How to grow potted snake plants? A detailed guide to the latest care methods
The snake plant is also known as mother-in-law's tongue, thousand-year plant, and so on. It is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant of the genus Sansevieria in the family Asparagaceae. Its rhizome grows in a creeping manner, the plant can reach about 1 m in height, and the leaves grow in clusters and stand upright, thick and leathery, with irregular dark green cloud-like horizontal bands on both sides. When grown in homes it often does not bloom, and it is mainly valued for its leaves. Now let us take a look at how to grow potted snake plants!
Growth habits of the snake plant
The snake plant is native to western Africa and is cultivated in various parts of China. It has strong adaptability, prefers warmth and humidity, tolerates drought, and likes light while also tolerating shade. It is not demanding about soil, and sandy loam with good drainage is better. Its optimum growth temperature is 20-30°C, and its overwintering temperature is 10°C. Common cultivated types in China also include the golden-edged snake plant and the cylindrical snake plant; the former has golden-yellow edges on its leaves, while the latter has cylindrical leaves with longitudinal grooves, making them easy to identify.
Propagation methods of the snake plant
1. Division: Snake plant division propagation is generally carried out together with repotting in spring. The method is to cut overly dense leaf clusters into several clumps. In addition to retaining leaves, apply a callus and antiseptic film to each cut, then immediately spray the plant with Xinguozhimo film to keep it warm and prevent freezing. After drying briefly, it can be potted. When potting, some fine sand can be sprinkled around the roots of the plant to help it survive. The potting soil should be a loose, fertile, well-aerated sandy growing medium. It should also have a section of rhizome and offset, and these can be potted separately.
2. Cuttage: Snake plant cuttage propagation is only suitable for varieties whose leaves do not have golden-yellow edges or silver veins; otherwise the yellow and white markings on the leaves will disappear, becoming an ordinary variety of snake plant. The method is to select healthy and plump leaves, cut them into 5-6 cm lengths, insert them into sand or vermiculite with half exposed above the soil surface, keep them slightly moist, and they can root in about one month.
How to grow potted snake plants?
1. Snake plants like light, so they should be placed in a sunny spot for care. However, when the light is too strong, they should be placed in a shady or semi-shady spot to avoid the leaf color becoming dark or pale, which affects their ornamental value. Snake plants like warmth, and their optimum growth temperature is 20-30°C. Below 13°C they will stop growing, and in winter the care temperature for snake plants must not be lower than 10°C, otherwise the roots will rot and the entire plant will die.
2. Snake plants are desert plants and can withstand harsh environments and long periods of drought. Watering should follow the principle of watering thoroughly when watering, but without water accumulation. If watered too frequently, the leaves will turn pale and the color of the markings will also fade. During the peak growth season, snake plants should be watered regularly. During the winter dormant period, watering should be controlled, and it is best to keep the soil dry. When growing them in decorative flowerpots with poor drainage, absolutely avoid water accumulation, so as to prevent root rot that causes the leaves to bend and fall over below.
3. Snake plants should not be fertilized excessively. During the peak growth season, fertilizer should be applied 1-2 times per month, in small amounts. Snake plants are often given compound fertilizer; if only nitrogen fertilizer is applied for a long time, the markings on the leaves will become dull. Of course, you can also evenly bury 3 holes of cooked soybeans in the soil at the edge of the snake plant pot, with 7-10 beans per hole. Be careful that they do not touch the roots, and stop fertilizing from November to March of the following year.
4. Snake plants like loose sandy soil and humus soil, tolerate drought and poor soil, and are not strict about soil requirements. They can grow normally even in a very small volume of soil. For growing snake plants, it is best to use loose, fertile, well-aerated sandy soil, so that they grow more robustly, and even when the pot is full they will not have their growth inhibited. Generally, snake plants are repotted once every two years, and repotting is best done in spring. Standard compost can be used when repotting.
5. Compared with other common household green plants, snake plants grow relatively quickly. Therefore, once a snake plant grows to fill the pot, it is best to prune it manually, mainly by cutting away old leaves and overly dense areas. Although this cannot inhibit its growth, after pruning it can ensure that it has more sufficient sunlight and growing space.
6. The most common diseases of snake plants are mainly leaf spot and anthracnose. If they occur, 50% carbendazim can be sprayed for treatment. Common pests include weevil damage, which can be sprayed with a 1000-fold dilution of 50% fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate. In daily care of snake plants, there should be plenty of ventilation, absolutely no water accumulation, and also sterilization and disinfection, so as to minimize the occurrence of pests and diseases.