How Often to Water Snake Plant

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How Often to Water Snake Plant

If you’re new to growing snake plants, you’re probably wondering how often you should be watering them. These draught-tolerant plants are extremely easy to care for, and your watering schedule for them should be similar to most other desert-based houseplants, like aloe. Here’s how often to water a snake plant:

You should water your snake plant whenever the soil is completely dry. If you’re not sure, stick a finger 1-2 inches into the soil and see if it’s damp (or use a moisture meter). Check once a week. In general, in dry conditions you’ll have to water them approximately every 14 days, but in more humid times it may be up to a month.

Factors Affecting Watering

Your snake plant’s watering needs are affected by the size of the plant, light it receives, room conditions, and the pot it’s planted in.

Room conditions are one of the most important factors – a cool, dark room won’t cause your snake plant to dry out as quickly as a warm, sunny one.

Second is the plant’s growing conditions. A large plant will need more water more often, and that goes double if it’s currently in a pot that’s too small.

Seasons can also affect your plant’s water needs. While we’d normally think that the dry conditions of winter would cause snake plants to need substantially more water than humid summertime, it also depends on the plant’s growth stages. Your plant will need the most water in spring, when it spends most of its time growing. By winter, it stops growing, and therefore needs much less water. Just the same, you’ll need to water whenever the soil dries out, so continue checking regularly.

As a general rule, it’s better to underwater than overwater, but either extreme can cause problems for your snake plant. Checking the soil each week helps you keep up with your snake plant’s evolving water needs and gives you a chance to observe the plant and notice if anything seems wrong.

How to Water Snake Plant

Watering snake plants is pretty easy – using water that’s free of chemicals (think rainwater, filtered water, or tap water that sat out for a while), thoroughly wet the snake plant’s soil. Continue watering until excess water comes out the drainage holes on the bottom of your pot. Dump that excess water if it was collected.

Avoid getting water on its leaves and stems if possible. Keep potting soil mounded around the plant’s base so that it doesn’t pool around the stem and sit for any length of time.

Overwatered Snake Plant: Signs and Fixes

Overwatering a snake plant can cause root rot, leading to yellowing leaves and eventually death. Look for the signs, which include drooping yellow leaves, mushy stems, and soggy, smelly soil. The soil is the best way to tell, since an underwatered plant can look similar, but with extremely dry, compact soil that has pulled back from the sides of your pot.

The Fix

If your snake plant is overwatered, first move the plant to a sunny location to speed up the drying process. Let the soil dry, then remove the plant, roots and all, from its pot, and shake off excess dirt.

Next, inspect the roots for root rot. Healthy roots should be pale and strong, while rotted ones will look brown and slimy with a strong odor. Trim off all rotten roots, along with any sections of leaves that are rotting.

Replant in a new, clean porous pot with a fresh batch of well-draining potting soil. Let the potting soil dry out completely before you water the plant for the first time. Afterward, water only when dry, as discussed in the first section.

Happy Growing!

With these tips, you should fully understand how often to water snake plants, how to water them safely, and how to spot an overwatered snake plant and fix it. Enjoy your plant!

For more indoor plant tips, check out how to transplant aloe vera.