Plants, Pitties, and Power Foods

Snake plants – some of my favorite plants because they always seem to do well, regardless of the watering, light, soil, etc that they have. Yet, some of the plants excel, others die off. It’s so confusing. Here is why – snake plants like some abuse/neglect, yet if you neglect them too much, they die. Over loving them, they die slowly. Let me describe both situations. Snake plants like to have a deep soaking every few weeks and then be left alone. Soil is a major component as well as light and fertilizing. Too much love = over watering. Neglect = underwatering. I use a mixture of potting soil, perlite, vermiculite, and pine bark. Once you have a leaf that starts drooping, cut it in an upside down V shape and leave the cutting sit out for about 15-30 minutes to callus, then put it in filtered water. It will eventually (2-6 weeks) start growing roots if the leaf is healthy. The plant left in the pot will start pupping to try and save the entire plant. I have had a lot of success and some failure at growing new snake plants. If the leaf starts to turn to mush in water, throw it out. It’s not worth trying to figure out what went wrong. I leave my leaves in water until they pup, that way I know I’ll get a successful and thriving plant when I put it in soil. Start off with small pots and once the snake plant is root bound and has multiple leaves; it’s then ready to repot. There are a few varieties of snake plants and I only have 4 of them- the traditional snake plant, the whale fin, and forest star, and starfish sansevieria. All are different and absolutely beautiful to look at.