If you read the instructions on a supermarket snake plant, it often gives vague, brief and universal advice on how often to water snake plants, such as…”very 2 or 3 weeks.”
Whereas in my experience this universal on size its all advice to watering often causes some of the more common snake plant problems (such as drooping or yellowing leaves).
Water depends on a multitude of factors rather than just a generic timeline.
That is why I do not advise people to water snake plants on a schedule but rather according to their needs.
I must state that snake plants are far more tolerant of dry conditions than they are of damp soil. In their native environment, succulents such as snake plants have adapted to drought conditions by drawing up water and storing it in their larger leaves.
This means taht if you forget to water your snake plants or go on holiday and do not water them, they are very forgiving and actually prefer this to an overly attentive plant parent.
The goal with watering should always be to get the soil mix evenly moist, and you should always wait until the soil is dry before watering again…This is the golden rule.
This is the watering method that I now personally use, including the little tests I rely on to decide when my snake plant actually needs watering.
Why I No Longer Water Snake Plants on a set Schedule
Years ago, when I first started growing houseplants, I developed what I thought was an efficient routine of just watering everything once a week on a Sunday.
That worked for some plants, such as pothos or monstera, but it didn’t work for my succulents, such as my snake plants…
My watering was the cause of several early succulents’ demise because I stuck to a generic timeline for watering. In reality, watering succulents pertains to how quickly the soil dries, and not what day it is.
How often you need to water your snake plant can depend on…
- The material of the pot
- The temperature of the room
- The season
- The level of light
- The general humidity
- The structure of the soil.
A good example of this is a snake plant that is in a clay or terracotta pot, which dries much faster than one in a plastic pot, which is impermeable.
A snake plant in brighter, more intense sunlight at a lower latitude uses more water and grows quicker than one in a poorly lit corner in an office. And of course the biggest factor of all is soil…A gritty, succulent bark-based potting soil mix dries at a different rate from the classic dense peat-heavy compost that you often get in store-bought supermarket snake plants.
Why How Often You Water Depends on The Soil
This is one of the most critical factors in caring for snake plants, and particularly for how often they are watered.
A lot of watering problems are only masquerading as watering problems, but the real culprit is the soil’s ability to retain moisture.
If the compost is dense, peaty and somewhat compacted from its original potting, then it can stay damp for weeks even when the surface has dried out, and this is how root rot starts.
I have (through some trial and error) developed my own potting mix that has practically mitigated the threat of root rot and overwatering.
- I use just 1 part potting soil from the garden centre (any houseplant soil works, this isn’t the crucial ingredient per se)
- I use around 1 part coarse grit, perlite or even sand…grit is better if you are prone to overwatering
- And I use 1 part pine bark chippings, the sort you’d get in an orchid potting mix.
Why the pine bark? I’ve found that bark is particularly good because of its large particle size; it keeps the soil mix open and aerated.
This replicates the soil structure that snake plants grow in in their native environment.
With this soil mix, you really can be heavy-handed with watering, and your snake plant is going to forgive you as any excess water drains from the roots effectively.
My Methods for Telling Whether the Snake Plant Needs Watering or Not
So first things first…do not rely on how dry the surface of the soil looks or feels.
Snake plants naturally have deep roots and rhizomes, and the top of the soil can look dried out while the lower half of the pot is still damp.
I have three tests that work (number 2 is my favourite).
1. The Chopstick Soil Moisture Test
This is the best beginner method.
I push a normal wooden chopstick or BBQ skewer through the soil right down to the bottom of the pot, and leave it for a minute, then pull it out and assess.
- If it comes out dark or damp, like in the photo (the soil was damp), then this is your cue to wait before watering.
- If it comes out dry to the touch, then your snake plant needs watering.
2. The Weight of the pot Test
So this is the most effective and quickest test for me. I give my snake plant a really generous watering and pick it up to assess the weight. After watering, it should feel nice and heavy as the rootball should be evenly moist.
Pick up your pot throughout the week, and it should feel lighter and lighter. When it’s really light, you know the soil has dried, and that’s when it needs watering.
3. You can check the Leaves
This is more for experienced succulent fans, but you can feel your leaf to check whether it needs watering.
- If your snake plant leaf feels firm and fullsome, then the plant has lots of moisture reserves, and it doesn’t need watering.
- If it has a slight creased appearance or begins to curl inward, the plant is starting to use up its water reserves, as it would in the wild during drought.
If the leaves are very wrinkled and curled inwards, you may have waited a little too long for the ideal amount of time but that is still usually safer than watering too soon, as this is the number one risk for root rot.
How to Best Water Snake Plants
When you do water, give it some whelly. Don’t be half-hearted!
If you water little and often, the moisture does not infiltrate the soil enough to reach the deeper roots, and the snake plant can curl or droop due to dehydration.
Instead, I water it thoroughly so that excess water runs out of the drainage holes in the base of the pot, before allowing it to drain of excess water properly.
Snake plants love this soak and dry cycle, as this is what they have adapted to in their native environment.
Signs of Overwatering…
Overwatering is, by some margin, the most common snake plant problem I come across, as snake plants are native to dry regions and people treat them like a peace lily or pothos plant.
Signs to look for:
- A yellowing at the base of the leaf
- a mushy texture or even a yellowy, almost translucent appearance
- a bad smell from the soil as if something has gone off in the fridge
- leaves flopping and drooping one way over suddenly
I once un-potted a snake plant when I noticed the yellowing at the base, and around half the roots were already black and rotting away. I pruned away any damaged roots, let the plant dry out for two days, and repotted it into the soil mix I referenced earlier, and it did recover, but it took some weeks.
Signs the snake plant is underwatered
Typically, it is much more difficult to underwater a snake plant than overwater it, but it does happen for good reason.
So with the supermarket snake plants, they are often potted into peat compost, which can dry out and become hydrophobic, which means it repels water off the surface and down the side of the pot without infiltrating the soil and reaching the snake plants’ roots and rhizomes.
Signs of an underwatered snake plant:
- The surface of the leaves is wrinkled.
- The leaves curl inwards as their moisture reserves deplete
- Sometimes there are even brown, brittle tips
- The soil has pulled away from the edges of the pot as it’s dried out.
- They can also begin to flop over.
- The pot is surprisingly light even after watering.
How to Save an Underwatered Snake Plant
When the soil has dried out completely, I place my snake plant in a basin of lukewarm water and leave it there for 30 minutes to allow the soil to draw up the moisture through the drainage holes in the base of the pot. After doing this, the pot should feel much heavier. The weight should feel like after watering, as the soil is evenly moist.
Take it out of the basin and let the excess drain away before putting it back on a saucer or tray in your house.
After you have done this, the snake plant should rehydrate and recover. I would recommend letting it recover before repotting it in a soil mix that is more porous, so that it allows the water to infiltrate even when the soil has dried out.
Does the Water Quality Really Matter?
In my experience, snake plants are less sensitive to water quality than, say, peace lilies, which let you know it with brown leaf tips, but hard water can still cause problems over time.
If your water is very hard, you may notice the following…
- A whitish visible crust on the soil
- Some occasional brown spotting on leaves and tips
I usually let tap water sit overnight to allow the chlorine and fluoride to dissipate before using it. That is often enough, but you can use rainwater, which is usually best
Your Quick Snake Plant Watering Reference Table
| Symptom | Leaf Feel | Soil Condition | Likely Issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firm, upright leaves | stiff and full | dry or slightly damp | leave it alone |
| Yellowing at the base | soft or mushy | wet | overwatering / rot risk |
| Wrinkled or folding leaves | thinner, flexible | very dry | underwatering |
| Brown crispy tips | brittle | varies | often dryness, mineral buildup, or inconsistent watering |
My Best Advice for watering…
If you are in any doubt, wait until the soil feels dry.
A snake plant recovers easily from a week or two of dryness but not so well from overwatering.
If the soil is porous and aerated, the pot drains properly with drainage holes in the base, and you rely on tests rather than watering due to a schedule, then watering a snake plant becomes much less difficult.
Remember, it’s a succulent that has adapted to harsh dryness, and it loves a deluge followed by drought.