How often to water the Snake Plant? (Full Guide)
How often to water the Snake Plant? Snake plants are one of the easiest plants to grow at home. Snake plants or Sansevieria are the ones that Americans love to grow in their home garden. These plants can be grown easily as they are low-maintenance plants. Have you grown these plants in your home garden? If not, then you should go for it as it will help you with your household work.
Quick takeaways:
- They can be planted in your bedroom, in the lobby area, and even in the kitchen area. It will add elegance to your home garden.
- Maintaining a plant is important as it will give you results in the long run.
- When the plants do not receive proper facilities, then they become dull as they are not meeting their basic needs which are important for the growth of the plant.
- One of the issues faced by the farmers is the water supply to the snake plants. Watering is one of the vital elements that need to be fulfilled.
Do you know if you are providing a sufficient amount of water to your snake plants? In this guide, you will come to know about it. Snake plants thrive well if you feed them with water for about 10 -15 days. They do not like to remain dry as it can harm the growth of the plant. So, make sure you are providing plenty of water to your snake plants. So, let’s begin to understand how often to water the snake plants.
How often to water Snake Plant?
Snake plants are the best plants to grow at home. They are one of the houseplants that need to be maintained. Though they are not too demanding, it is obvious that they require water so that they thrive well. The plant becomes unhealthy sometimes, due to overwatering or underwatering.
So, here comes the need to know how often to water your snake plants. When your plant receives a good amount of sunlight, then they need more water in comparison than before. They need to be more dehydrated than before. But when they are in shade, then they need less water for their growth.
Overwatering can lead the plant to suffer from issues like yellow-colored leaves, root rot, etc which is not at all good for the growth of the plant. So, you have to keep in mind that you need to water your snake plants when they become fully dry. Let the soil become dry, then start your other water supply.
Being placed in the sunlight may not fulfill the watering needs of the snake plants. When you plant the snake plant in a big container, then they need more water. Watering of the plant depends on the size of the plant too. So, make sure you are planting them in indirect sunlight so that they thrive well. Water them on time by providing them with water when they need it. Provide them with regular water for about 10-15 days.
For more such plant related-articles, you may also read, 7 Snake Plant Problems and Disadvantages that you should know
When to Water Snake Plant?
It is crucial to know when to water the snake plants. The watering of the plant depends on various factors as it lets you know if the plant needs water or not. One of the easiest ways to know the time when to water the snake plant is that you can check the moisture of the plant. It will let you know if the plant needs water or not.
Make sure your hand is not dirty and you can use your hand or any pencil. Put it in the soil for about 2 inches deep and if it feels wet, then there is no need to water the plant. If the soil is dry, then you can water them as it shows that the plant needs water. Though the plant can survive without water for a long time, ensure you are not doing so.
Make sure your plant is not getting overwatered by any means. Lastly, it is suggested to check the moisture of the plant by digging a finger into it and if it is dry, then is the right time to water your snake plants.
Key points to remember while watering your plant
Below are the things that you need to remember when you water the snake plants:
- Make sure the soil is full.
- You can water the plant in the early morning time or late evening.
- Ensure you are giving a gap between watering the plants.
- Water them at the bottom, not directly on the leaves.
- Water in a way so that the roots gain them.
- Choose a big pot that has good drainage holes.
- Make sure you are avoiding over-watering your plant.
- You can check if the plants need water by checking their moisture.
- Observe the weight of the container as if it is light, then the plant needs water.
How Snake Plants Hold Water?
The snake plants are used to store water in the thick fleshy leaves which is why they are considered succulent. The snake plant is native to Africa and Southern Asia. You need to create the environment conditions the same as their native places. The plant is used to utilize a unique type of photosynthesis which is called
Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) helps in storing of the water, especially during extreme daytime temperatures. Utilizing this type of photosynthesis tends to open their stomata and exchange the gasses during the night so that it prevents evaporation.
As the snake plants do have a good water storing capability that makes them stand in drought also.
Snake Plant Benefits:
The following are some benefits of planting the snake plants as your houseplant:
- They are able to boost their beauty more when we compare them to other leaf plant
- The snake plants do come under the best indoor air purifier which helps to remove formaldehyde and nitrogen oxide from the air.
- Used to clean the air while you are sleeping that makes them perfect for planting in your bedroom.
- The snake plants do boost mental health by enhancing the sense of mental health as planting them does make people happy.
- The snake plants are able to survive in hot or cold climates or dry air and underwater.
- The plants are not used to being attacked by pests.
Is there any sign of overwatering in the snake plant?
Yes, there are various signs of overwatering that you will observe in the snake plant as:
- The affected leaves will be yellow colored.
- Old leaves begin to fall over.
- Water gets collected in the container.
- The color of the roots begins to turn brown.
- A foul odor will come from the container.
- Roots will begin to feel a lack of oxygen.
- Observe the brown-colored spots on the leaves of the plant.
- In case you get signs of overwatering then I suggest you unpot the plant and check the root of the plant causing root rot which will kill your plant if you don’t find it early.
Signs Your Snake Plant is Underwatered
In case of missing the watering schedule for watering snake plants, they will begin to show signs of drying out.
Here are the signs that you will find in the plant if they are underwater.
- The leaves will begin to turn brown and crispy on the tips.
- The leaves of the plant will die.
- You will see the hard compacted soil which will be pulling away from the edge of the pot.
in this case, you need to report the plant and use fresh soil for planting them again. In case of find any of these signs, you need to start regularly watering the plant which will bring the plant to life. There may be fewer chances that watering the plant will bring back the life of the plant.
Snake Plant Water Schedule: Indoors and Outdoors
The amount of water needed by the snake plant does depend upon the growing condition of where you are growing them and the climate such as indoors or outdoors in warm, dry climates.
There are other factors also affecting the watering schedule of snake plants such as light temperature, humidity, soil type, and container in which you have planted. The following is a detailed explanation such as.
Light:
- The light is also considered an important factor in deciding how often you need to water the snake plant.
- The plant is able to grow in different levels of lighting conditions such as from bright light to low light and the watering amount does depend upon the amount of light the snake plant is receiving.
- If you are growing the snake plant in lots of light then you need to water them often but growing the snake plant in low light will need less water.
Temperature and Humidity:
- The snake plant is able to grow in a wide range of temperature and humidity conditions but different temperature and humidity levels do impact the watering needs of the plant.
- A plant that grows in warmer temperatures does require more water than a snake plant that is grown in colder temperatures.
- Also, a plant that is grown in high humidity does need less water than a plant that is grown in dry conditions.
- Similarly, a plant that is growing in hot and dry conditions requires more water than a plant that is growing in cooler and moist conditions.
Soil Type:
- If a snake plant is grown in Sandy, well-draining soil which helps to keep access moisture away from the roots of the plant after watering is the best condition to grow the snake plant.
- in case it is planted in not well-draining soil then you don’t need to water them more frequently than watering a well-draining medium soil.
Potting Container:
- The container in which you are going to the snake plant also affects the watering needed by the snake plant.
- In case you have taken a Terracotta pot that I used to observe the moisture from the soil and make the soil dry faster than the plastic pot here you need to water the snake plant often.
- In the case of having a pot with drainage hole hair also the soil will dry faster as the excess water will be drained easily. But this doesn’t mean using the pot with a good drainage hole as if the exor of water does not drain out it may cause problems in the plant.
Concluding lines
In this guide, you come to know that Snake plants or Sansevieria are the ones that Americans love to grow in their home garden. These plants can be grown easily as they are low-maintenance plants. They can be planted in your bedroom, in the lobby area, and even in the kitchen area. It will add elegance to your home garden. Maintaining a plant is important as it will give you results in the long run. But when the plants do not receive proper facilities, then they become dull as they are not meeting their basic needs which is important for the growth of the plant. Read the whole guide for its proper understanding.
Thanks for reading! Happy gardening!
FAQ’s
How many days snake plants can survive without water?
The maximum number of days snake plants can go without water is about 2 weeks.
How to know snake plants are happy?
The plant will have leaves that are firm, upright, and have a vibrant green color.