How Often To Water Snake plants? Proper watering of your snake plants is a crucial element that you must master if you want to keep them in good health. I know that because I learned it the hard way. Watering a snake plant properly is really not very difficult if you follow a few simple rules, which we will look at in more detail in the course of this article. Since it is such a tough plant, it is easy to assume that you are using a fit of your trouser method when watering.
How Much And How Often to Water Snake Plant?
Snake plants are very resistant to long periods of water. Water your snake plants when the soil is dry. At low temperatures, snake plants should be regularly shaded and watered.
Avoid excessive watering, especially in winter. Overwatering can cause damage to the leaves, especially if there is very little shade.
They can also start to turn yellow and rot at the base (e.g. early) or very soon after.
Determining Watering Frequency
You may be surprised to know that incorrect watering is one of the main reasons for the disease of your snake plants. Overwatering can lead to root rot of the snake plant. It is important to determine the frequency of watering of the snake plant. Due to overwatering, snake plants may suffer from the choice of irrigation frequency and the amount of water consumed in a single irrigation system.
Drying out: Lack of moisture can cause planters and soil to dry out. Without water, the plant will struggle to continue its normal growth. Read this article to know the signs of an underwater snake plant and ways to revive it.
At this point you should be able to find out why irrigation is a problem. First, you need to figure out the irrigation plan. Let us talk about how to do this.
When to Water Snake Plant
But don’t be put off. There are a number of different factors that determine when your plant needs water and when not, and we will look at each of them. In an ideal world, there would be a simple rule: water your snake plant and life would be sweet and simple. Sadly, this is far from the case. So I’ll show you some simple tests that tell you when not to water.
The easiest way to determine whether to water your snake plants is to check the potting soil. You can do this by digging your finger into the ground between your ankles. If you don’t have your finger dirty, use a pencil or some kind of stick. Once the soil has dried up about two centimetres below the top layer, it is time to water the plants. Snakeheads should not go without water for more than a month, so that they are not above water at any time.
This can cause rot in the roots and your snake plants will die as a result. So let’s look at the main factors that affect snake plants and water requirements.
Certain environmental parameters must also be taken into account. This will help you determine the right water frequency for your snake plant. This can help you determine the right water frequency for your snake plant.
Seasons
It may seem counterintuitive that a plant that lives indoors reacts differently to the weather and the seasons, but this is the case.
In spring, your plant begins to awaken from its dormant phase and grow a little. In summer it slows down, has a sudden burst of energy and needs water regularly. At this stage, he needs more water than for the rest of the year, so the gardener needs to react accordingly. As soon as the slow autumn comes and the coming winter growth is over, watering is unnecessary.
When the plants grow their sword-like foliage, they will bloom. In spring, they send out a long stalk that produces sweet-smelling cream flowers on top. The production of flowers requires energy from the plant, so you need water all the time. At the end of the flower, the stem can be cut off at the base with secateurs.
Temperature
Your snake plants should be satisfied at 55 ° C to 85 ° F (13 to 30 ° C). If the plant starts to get unhappy, you can drop the temperature to 50 degrees F (-10 degrees C). You will find that the higher the temperature, the more your plants need to irrigate. This broad range of tolerance will show how tough the plants are.
This may be due to a combination of factors. The soil dries out due to increased evaporation, e.g.
Humidity Levels
Humidity and temperature go hand in hand. When the air surrounding your snake plants becomes dry, they begin to suffer. At the same time, desert plants become susceptible to diseases such as mould when the air is too humid. This is particularly a problem if you are using central heating or air conditioning. Under normal circumstances, this will not be a problem if the plants are robust.
When you place your snake plants in groups with other plants, they tend to create their own mini microclimate. This is because the dry air can exaggerate moisture problems. The humidity must be kept at a tolerable level for each plant in the group. If your plants are well watered, they are in a better position to cope with moisture levels that do not meet what they need.
The main thing to understand when it comes to moisture is the conditions under which you water. In this article you will learn how to monitor the moisture in the soil. It’s easier than you think.
Location of Your Plant
The choice of the ideal position for indoor plants is an important consideration. You also need to think about what kind of light the systems need, as well as the tensile position of central heaters.
While snake plants tolerate a variety of light conditions, you should avoid snake plants that expose them to direct sun. Another thing to keep in mind with your snake plants is that their center of gravity is not ideal when they grow larger. Do not choose a location where there is likely to be too much through traffic that can upset the system.
This Will Put Them At Risk Of Being Sun-Scorched
Plants that receive more sunlight will have a corresponding evaporation rate. As a result, they run the risk of being scorched by the sun and make watering more difficult. They look forward to windowsills facing east or west, not south.
In a shady position, evaporation and transpiration slow down. As a gardener, you need to be aware of this and monitor the moisture content so that you know at what speed the soil is losing moisture. This situation means that the plant will not be happy. This means you may need to water more often.
Type of Potting Mix
There are many different varieties of pot mixtures on the market. Most of them are designed to increase water retention as much as possible, which is why manufacturers often install peat or coconut shells. These act like a kind of blotting paper, as they absorb and release water.
In the case of snake plants, water-retaining soil is not ideal. They want a pot mix that retains nutrients and releases moisture.
I like to use the standard cactus mixture, which is available in most decent garden centres. However, if I occasionally want to pot a snake plant, but am unable to stick to the cactus mixtures, I make my own. This is by far the easiest recipe I have ever made.
Two thirds of normal potting soil combined with one third of free drainage material such as pumice or perlite. The soil provides nutrients and other products to speed up drainage. You need to understand that this requires more moisture-retaining soil to hold more water, so you need to apply water more often. Every gardener has their own recipe, but the most important thing to take away is simple drainage. Don’t get too fixated on the exact amount, this recipe uses every available drain material.
Size of the Plant
The bigger the plant, the more water it needs. These larger leaves will leak out more, and as a result the watering must be somewhat more frequent than it would have been when the plant was small.
Type of Pot
The type of pot in which your snake plants are planted has an impact on the amount of water they need. For example, glazed pots and plastic pots do not allow water to evaporate from the sides. The use of a porous pot is not excluded. Terracotta pots are porous, so the water you supply is lost by evaporation from the walls of the pot.
Many of my favorite plants thrived in their terracotta houses, as do many of my favorite plants that thrive in their terracotta houses.
However, it means that one must be aware of the possibility of increased moisture loss and test soil and water regularly.
Size of The Pot
If you tend to water your snake plants depending on the size of the container. Pots with larger root bales have more space in the soil and the soil holds more moisture when wet. This may sound like a practical way to reduce the amount of watering you need. Nevertheless, there is a risk of overwatering. If the pot is too large, a substantial part of the potting soil is not covered by roots.
However, this is not always the case. Snake plants hate wet feet, which can lead to root rot and all sorts of other irrigation problems. Many of these problems can prove fatal if they are not addressed. They may also be kept in tight pots, so do not repotting unless absolutely necessary. In fact, the flowers mentioned above are produced when the plant is root bound.
It is the potting mix that retains the moisture, not the roots themselves. You can tell when a snake plant has become too big for its pot because the water you supply runs out of the pot instead of being absorbed all the way through. Repot or use the next pot size from the one your plant has grown out of.
Other signs to look out for are roots sticking out of the drainage hole or trying to sneak into the rim of the pot. If the pot is filled with root balls, you will see symptoms that correspond to underwatering, even if you water regularly.
Snake Plant Needs Less Water When Sick
This type of disease slows down the physiological processes of the plant and tends to consume less water. If your snake plant has brown spots and roots that rot, or if it turns yellow and soft, you can have an overwater treatment.
At this point I have tried to describe the most important aspects of determining the irrigation frequency of your snake plants and other indoor plants. Now I would like to share some information to help you determine whether your plants are suffering from water deficiency or over-watering.
The Golden Rules of Watering
When it comes to supplying your snake plants with water, there are a few rules to follow. Breaching one or two of these rules from time to time is not necessarily a disaster for them, but if you can stick to them, you will see the benefits.
Keep the Soil Evenly Moist
This can be achieved by learning to read the soil and water at the right time. You should try to avoid the situation where your plant roots soak up after they have been wet for a few days. A few days wet, a few days wet and then a few days dry.
Allow the Soil to Dry Between Waterings
However, this is not the case with the snake plant. The snake plant not only likes the soil to dry out before re-watering – it thrives on it. Plants cannot stand being dry for long. As soon as the soil becomes dry, its leaves begin to wither and become weak and limp.
Water Early Morning or Water Late Evening
The two most suitable times of day for watering are early morning and afternoon, when temperatures start to drop. This is because there is less evaporation during these times and your plants transpire less. So they have more time to absorb the water and do not compete with the heat.
Don’t Water the Leaves
Moisture can be a springboard for plant diseases, especially fungal diseases that thrive in humid conditions. If you use a small watering can and point the nozzle at the top of the floor, this is an easy-to-avoid problem.
Place your plants in a bright spot in direct sunlight for the first few days until they are dry. Then you need to take them outside on warm days and spray them with lukewarm water. You can then bring them back to their inside position. During this time you will also want to wash them so that they are clean and remove pests and others.
Ensure Water Reaches the Roots
When watering, only add a few drops at a time to the plants, i.e. very slowly and carefully.
This makes it easier for the roots to take advantage of the sudden windfall. And, more importantly, it will also enable the root to take advantage of sudden windfalls more easily and quickly.
It is advisable to use filtered water or harvested rainwater, especially if the water is lukewarm. Make sure that the water you apply is drained and does not get caught in the pot or saucer.
Avoid Water Logging
You can prevent this by ensuring that the tank at the bottom has sufficient drain holes. If the water is not drained properly, the ground will become waterlogged. Waterlogging in the soil can be dangerous, especially if the plants are exposed.
Some people let the water drain into a coaster, but this is very risky. When the saucer becomes full, it slows down the drain and excess water evaporates from it. A better method is to water the plant in a sink or basin and then replace it when it has been drained. The water remains in its position until it is drained.
Free Draining Soil
A freely drained soil is very difficult to irrigate. The only exception to this rule is if you use water-retaining potting soil. But before we get into that, this is a point worth repeating. As long as you have your plants in the right size pot and they have the necessary drainage holes, waterlogging should never be an issue.
How Do You Know If Your Plant Needs Water?
In this section, we will break down some really simple methods to make sure you only water when your snake plant needs water. While it is good to know how to create the ideal drainage conditions and where to place your plants, this is irrelevant if you do not know whether the snake plants need water.
The Touch Test
There are many different ways to know when to water. For my money, the simplest and most accurate method is the one I trust more than anyone else.
I use my fingers to see if the ground is dry. Press my fingers into the ground until the depth of the second ankle is about two centimetres and I can feel if it is wet. If the soil on the surface is dry, the moisture in the pot is lower. When I push my fingers deeper into the ground, I can get a sense of the cool temperature and see if there is moisture.
This method does not give me a profound scientific indication of how much moisture is retained or to what extent it has dried. The truth is that I don’t need that level of accuracy. I just need to know that the ground is no longer damp. If not, it’s time to water down.
For some people, the thought of putting their fingers in the ground is anathema. If you are one of these people, there is no way to get your fingers out without being dirty.
If you stick a wooden skewer in the ground, you get a more precise result. Slide the skewer into the ground to a depth of about two to three inches, and when it comes out, with the ground still attached, it is likely time to pour.
Soil Color
The problem with this method is that it only tells you what is happening at the surface of the soil, and not deeper down. Moist soils tend to be darker than dry soils, so a closer look will give you an idea of whether the soil is wet or not. This is probably the most obvious of them all.
Wilting or Drooping Leaves
If the soil is wet, then you know you have overwatered and you need to let the plant dry out more before you water again. In some situations, the plant itself can tell you if something is wrong. When the leaves begin to wilt or soften, you should feel and test them.
Brown Leaf Tips
These brown spots have dried out and mean that there is not enough moisture to transport the nutrients to the outer regions of the leaf. When the leaves turn brown at the tips and edges, you can water them.
Leaves Wrinkling
This symptom usually occurs earlier than the leaf damage mentioned above. When the leaves of your snake plant start to wrinkle, this is a sure sign that the plant has too little water.
Leaves Turn from Brown to Yellow
When a snake plant is watered, its leaves turn brown and yellow. This differs from the brown spots mentioned above on the tips and edges. The texture will be soggy and you need to react to it before root rot sets in.
Remove the plant from its pot, let it dry out for a few days, then pot it in a clean pot mixture. Wait a few more days before watering again.
The Weight of the Pot
The weight becomes lighter when the water dries out. Of course, you need some experience to know what a damp plant weighs in order to be able to compare it, but that will come with time. There is no way to tell if the soil is dry.
The Moisture Meter
Also called ground probes, these devices push into the ground and give you a reading of the moisture level. I don’t use them much for three reasons. Firstly, I am mean and do not like to waste money on something I can do quite well with just my finger. Secondly, you need to prick the probes into the ground at the same depth and time to get an accurate measurement. Finally, I have more confidence in the ability to feel moisture.
Early Signs of Overwatering
This article goes into more detail on saving the watered snake plant and explains some of the best ways to revive it and avoid irrigation errors. Overwatering is a sign similar to underwatering. The healthy white roots turn brown. A distinctive song can be heard in the plant.
How to Water Snake Plant?
It’s simple, so don’t be alarmed. It’s about knowing what water you need and how to know when to get it.
There are two methods for this. The first is to pour the water from top to bottom by pouring it directly onto the surface of the ground with a watering can.
Keep the water directed at the ground surface to minimize the water left behind. Place the pot in a sink or basin and continue pouring water into it until you see that the water starts to flow out of the hole at the bottom of the pot.
Drain off the excess water when you’re done. An alternative method is to place the pot in a basin containing water.
If left on, the soil absorbs the water through the process of osmosis. To do this, drain off the excess water. I use water directly on the pot. This method takes longer, but it is useful if you want to be sure that the plant is thoroughly soaked.
Watering Snake Plant After Repotting
If you are repotting your plant, the normal procedure is to house the plant and water it as it was before it is installed in the new pot. In the case of the snake plant, however, water is not necessary. Potting soil is moist and snake plants like dry watering, so do not water when repotting. Instead, you should repott the plant and plan for three to four days before taking any further action.
This feels like a test to decide whether watering is appropriate or not, and if so, by how long and for how long.
If you are gardening with other, more delicate indoor plants, the garden will be much quicker if you learn how to do it. Remember that plants such as succulents should be reserved for watering their fleshy roots and leaves. New potting soil retains water, and the risk of overwatering is greater than the risk of underwatering devouring the plants.
Watering a Propagated Snake Plant
Once upon a time, the normal irrigation rule was abandoned due to snakes on the backs of plants. and everything else too.
Cuttings are a reliable way to expand your collection and produce plants of the same quality as the mother plant. Plants can be easily taken from cuttings. The leaf is cut off from a section and its leaves are standing in the wound, so that the section had time to dry and calluses.
You can stand for several weeks in a glass of water until a strong root system can develop. New roots should be at least an inch deep in the pot. This can take up to a week. Cuttings can be planted in small single pots, or you can combine three or four cuttings into a larger pot.
I fill the pots with moist potting soil, which is moist but not wet. I put the pots in a place where they are not exposed to direct light so that they can take root in their new homes.
The aim is to keep the pot mixture moist. I do not let the soil dry out before watering mature plants. Once the root system of the plants is established, I return to this watering method. Consider some situations where the water requirements of your snake plants may fluctuate.
These plants can be grown in ceramic pots. They can also be stored in water such as cacti and succulents.
Final Words
So check your snake plant often, and you should never have any problems with it. Snakeheads do not need frequent watering, but you need to determine the frequency of watering. I hope this article has been helpful to you and has removed some of the confusion about water frequency.
