Why Are My Snake Plant Leaves Curling? Causes And Fixes 

Adding the Snake Plant to your Gardening collection is great as it is a popular houseplant that produces sword-structured leaves. Hey folks! I am Anna Scott, a Gardener with 15 years of gardening experience am here to help you out with the problems of snake plants. 

Sometimes, the plant faces curled leaves which is one of the main problems of snake plants that every gardener faces. Though it is a low-maintenance plant but requires little care otherwise the plant faces curled leaves. But Why so? Curling leaves show that the plant is under stress. Generally, Some of the causes are underwatering, overwatering, sunlight issues, pest infestation, etc. 

Let’s move forward to know about the causes of the snake plant leaves curling in detail. With this, its preventions will also be explained so that the plant gets saved.

Why Are My Snake Plant Leaves Curling?

The snake plant is considered a hardy houseplant that is adored by every gardener in his home garden. Sometimes, the plant faces issues like the Curling of leaves. 

So, As I mentioned above there are various causes of the snake plant leaves curling. Are you ready? If yes, then Read the below points for its proper understanding. 

• Overwatering
• Pest infestation 
• Compacted soil
• Extreme temperatures
• Overfertilization
• Root bound issues
• Inadequate light

Let’s throw some light on all the segments of these causes in detail and the ways to fix them as well. They are as follows: 

Overwatering

• Oops! Overwtaring the plant leads to the snake plant leaves curling, but why?
• The leaves of the snake plant will begin to droop if it receives water in excess. 
• Also, yellow-colored leaves will appear on the plant as a sign of overwatering. 

How to fix: 

Now, it is important to fix this issue by checking the moisture of the soil. Insert the finger inside the soil about an inch or two inches deep to check its moisture. If the soil is damp, then there is no need to water the plant. 

Water the plant when the soil becomes fully dry. Oversupply of water will cause root rot in the plant after some time which will make the plant die. 

Pest Infestation

• Pests tend to attack the plants to suck this fluid to satisfy their hunger. 
• Some pests like aphids, thrips, mealybugs, and spider mites will come to the plant to ruin its foliage. 
• These small sap-sucking insects will become more in number and spoil the plant with time. 

How to fix: 

Now what? It is suggested to inspect the snake plant properly. Though the insects are different you can handle them by making use of a solution. 

You can make the solution organically by applying horticultural oil like neem oil to the plant. Before this, use a hose and spray the water on the affected areas. It will help in fixing the issue in the plant. 

Compacted Soil

• Soil is a medium through which the plant grows well by taking the nutrients. 
• If the soil is compact in the pot, it becomes problematic for the plant to survive. 
• Also, it will not let the plant absorb the water to grow. It automatically causes underwatering in the plant.
• When the plant does not receive sufficient water, it causes curled leaves in the snake plant.

How to fix: 

It is important to fix the issue by repotting the snake plant. Use the new cactus soil mic in the pot. Also, do not keep the soil too compact or tight. 

Overfertilization

• Another cause is the over-fertilisation of the plant. As you know excess of everything is bad, the same is the case with the snake plant.
• You will see the leaves are curling when you fertilize the plant in excess.
• Fertilizer burn causes curled leaves in the plant which is not good for growth.

How to fix: 

When you see the plant is overfertilized, you have to remove the visible excess fertilizer from the soil. If you are using powdered fertilizer, then you have to remove it. Then you can wash the soil with distilled water. 

The soil will retain the water fully. It will help prevent the fertilizer from coming to the plant’s roots. 

Rootbound Issues

• Every plant will be overgrown and specially potted plants will outgrow from their containers.
• It shows that the plant requires to be reported as its roots are coming out from the drainage hole of the pot.
• When the plant does not receive sufficient space to grow, then it will cause suffocation in the plant.
• It will eventually lead to the lack of water and oxygen that reaches the roots which will cause root rot and curled leaves in the plant. 

How to fix: 

You have to prevent this by checking the root-bound system. You have to inspect the drainage holes from the bottom. 

It can also be inspected by lifting the pot gently and observing the roots. You have to save the plant by replanting it into a larger container as compared to the previous one. 

The new container should have a good amount of drain drainage holes. It will help grow the plant as there will be ample space for the roots to thrive. 

Inadequate light

• Last, but not least, it is another cause of snake plant leaves curling. 
• When the plant does not receive sufficient sunlight to grow, then it will show you the signs of curled leaves. 
• Every plant requires sunlight to perform photosynthesis.
• Without this, the plant will not be able to generate food and cheer issues with its foliage. 

How to fix: 

It is important to fix this issue by providing a sufficient amount of sunlight to the snake plant. Keep in mind that the plant is receiving a good amount of bright indirect sunlight to grow. 

Do not let the plant come in contact with Direct sunlight as it will scorch the leaves of the plant. 

Types of Leaf Curl

The plants will curve differently from each other which depends on the cause of the curl your plant is facing. Below are a few types of leaf curls to know about. They are as follows: 

Downwards curling

When it happens, it shows that the plant is not able to retain the moisture and is trying to do so for its growth. The main cause of the downward curling of the elaevs is the overwatering of the plant. 

Upwards curling

Sometimes an environment causes the upward curling of the leaves. The main causes of the upward curling of the leaves are temperature stress, wind burn, less supply of air in the plant, close contact of sunlight with the plant, etc. 

Inwards curling 

This happens because of the lack of nitrogen present in the plant. It does not let the plant thrive at its best and causes inwards curling of leaves in the plant. 

The plant’s lower leaves get more affected by this. It will even turn its foliage yellow, and wilt which is not good for the plant’s growth. 

Summing up the Context

In this guide, you come to know that Sometimes, the plant faces curled leaves which is one of the main problems of snake plants that every gardener faces. Though it is a low-maintenance plant but requires little care otherwise the plant faces curled leaves. But Why so? 

Curling leaves show that the plant is under stress. Generally, Some of the causes are underwatering, overwatering, sunlight issues, pest infestation, etc. Read the whole guide properly to know about the causes and the preventive measures of the snake plant leaves curling. Till then safe gardening, I will catch up in the next guide. 

Thanks for reading! Happy Gardening! 

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