how often do you water snake plants is a concern that you could have, why is why it is important for you to know that the task at hand is not very difficult. This is the plant that is also called the Sansevieria, these plants require very little care as they can easily thrive in various conditions, with water just once a week.
In this article, we will address your query on the frequency of watering the plant. We give you suggestions on appropriately hydrating the snake plant and tips for identifying an unacceptable moisture level in the soil, so read on.
- How Often Should Snake Plants Be Watered?
- How To Water Snake Plants?
- How To Tell if the Snake Plant Has Been Overwatered?
- What Are the Signs of Under Watered Snake Plant?
How Often Should Snake Plants Be Watered?
Snake plants need to be watered once per week as the plant is moderately drought resistant. However, this frequency also depends on factors such as the size of the foliage, the container it is grown in, humidity and climatic conditions of the zone.
Because they require less frequent watering on average, snake plants, such as sansevieria zeylanica or dracaena angolensis, are known for being low maintenance and easy to care for. Nevertheless, we will discuss each element that plays a role in determining the frequency with which you should water the plant.
– Seasonal Factors
The spring and summer months are when the snake plant is in its growing phase, thriving and expanding its energy to produce new leaves and shoots. At this stage, the plant must receive an adequate supply of nutrients and moisture for the roots to draw everything necessary from the soil and store it in the correct proportion.
How often to water snake plant in summer, is also a matter of concern, because it is all about constantly keeping the soil slightly moist throughout the season, which can be twice to thrice a week. Be aware that the plant seldom tolerates high levels of moisture; as a result, you should perform a finger test before adding anymore.
In addition, you should also think about the water content that is going to evaporate, and how this is the exact season when the plant will begin to boost its growth.
On the other hand, how often to water snake plant in winter depends on the temperature drop in your zone. The plant enters a state of dormancy during the winter months, drastically decreasing its demand for moisture.
However, it is key to know that you should not rinse the soil because there won’t be much growth during the cooler months, and it will stay in the bottom of the soil, and this could cause different issues. Consequently, you should water your plants once every two to four weeks during the fall and winter months.
– Moisture Content and Climate in the Area
How is the humidity in the zone where you are growing your snake plant? The answer is quite simple, think of the way that this in an arid zone, you will need to increase the number of times you water the plant per week.
The ideal circumstances for the plant’s growth are temperatures that range between 60 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity level of 60 percent, which is why when you water it, you should be aware of the moisture.
Because of this, you should perform routine checks on the soil and increase the number of times you water in an environment that is either too dry or too hot, or you can even try to mist around the plant so often.
Besides, excessive humidity in the environment could also damage the plant. It is important to remember that snake plants thrive in well-drained soil and do not like having their roots constantly submerged in water or if grown in a zone with high humidity. In short, you must always check the soil to ensure that the container you are utilizing includes drainage holes that will allow any excess water to escape.
– The Soil Used
Whether it is the dracaena pethera, dracaena hanningtonii, dracaena masoniana, the ideal growing conditions for these plants are light and porous soils rather than loamy or clayey. On the other hand, if there is excessive moisture in the soil, the plant’s roots may suffer significant damage, and the plant’s growth rate will be stunted.
As a result, if you wish to trap the moisture and avoid adding water excessively, you can always add peat, perlite, or mulch to your soil if you want it to be more aerated, to avoid cause different illnesses when watering it more than necessary. This way, it will not only thrive, these additives will also make the soil lighter, but they will also make it easier for water to drain away from the soil.
– The Plant Pot Within Which It Is Grown
Ceramic pots are better at retaining water than clay or terracotta pots, and this is because ceramic pots have a far lower rate of evaporation than clay or terracotta pots. This is a determining factor that the soil will stay cool, and it will be like moisture given to the roots, as a result, you should check regarding the moisture required.
What you should remember is that clay and terracotta pot materials have such numerous tiny pores, which allow water to evaporate more quickly, the frequency with which they are watered will need to be increased. However, you need to pay particular attention to the moisture in the soil, and you should adjust your watering schedule accordingly.
– The Capacity of the Pot
The pot size in which you are cultivating your snake plant is another crucial aspect to consider. If you use a bigger pot or container than a smaller one, you will need to add more water to the soil to keep it moist.
Due to the way that it would take a significantly longer amount of time for this moisture to evaporate, there is a reduction in the number of times the plant needs to be watered. Which is why the containers that are smaller often dry out significantly faster than their counterparts, requiring you to water them more frequently.
– Placement of the Plant
Have you placed your snake plant indoors or outdoors? When determining how often to water a plant, the location of the plant is another essential consideration to take into account.
In general, you can try to see how in this case, the plants are not subjected to the harsh rays of the sun or the dry winds outside, sansevieria trifasciata, as indoor plants, lose less water from their soil than those grown outdoors.
But make sure you do not change the location, because this is the condition that they would ask for, and when having indoor air circulation being lesser, it is possible that you won’t need to water them very often—quite the opposite to how it is growing outside.
Due to the higher levels of airflow and direct sunlight that snake plants experience when grown outside, they experience a greater transpiration rate. If you choose to place your snake plants outdoors, you must adjust the frequency with which you water them. In addition, outdoor plants are subjected to more wind and sun than their indoor counterparts, which can cause outdoor plants to dry out more quickly than indoor ones.
How To Water Snake Plants?
To water the snake plant properly, you should allow the soil to dry out properly, and make sure that you would water it in the morning hours, so that it would absorb it well. Lastly, make sure that you are watering the soil well, and not the leaves.
Instead of growing in constantly wet soil, snake plants do better in slightly drier conditions. You not only need to know the right time to hydrate the plant, but you also need to know how to apply it to the plant to get the best results.
– Allow the Soil To Dry Out
Always take the necessary precautions to ensure that the soil is given ample time to dry out between scheduled water applications. Because of this, you won’t need to be concerned about drowning the plant with excess water.
If you are still unsure about the soil, you can check it by inserting your finger into the ground and feeling for dampness, or you can also insert a wooden thin stick, and check for if the stick comes back up clean or if moisture and damp soil sticks to it.
– Water in the Morning Hours
It is always recommended that water be provided to the plant first thing in the morning when the sun’s rays are not as intense as they will be later in the day. Because there are droplets of water present on the leaves, there is a possibility that the leaves will become scorched in the afternoon due to the sun’s powerful rays reflecting off the water droplets on the leaves.
Due to this reason, it is a good idea to give the plant a thorough soaking in the morning or evening when the temperature is substantially lower. Which means the plant will have time to absorb it, and when the noon or afternoon sun hits, it will ready to thrive better just by absorbing the right amount of light that it receives.
– Water the Soil and Not the Leaves
An essential thing you can do to provide the proper snake plant care of your snake plants is to pay attention to how you water the soil. The roots of your snake plant primarily absorb water and nutrients from the soil and thus add water and plant fertilizer to the ground closer to the roots’ proximity.
If the plant’s leaves get moist, the foliage could rot and the snake plant would eventually die. This might also occur if the leaves start to mold. It would also become more moisture, because the leaves will receive excess of it, and the roots will not receive the proper amount.
How To Tell if the Snake Plant Has Been Overwatered?
To tell if the snake plant has been overwatered, you should check the leaves as they would turn yellow, and if will start releasing putrid odor from the soil as it would be prone to a fungal attack, lastly, the leaves would start to drop.
As stated, the ideal environment for the plant’s growth is slightly damp plant soil, and it can only survive in conditions that are dry for short periods and will eventually die out. If you want to know whether or not you have overwatered your snake plant, you should look through the correct indicators.
– Leaves Turning Yellow
Have you noticed that your snake plant, which usually has lush green leaves, has turned yellow? This is a classic illustration of a plant that receives too much water, and the soil becomes too wet and incapable of absorbing enough oxygen for the plant’s roots.
The simple reason why this would happen is that you have added excess water, and the roots have delivered it, but the chlorophyll level has been shaken, which is why the plant would start losing the color of the green leaves. The plant, which is now hungry, displays signs of stress, most plainly in the shape of yellowing leaves, as both chlorophyll production and photosynthesis experience setbacks.
– Putrid Odor From the Soil
Excessive soil moisture frequently leads to rot and other fungal infections. Additionally, it may result in bacterial mold in the soil, which is indicated by a foul odor from the ground. When this odor starts to fill the place, it is often a sign of root rot, due to over watering,
However, think about it in a way that the fungus in the pot has been growing and you would even start seeing some pests flying around it. As the soil would feel mushy, and the leaves would look heavy with the sap, and the smell would fill the place from both the soil and the leaves.
– Early Dropping of Leaves
The roots’ inability to carry out their regular tasks in the moist soil hinders the upward transport of nutrients, which causes the leaves to drop off the stems earlier than they should. The leaves would start to feel weak and won’t have the ability to thrive, and as a result, they will fall.
What Are the Signs of Under Watered Snake Plant?
The signs of under watered snake plant would be crumbling up and drying of the soil, and in this case, the leaves would be wilted and would look drooping. In addition, the leaves would start to discolor, and the leaves would show a curling structure.
If there is a considerable risk associated with overwatering the snake plant, then completely neglecting it by letting it completely dry out isn’t recommended. If the soil is too dry, the plant’s roots will not be able to carry out their activities as efficiently as possible.
Snake plants can go for two weeks without water. Compared to other plants, they require minimal care and are not particularly difficult to manage. These trustworthy foliage can withstand dry conditions for up to this duration without needing to be hydrated due to their high level of drought resistance.
– Crumbly Dry Soil
The soil or potting mix will have a crumbly texture and feel dry. Because of this condition, oxygen will only be able to reach the plant’s roots on a highly infrequent basis, affecting the plant’s general health, which is why you will see the soil look more rocky in its texture and crumbled up.
– Leaves That Are Wilted and Drooping
One crucial and early sign on how to tell if snake plant needs water is that you will also see that the plant leaves have grown wilted and are falling off as the plant itself is dying. The plant will give the impression of being weak and listless in appearance, and you would see from the fallen ones that even the stems of the leaves weren’t as healthy.
– Discoloration of the Leaf Tips
Because the plant isn’t getting the right amount of plant water to carry out its regular activities, the leaf tips of a snake plant that has been under watered will begin to turn brown. To put it simply, the reason for this is that the plant isn’t getting the correct quantity of water to carry out its typical operations, and it is striving to spread its color, but it doesn’t have enough water to do so.
– The Growth Stops or Slows
If there is not enough moisture in the environment, the snake plant will not be able to reach its average height, and you will notice that its growth is both slowed down and stunted. The plant will not be able to grow any further, and it will not even shoot new leaves.
– Leaves Being Curled Inwards
Under low relative humidity conditions, the leaves sides and tips will roll inwards. This is the natural process that plants use to reduce the amount of surface area exposed to the outside environment and maintain their moisture levels. In summary, the natural structure of the leaves would be looking arched.
1. Will I Be Able To Save an Overwatered Snake Plant?
Yes, you can save an overwatered snake plant. It is best to cut out the damaged roots of the snake plant, thoroughly wash the plant with water, and then repot the plant into fresh potting soil to prevent rot from occurring from overwatering the snake plant.
This will ensure that the root rot does not spread to other parts of the plant. You must also change the container because this will indicate that the environment in which it is developing is becoming more favorable and healthy for it to thrive.
Additionally, combine one teaspoon of baking soda and two to three drops of liquid dish soap in one liter of water. This reduces the acidity of the plants, which in turn helps to prevent the growth of fungi.
In this comprehensive guide, you have just finished understanding everything there is to know about the frequency of watering snake plants.
The following is a summary of all that was discussed.
- Snake plants only need to be watered once every seven days, and this is because they have only moderate resistance to dry conditions.
- The ideal conditions for snake plant growth are temperatures between 60 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity of at least 60 percent. These conditions should be maintained throughout the entire process of growing the plant.
- During winters, you shouldn’t bother rinsing the soil because there won’t be new growth. Regarding the development of snake plants, soils that are light and porous are preferred over loamy or clayey soils. Loamy and clayey soils are less likely to drain well.
- If there is excessive moisture in the soil, the plant’s roots may sustain significant damage. Peat, perlite, or mulch are three excellent amendments to the soil that can make it airier. Other choices include compost.
- If your snake plant does not get enough water, its leaves will turn yellow and wilt, and the plant will eventually die. When there is excessive moisture in the soil, the leaf tips of a snake plant will begin to turn brown.
After learning everything there is to know about the plant’s watering requirements, we are confident that you will be able to provide the snake plant with the best possible care. If you want this delightful foliage to thrive well in your home and garden, follow our care tips.
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