Houseplants are always a delightful decoration to have, but they need a bit of care if you want them to last. If you’re looking for a low-maintenance yet vibrant plant, the snake plant is a perfect addition to your home! Today, we’ll be talking about the right way to care for these charming indoor plants and the different varieties you can choose from.
Meet the mother-in-laws tongue plant
The snake plant (scientific name Sansevieria trifasciata; also known as the mother-in-law’s tongue, viper’s bowstring hemp, or Saint George’s Sword) is a popular indoor and outdoor plant in Australia. It requires very little effort in terms of plant care, making it a perfect choice for most urban homes and beginner plant owners. Snake plants can grow anywhere from 12 inches to 3 feet tall, depending on the breed and environment. The number of varieties available combined with their low maintenance make them very popular plants in Australia.
Aside from ornamentation, the snake plant can actually benefit your air filtration. According to a NASA Clean Air Study it can get rid of most indoor pollutants present in most homes today. A word of advice though: the plant is toxic to cats and dogs, which can make this a poor fit for homes with active, untrained pets.
How to grow a snake plant
Like succulents, snake plants need little watering and sunlight to thrive. They grow fast in soil with good drainage and are resistant to insects, heat, and warm climates.
Water
A potted snake plant should only be watered once every two weeks (or once a month during winter) as over-watering can cause them to die.
Soil
Let the soil dry between waterings. Dampness can trigger plant rot, which can spread through the entire plant in a matter of days.
Exposure
Keep it in a place where it gets plenty of sunlight, though some varieties of snake plants can grow well in shady areas. Check with the store you bought it from about which breed of snake plant do you have.
Propagate
Snake plants are flowering plants, and they can propagate fast! Potted snake plants will bloom small, fragrant greenish-white flower clusters on tall spikes occasionally. A snake plant that grows outside can spread rapidly, which can be a little difficult to manage unless you also keep it in a pot. A lot of people consider the snake plant to be an invasive species because of this – so be very careful about the breeds you plant outside!
Repotting, cutting, and planting snake plants
If you’re looking to grow your own collection of snake plants, you’ll need a good collection of sturdy pots. IKEA and Bunnings offer good selections that can fit snake plants of all sizes. Depending on the breed you get, you must divide and replant them once to thrice a year.
Cut a section containing both the leaves and the roots and place them in a new pot, with well-draining potting mix. The best time to do this would be in the spring. You can put some general purpose fertiliser and water as little as possible. For the bigger breeds, you can wipe the leaves with a damp cloth to get rid of dust.
Snake plant varieties
It looks like a bunch of stiff, pointed leaves with a circular base. Mature plants have a dark-green colour, sometimes striped, speckled, bordered, or tipped with shades of yellow or grey depending on the breed. It comes in many varieties, though it crossbreeds easily.
Here the most common varieties (or cultivars) we you should get:
01
S. superba
The dark green leaves have grey-green bands and a bright yellow margin. Grows to 1m.
02
S. hahnii ‘Jade’
Its shiny, deep jade leaves have no markings and overlap to form a rosette. Grows to only 30cm, so is ideal as a low-growing, evergreen edging in border gardens.
03
S. ‘Flame’
The green leaves come with subtle, grey-green markings and bright yellow margins or streaks. Grows to 30cm.
04
S. ‘Moonshine’
The stunning silver leaves come with ultra-thin green margins and faint traces of green variegations. Grows to about 1m. 5 S. ‘BLACK GOLD’ Its leaves are solid green and the yellow margins may have small variegations. Grows to 1m.
05
S. ‘Black Gold’
Its leaves are solid green and the yellow margins may have small variegations. Grows to 1m
06
S. hahnii ‘Jade Marginata’
Looks similar to ‘Jade’, but is lifted with striking golden margins.
07
S. ‘Bantel’s Sensation’
At just 2-5cm wide, the leaves are narrower than most other snake plants. The green is accentuated by distinctive white vertical stripes. Grows to 1m.
08
S. trifasciata ‘Snake Plant’
The broader green leaves have silver-grey, chevron-style variegations and grow outwards rather than upright to about 1m.
09
S. ‘Snow’
The leaves appear almost white, but with dark green variegations. It often comes with narrow yellow margins. Grows to 60cm.
10
S. masoniana ‘Whale Fin’
Whale-fin shaped leaves come in various shades of dark green with dramatic vertical stripes. Grows to 1m.
11
S. desertii
Its tall, round, skinny, ribbed leaves often come with yellow chevron stripes. Grows to about 2m.
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