Uncategorized – Page 2 – Gardening rescue

So, there is a common joke among veteran houseplant collectors: "If you want to see your Snake Plant grow, take a photo of it today and check back on it in three years." Sansevieria (now technically Dracaena) are indeed the marathon runners of the houseplant world in that they are built for endurance, rather than speed, so they aren't going to grow like a Monstera, for example. But importantly, there is a massive difference between a plant that is just growing slowly and a snake plant that has completely stalled its growth. To clarify the difference, if your Snake Plant hasn't grown out a new leaf (a pup) in say, over a year, it isn't just being slow, it’s likely in a state of self-preservation. Growing new leaves is a resource-heavy endeavour for a snake plant, so for us to get our snake plants to grow, we need to give them the right conditions, so they don't just survive. After years of rescuing stagnant plants from my friends' and family's dark office corners (I get people whatsapping me plant questions late at night still!) and experimenting with my own collection, I’ve learned that you can actually hack the growth rate of a Snake Plant to some extent. So by adjusting some home environment variables, I have been able to turn my slow-growing snake plants into much faster ones. Here is exactly how I diagnose what's stalling my snake plants and the world steps I take to force new growth. 1. The Low Light Myth: Survival vs. Success Snake plants need lots of light to grow nice and tall. From experience and research, the #1 reason a Snake Plant stops growing is not enough light. I think we’ve all seen labels on the plants at the garden centre and read the articles online that say they are Low Light plants. Whilst this is technically true in the sense that a Snake Plant won't die in a dark hallway, but it won't grow at a noticeable rate either. To understand why, you have to look at the plant biology. Snake Plants (like all succulents) use a special type of photosynthesis, which is called CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism). What this means is that they keep their pores (which are used to transpire to release water) closed during the day as a way to save water and only breathe at night. This is an effective way to survive hot and dry environments, but this is an incredibly slow way for the plant to make food. If you're putting them in low light, they barely make enough energy to keep their existing leaves alive, let alone grow new ones. My Window Race Experiment: I once took two identical Zeylanica Snake Plants from the same nursery batch from my local garden centre. Plant A: I placed it 10 feet back from a North-facing window (a classic low light scenario). Plant B: I placed it directly in an East-facing window where it got at least 3 hours of soft morning sun (some days were slightly overcast, but obviously this is a variable I can't control). The Results: After six months, my plant A looked, to be honest, exactly the same! Not a single new centimetre of growth, at most 2 millimetres if we are being generous. Plant B produced two new pups and grew nearly 4 inches in height. My Fix: If you want your Snake Plants to grow more quickly, you have to move them to a brighter spot in your home. Bright, indirect light is the engine of growth, as this is exactly what they experience in their native environment (they live in countries like Nigeria, growing in the shade/ dappled light of a canopy, which is typically much brighter than our homes, although importantly not in direct afternoon sun). If they are in direct afternoon sun, they do scorch, even in northern latitudes such as the UK. But they do enjoy some morning sun, which is much less intense. You may have to adjust this advice to your climate, as say...Southern California, any direct slight may scorch the plant, but you can get away with a lot more in Oregon, for example, where the sun is less intense. Several years ago, I used to live in an apartment with poor natural light due to the orientation of the building. So I bought a grow light, which was mainly for my succulents to supplement the light in Winter. However, I experimented with using the grow light all year round. I didn't measure the results at the time, but under the conditions of a grow light, my snake plant grew the fastest, faster than any other snake plant I have grown before or since. It was phenomenal to see the difference it made. If you want the tallest, most elegant, most Instagram/Pinterest worthy snake plant, this is definitely the way to go! Therefore, if your home doesn't have good natural light, what I highly recommend is a full-spectrum LED grow light. This is most likely to trigger the growth of new leaves and grow existing leaves to their potential. Other lighting Hacks... If you have a room that potentially has too much direct sunlight for snake plants, then use a sheer curtain in front of the window to diffuse the light, to get that bright, indirect light that our snake plants love. A bathroom is also a great place for a snake plant, as they are usually nice and bright, and the frosted glass also diffuses any direct sunlight, so the plant grows. 2. My personal Hidden Gem Fix: The Soil Temperature and Root Oxygen Okay, so this is an insight most plant blogs miss, as the advice is too generic: Snake Plants love the heat. In their native Nigerian environments, the snake plant's soil is surprisingly, actually warmer than you would think. In our homes, especially if the pot is sitting on a cold kitchen floor, in a conservatory or near a drafty windowsill in winter, the soil and therefore root temperature can drop below 60°F (15°C), particularly in little microclimates in the room. When the roots are cold, the plant’s metabolism and therefore growth rate decreases. Also, be aware (if you live in a cooler climate) that situating your snake plant too near an exterior door can be a problem, as every time you open the door, the snake plant has a cold blast of air, which they don't like. My Soil and Potting Experiment: I’ve personally experimented with lots of different potting mixes to see which triggers the fastest growth (for snake plants and succulents in general). What I found was that oxygen at the snake plant's roots is just as important as light...This is because roots actually respire when growing and drawing up nutrients and water, which is a process that requires oxygen. My Signature Growth Mix That I find works best: I use 1 part potting soil, 1 part coarse grit/perlite, and 1 part pine bark chippings. > Why the bark, you ask? Most people associate pine bark with tropical houseplants, but the chunky particle size of the bark creates air pockets in the soil for better drainage and more oxygen. I’ve found that when Snake Plant roots have better access to oxygen in the soil, they grow and establish much faster. Faster roots of the plant = faster leaf growth! Pine bark is one of the best soil amendments for all succulents. The Potting Secret: I also switched most of my collection to terracotta or clay pots. Why? The clay breathes as it is porous (unlike plastic or ceramic) and keeps the soil from staying damp for too long, which encourages the rhizomes (which are the underground thick stems) to spread out and pop up new leaves. 3. Is Your Snake Plant Slow Growing or Just Root-Bound? There is a popular gardening myth that I see online all the time that Snake Plants must be root-bound to grow faster. While in my experience it’s somewhat true they like a snug fit, there is a point where snug becomes can't breathe or respire properly. If your snake plant hasn't grown in a long time, then I recommend looking at the bottom of the pot. Are the roots coiling around the drainage hole at the base? Is the soil pushed up high in the pot? If so, the plant's roots do not have enough room to send out a new rhizome and grow more. How I Repot for More Growth: When I want to trigger growth, I move my snake plant into a pot that is only about 1 to 2 inches wider than the current one, so about one size up. Don't make the mistake I once made of potting it up in too big a pot. Your snake plant will spend as much as a year growing its roots to fill the soil before it starts growing new leaves. Essentially, it redirects the plant's energy and resources from leaf growth to root growth. By giving it just a bit more room and porosity with my gritting succulent potting mix, I usually see a new leaf appear within around 8 weeks or so in the spring and summer. 4. The Quarter-Strength Snake Plant Fertilizer Feed Strategy I've personally found that this is really important. You cannot force-feed your Snake Plant into growing any faster with heavy, strong fertilizer, and it's likely going to do harm. In fact, too much nitrogen (an important component of growth) can lead to floppy leaves that can't stand up if you give it too much at once. What worked for me: So I used to use a balanced 10-10-10 liquid fertilizer, but I diluted it to one-quarter of the recommended strength, as snake plants are not heavy feeders. I only feed them during the Active growth Window (April through mid July). I’ve learned tlittle and often is much better for snake plants. I now actually use cacti and succulent fertilizer (when I first started growing snake plants, specialised products weren't that common), which helps take the guesswork out of using fertilizer. 5. The Leaf Wiping Photosynthesis Hack The cleaner the leaf, the faster it'll grow! Because Snake Plants have large, vertical surfaces taht are slightly glossy, they are complete dust magnets! In a typical home, I have noticed a layer of dust can accumulate in as little as a month or so, which acts like a dimmer switch on your snake plant’s leaves and its ability to photosynthesise. My Routine: Every two weeks, I wipe my snake plant's leaves down with a slightly damp, warm cloth. I would caution against using any of the leaf shine products! This is because their oils can clog the stomata (the leaf's breathing pores), this is especially damaging to our slow-breathing CAM plant, like our Snake Plants. Just use ordinary, filtered water. I’ve found that a cleaner plant grows much faster than a dusty one, just because it can actually absorb 100% of the light it receives. Article Quick Summary: Your 5-Step Snake Plant Growth Jumpstart Plan If your Snake Plant is slow-growing, here is the exact routine I use to get it moving: Light adjustments: Move your plant to an area with bright, indirect light or add a grow light for some additional light in the evenings (very effective). Do a Temperature Check: Ensure that your room stays above 70°F (21°C). Move it off any cold tiled kitchen or bathroom floors! Soil check: Repot your snake plant into a mix of soil, grit, and pine bark potting mix to give the roots the oxygen they need to respire. Pot size: Make sure your snake plant is in a pot that is only slightly larger (1 or 2 inches) than its root ball. Gentle Feeding: Either give it a quarter-strength balanced fertilizer once a month during the spring and summer, or preferably use a specialised fertiliser which is available online. Quick Comparison Guide: Why Your Snake Plant Growth Has Stalled The SymptomsThe Hidden ProblemsMy Real-World FixesNo new leaves in atleast 12+ monthsNo new leaves in at least 12+ monthsMove it 3 feet closer to a window or add a grow light.Dull, dusty leavesPoor PhotosynthesisRoots circling the top of the soilNo new leaves in at least 12+ monthsSeverely Root-Bound rootsRepot 1-inch up using the Pine Bark/Grit mix.Pale and skinny new growthLower Light / "Etiolation"Increase light immediately to strengthen tissue. A Last Word on Patience Even with all these hacks, your Snake Plant is never going to grow as fast as your Pothos plant, which can throw out new vines every week in Spring, and it practically doesn't grow at all in Fall/Winter. It’s important to manage your expectations for any kind of succulent growth, as they grow more slowly as an adaptation to drought! I always tell my readers and anyone who'll listen: Watch the centre of the plant. If you see a tiny, bright green little leaf starting to emerge from the soil, then you’ve succeeded! That tiny leaf is the snake plant’s way of saying Thank you, plant parents, for all the care, light and the bark!