How to Choose a Snake Plant Correctly

When you decide to shop the snake plant for your houseplant, you may think how to choose the best one which will grow well at your home. However, choosing a well-growing snake plant is the first thing that you should do. If you get the bad one, don’t hope to see your snake plant growing well.

Of course, there’s a bunch of special characteristics when sorting snake plants at the florist, predictably able to grow very well. However, choosing very carefully when you will shop the snake plants can prevent you from choosing the wrong plant.

If you’re looking for the way to do what you should do in choosing a snake plant to bring to your home, you’re totally on the right page now. This post will surely show you how to choose a snake plant at a florist correctly. Let’s see our little survey below!

Here’s a Guide to Choose a Good Snake Plant!

When you’re at the florist to shop for snake plants, you may be confused how to choose the best one. However, most florists probably will argue that all snake plants will grow well. Unfortunately, not all florists will explain in detail related to the snake plants you choose as they may want the plants they sell to sell even though there are some minuses.

For that, you should know a few characteristics which show the snake plants are really reliable to plant in your home. Of course, it’s easy to spot the traits of a snake plant which will grow well.

• Look carefully to the leaves

One of them is by looking at the leaves of the snake plant leaves. If you see the snake plants having dark green leaves, that’s your good choice. In other words, you should choose the snake plants which have dark green leaves. That’s because the dark green indicates that the plant is in good and healthy condition.

Otherwise, if you see the snake plant which has pale leaves, please avoid choosing it as it indicates that the snake plant may already be faltering.

• Check the pot

Aside from paying attention to the leaves, you should also check to see if your snake plant has to be repotted. It’s highly recommended for you to choose a terra cotta or porous material pot as well as a potting mix which allows for good drainage.

The point is, choose a dark green snake plant leaves that you will buy at the florist as it predictably can grow well at your home.

Choosing Best Soil for Snake Plants

Just like most houseplants, the snake plant will need soil with gorgeous drainage. However, this plant will do best with a free-draining soil mix as they’re easily prone to rot. If not, your snake plant is susceptible to root rot. Well, the best soil for snake plants is not a soil at all, meanwhile a soilless potting mix.

In fact, a soilless potting mixture is the best to make sure adequate drainage. Ensure to use a terracotta pot which will not trap water inside and also promptly remove any standing water from the saucer.

Soilless potting mix includes some ingredients such as sand or bark, perlite, vermiculite and peat moss. Some may have coconut coir instead of peat moss. It’s not always a bad thing as peat moss is the only ingredient in most potting mixes which expires.

Ensure you do not use any soilless potting mix past the two-year mark due to it will not be very good for your snake plant. Then, if you do not have any soilless potting mix, it does not matter, instead you can try to make African violet soil mixture. However, this does not require a ton of ingredients, only builder’s sand or perlite (two parts), garden soil (one part) and peat moss (one part).

You may wonder whether African violet soil mixture contains peat moss and perlite or not. The answer is totally not. About the potting mix, perlite is a type of volcanic glass which is sourced from obsidian. However, it will keep your snake plants’ soil from getting compacted. Well, it’s a good thing because the water will be trapped in compacted soil.

In this case, peat moss has the amazing capacity to hold a very large amount of water compared to its dry weight, meaning your snake plants will not get oversaturated with the stuff. Even though you’re able to go soilnesss then, the African violet soil mixture will really work just as well for your snake plants.

Tips for Watering, Lighting and Fertilizing

Your snake plants will do best when you almost forget about them. However, you should allow soil to dry between waterings and carefully not over water in winter. In this way, you also have to avoid getting the leaves wet when you’re watering them.

It’s highly recommended for you to place your snake plants in indirect light, though they’re tolerant of a variety of light conditions. In fact, the snake plant can withstand full sun and handle indirect and also low light.

The best place to put them is in bright and indirect sunlight where they will grow better in shady corners with low-light areas of the home. You can also keep your snake plant in a warm spot with temperature above 50 °F (10 °C). The great way  to protect your snake plant is by placing them in drafty windows during winter.

About fertilizing tips, you will be allowed to fertilize during the growing season with an all-purposes plant food. Ensure not to fertilize them too much. That’s because some planters will fertilize just once per year and keep on doing it in the next year.

During dormant periods, you shouldn’t fertilize your snake plant. Alternatively, you can give them a weak dose of a reasonable 10:10: 10 or 20:20:20 fertilization. Don’t fertilize them for a month after the excess fertilizer is flushed out.

Okay, that’s a few things that you should know about snake plants including how to choose the best snake plants, choosing the good soil and tips for watering, fertilizing and also lighting.