How to Grow: Snake Plant

Sun Requirements
Bright, indirect light, but will tolerate low light conditions.

Bloom Period and Plant Shape
Snake plants (Sansevieria) rarely boom indoors. They have stiff, vertical, sword-like leaves that can have a number of different colored edges depending on the selection. They are grown in tropical regions as a ground cover, often under trees and shrubs. They can become invasive in the wild. Indoors, snake plants are easy to grow houseplants.

Mature Height x Spread

Snake plants grow up to 4 feet tall in their native regions. In the home, they usually growing 6 inches to two feet tall, depending on the selection.

How to Plant
Plant snake plants in pots one size larger than the plants. Fill the containers with moistened potting soil. Snake plants are slow growing.

Growing Tips
Snake plants are one of the easiest houseplants to grow and the perfect choice for a novice. They grow best in bright light, but will withstand low light and even rooms with just artificial light. The coloring on the leaves won’t be as pronounced in low light areas. They thrive on neglect. Water them when the soil is dry, but if you forget, no problem. Snake plants can tolerate weeks without watering.

Snake plants don’t require much fertilization. Fertilize in once in spring and summer with a regular houseplant plant food.

Design Tips:

Snake plants are great floor plants in an office or room without lots of natural light. Dwarf types also thrive as tabletop and plant stand plants. They look best grouped together to give a “sea of snake plants” appearance.

Varieties:

The common snake plant has dark green leaves. But there are variations. ‘Black Robusta’ is a shorter selections with dark green leaves mottled in silver. ‘Black Gold’ has dark green leaves edged in gold. ‘Cylindrica’ has unique round, green leaves shaped like a pencil. ‘Gold Hahnii’ has light green leaves with lots of yellow on the leaves. ‘Moonshine’ has green and silver leaves. The silver and gold coloring is more pronounced in brighter rooms.