Snake plant

About Snake plant

The snake plant, or mother-in-law's tongue, is a stiff, upright succulent from West and Central Africa with sword-shaped leaves banded in gray-green and often edged in yellow (NC State). It was long called Sansevieria until genetic work moved it into Dracaena (Penn State). It shrugs off low light, dry air and weeks without water, which makes it about the hardest houseplant to kill; the one thing that does it in is wet soil. Its tough leaf fibers were once grown in Florida for rope and bowstrings.

Hardy outdoors only in zones 10-12 (NC State); it is grown indoors everywhere and can summer outdoors in shade once nights stay above about 50 F.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Usually bought as a nursery plant or started from a division of an older clump; leaf cuttings also root (Penn State).

Growing it indoors

• Light: Tolerates very low light and heavy shade, though it grows faster in medium to bright light; keep it out of hot direct sun, which can burn the leaves (NC State, Penn State).
• Water: Water only when the mix is dry all the way through, then drain the saucer; it can go a month without water, and overwatering is the one thing that kills it (Penn State). Spring through fall let it dry between waterings; in winter NC State says water only every one to two months.
• Humidity: Tolerates the driest indoor air (NC State).
• Temperature: Tolerates cool rooms down to about 50 F (NC State); MU Extension suggests 65 F nights for best growth, and it must never freeze.
• Feeding: An all-purpose houseplant fertilizer at half strength once a month during the growing season, none in winter (Penn State).
• Repotting: Only about every 5 years with fresh potting mix, or every 3 years for the dwarf 'Hahnii' types; it likes a snug pot, but a badly rootbound plant can crack a clay pot, and tall kinds need a heavy pot so the leaves don't tip it over (Penn State).

Soil

A fast-draining cactus mix or potting mix cut with perlite, in a pot with drainage holes; it tolerates neutral to alkaline soil (Penn State, NC State).

Pot in a fast-draining cactus mix, or a potting mix with extra perlite, in a heavy pot with drainage holes (Penn State).

Feeding

• Spring through early fall (growing season): all-purpose houseplant fertilizer at half strength. Once a month, watered in on a day the plant is due for water (Penn State).
• Winter: none. No fertilizer while growth has stopped; water only every month or two (NC State).

Overwatering kills more snake plants than anything else; feeding a wet, dark plant only makes rot more likely (Penn State, MU Extension).

Varieties (15)

Pests to watch for

Thrips, Scale insects, Mealybugs, Twospotted spider mite

Diseases and problems

Root and crown rot

In the kitchen

Safety: All parts contain saponins; eating it can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and the sap may irritate skin (NC State rates it low severity). The leaf tips are sharp enough to poke an eye, so set tall plants away from walkways.

Pets: Toxic to dogs and cats (ASPCA): saponins cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. NC State also lists it as a problem for horses.