Snake plant: How to Grow, Care & its Amazing Benefits

Snake plant botanically known as Sansevieria belongs to the Lilly family. It has many names based on its shape; “Mother in Law’s tongue” is the funniest name of this plant which named due to the resemblance of the tongue with its longleaf.

Sansevieria is an excellent choice for indoor plantation as it is from one of the easiest plants to grow with minimal care.

About Snake Plant

Common Name	Snake plant
Botanical Name	Sansevieria
Other Names	Mother in Law’s Tongue Tiger’s Tail Pasha’s Sword (famous in Turkey)
Family	Asparagaceae
Max. Height	42 inches
Poison Property	Poisonous to pets

How to grow Sansevieria?

Growing snake plant is pretty easy and can plant outside your house in direct sunlight or one of your room’s corner.

Best Soil for snake plant

Drainage soil is considered very healthful in the plantation of Sanservieria. You can easily buy drainage soil from a nearby garden center, or can also use regular soil but must be mixed with perlite or coarse sand. If you use both perlite & coarse sand, then it’s a plus point.

Recommended container or pot

Snake plant grow their roots aggressively, so it is recommended using plastic container having a drainage hole at the bottom. If you use terracotta pot (made by fired-clay) instead of a plastic container, It may crack your terracotta pot due to its vigorous growth.

Propagation of snake plant

There are two methods for the propagation of the snake plant::

Rhizomes Method
Leaf-Cutting Method (For potted propagation)

In the leaf-cutting process, we cut the leaf about 3 to 4 inches & put them into the soil about 1.5 inches in depth.

How to care snake plant?

Watering Sansevieria

Mother in law’s tongue is very sensitive to watering. Overwatering may kill evergreen snake plant. That’s why we recommend using a container which has a drainage hole at its bottom, It helps to carry out the excessive amount of water.

As mentioned, the snake plant requires less amount of water; there are some tips to water snake plant:

Let the soil dry at least 2 to 3 inches between watering periods.
Reduce watering in winter as they need water once or twice in winter months.

Light & humidity level for sansevieria plant

Snake plants don’t care about light. They can plant in direct sunlight as well as inside the house or office with normal room-lights. However, if you notice that leaves are becoming dull (rare case) then put them in direct light for some time to recover evergreen capability.

Average humidity is suitable for this plant.

Fertilizing for snake plant

Another good thing about this gentle-plant is they don’t demand fertilizers. But it’s nice to fertilize snake plant during the growing season.

You can use cactus fertilizer for snake plants.

Caring Tips for Snake Plant

Suitable Soil	Drainage free soil Regular soil mixed with perlite or coarse sand
Watering	Let the soil dry at least 2 to 3 inches between watering periods. Water once or twice in winter months
Light	Can be planted in direct sunlight as well as in the room’s corner
Temperature	40-95 Degree Fahrenheit or 5-35 degree Celsius
Humidity	Average

What are the Benefits of snake plant?

Eye comfort

Snake indoor plant looks pleasing & unique due to their mix shades of green & yellow color. Its nature-friendly colors and the pretty straight shape makes your eyes to feel comfortable.

Air purifying plant

The snake plant is not only for decorative purpose. As per NASA research, these plants can purify the air, which makes them a necessity for rooms having little fresh air.

It purifies the air by absorbing benzene, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other harmful toxins like xylene.