes soil that is damp. The plant will die if it doesn’t get the right care, though, just like any other plant.
Then, what major mistakes will kill your snake plant? Read on to learn more! You will also learn the signs of different problems and how to fix them.
Not Enough Watering:
Giving a snake plant the wrong amount of water is the first and fastest way to kill it. While its thick leaves can store a lot of water for later use, it can’t handle being watered too much like many other plant species can.
It’s not necessary to water snake plants less often than other indoor plants because of this.
It is impossible for a plant to take in food when its roots rot from too much watering, and it finally dies. Some signs are bending, thinning, or changes in the color of the leaves.
Always choose pots with holes in them so that water can drain out. This will keep the base from getting too wet.
If the annual has rotting roots, dig it out of the ground and scrape off as much of its base as you can. After that, cut off any soft, dead roots and put it again in clean mulch. You could use it to save the plant by multiplying it if its roots are completely rotten.
Just take a healthy piece of foliage and cut it off as close to the base as you can. Then, put it in a jar with lots of fresh water.
Submerging can also do a lot of damage to your home yard, causing leaflets to become thin and wrinkled. In the end, the result is a plant that is dying and its roots breaking down.
Since snake plants can handle not having enough food, species usually do pretty well after being immersed. So give the plants more water, and they should start to grow well! Don’t forget to cut back any fallen leaves that you don’t want.
Advice: From spring to fall, water your yard just after the top layer of soil dries out. In the winter, water it only once or twice a month.
Not Enough Brightness:
Snake plants don’t mind a little shade, but they do like strong, indirect sunshine. The process of photosynthesis, which is necessary for plants to live, needs sunlight, so putting your snake plant away in a dark basement is not the best idea. If you notice that the plant’s leaves are getting smaller and it isn’t growing, move it to a brighter spot.
But the plant can’t handle the extreme heat of straight sunlight. When plants get a lot of sun, their leaves get burned and deformed. To fix the problem, get rid of any dead or burned leaves and move the plant to a more protected spot.
Advice: If you don’t want to shock the plants, don’t move them from one lighting situation to another. Before you move the plants, give them a week of gradually increasing or decreasing light to get used to their new home. This is true whether you move them from a shaded area to an open area or the other way around.
Severe Scenarios:
It’s possible that high temperatures will hurt snake plants even more. Heat exhaustion is shown by leaves that are stiff around the edges and leaves that are curled or dying. Give it some water and move it to a quieter area if its ground is dry. Once you’ve taken off any dead or dying leaves, let the plants move around on their own.
When a plant is cold, on the other hand, its cells harden and then melt, killing the plant. The freeze caused damage to the leaves, which are becoming fluffy and yellow. Unfortunately, your plant probably won’t get better if it is exposed to very low temperatures. Throw away and double any nice-looking plants you find.
In general, keep your snake plant away from cold openings and at temperatures above fifty degrees F. Your wet bathroom is a wonderful place. As long as you have a small opening, the light and warmth inside are just perfect.
Not Enough Minerals And Vitamins:
Too many vitamins and minerals can kill plants, but not enough of them can also do the same. A plant may not be getting enough nutrients if it isn’t getting enough fertilizer, but too much fertilizer can burn the roots and kill the plant. Take out any dying root systems or greenery that you don’t want from your overfertilized plants, then move them to a new medium. If you need to use soil, make sure you follow the plant’s directions!
For snake plants, which can take care of themselves and don’t need a lot of chemical fertilizers, it is best to use mixed organic fertilizer.
Advice: Snake plants only need to be fed once a month while they are growing. It takes place in the summer, when plants are growing quickly and need more food in general.
Not Being Able To Replant:
Snake plants like being stuck to their roots, but they do need to be replaced every so often. A clay pot could stop the plants from growing or even cause them to fall over. As extra signs, origins that are spilling out of the pot and leaflets that are hanging across the other side of the plant’s leaves are positive signs. There is an easy way to fix things, though.
Use a dish that is cleaner and bigger than the one you’re using now. Since most snake plants are at the top, it’s best to have a wide range of them. If you wish to divide the plants, you will need to use precise tools to trim the root system short.
Given the plant a new pot, water it well and set it in new dirt that drains well. Snake plants usually need to be moved at least once every five years.
Not enough Drainage:
If you want your snake plants to do well, you need to make sure they are placed in suitable containers that let air flow through them. You can make it look like your indoor plants are much more complicated by getting new pots that match the style of your home if the ones you have now aren’t quite right.
Also, making sure you have the right kind of dirt is one of the most important things you can do to feed your snake plant. Make sure that containers have holes in them for drainage. Make sure you use soil that drains well to keep roots from dying.
Experts in gardening say that the move shouldn’t be made until the snake plant is ready to go into a bigger pot. Snake plants grow slowly and start out deeper in the ground.
People who take care of plants sometimes put them in too-big pots before they’re ready, which can lead to too much or rotting stems because there’s too much material covering them and keeping them wet.
Snake plants should stay in their original pots with their roots confined until they are moved to new pots that are just a bit bigger in diameter—about one to two inches.
Consuming Too Much Food:
It might seem like a beneficial idea to throw anything at your snake plant to keep it content and healthy, but over time, this could be catastrophic for the snake species. The Gardeners’ Union strongly supports a verified “less is more” strategy when it comes to fertilizers. Be careful when you fertilize because too much can be harmful for the plant. There is already a lot of growth.
Ignoring Dust:
People may not realize at first how important it is to clean off dirt from plants when they are designing with them. With their wide, sword-shaped branches, snake plants, which are also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, make it simple to see how they could become a home for dust mites. If you want to keep the leaves totally free of dust, clean them with a damp towel.
Chilly Circumstances:
Since snake plants are native to Africa, it makes sense that they like places that are warmer.
It might look appealing to put your snake plant next to the wall to show it off, but this article says that doing so might not be the best thing for the plant in the long run, especially in the winter. Because they like to be warm, move them away from window spaces during the winter.
Grow Right Now!
Snake plants are difficult to get rid of, but troubles could still happen. As it turns out, giving houseplants regular care is the best way to keep them healthy and happy. Pick dirt that drains well and gets bright, slanted sunlight. Carefully fertilize, water when the ground gets dry, and add more as needed.
If the plants are given the right food, they will keep growing and getting stronger. You can see a few flowers and the growth of new baby stems!