HOUSE PLANT WEEK - The mother- in - laws tongue

Day two of #houseplantweek and I’m checking out the snake plants!

There are roughly 70 different species of snake plant which belongs to the Asparagaceae family. They are all native to tropical and sub-tropical regions of Europe, Africa, and Asia.

The snake plant will stay green all year and will grow from 8inches to 12feet. They are hugely tolerable and appreciate a little neglect at times, with sword like stems which are smooth and waxy, usually indicating there are a species of succulent. Their pointy stems are the reason they are nicknamed the ’Mothers-in-law tongue’ and ‘The devil’s tongue’, and, the fact their stem fibres are so strong means they can be used as bowstring, given them the nickname ‘bowstring hemp’. Its biological name is Sansevieria Trifasciata.

NOTE: snake plants are not suitable around cats and dogs due to being mildly toxic if ingested (which also means humans should not eat them either).

Here are a few of the types.

Black Gold which has dark green centres with yellow/gold edges. The black gold will eventually grow 3 inches tall.

Futura Robusta, this has the shortest leaves and has green/silvery and darker green vertical stripes. This one grows at a slower rate but will reach 24 inches tall and roughly 12 inches wide.

Futura Superba, these are smaller versions of the Black Gold type. The patterns are similar, but its leaves are wider and shorter.

Cylindrica, this is the most unique type of snake plant with its cylinder-shaped stems, which are thick and have an array of green stripes. These can grow up to 2-3 feet and is considered my favourite.

Golden Hahnii, these have dark glossy leaves and is a short and stocky variety of the snake plant. They are slow growing and will only grow roughly 20-30cm tall.

Blackjack, which is remarkably like the Black Gold type but is shorter. CostaFarms.com describes the blackjack as ‘one of the best houseplants of all time’ and will grow to a gigantic 36 inches.

Black Robusta, leaves are dark green with silver sprinkles and are long, broad and thick. They often get mixed up with the black coral due to similar colours. It will grow roughly 75-100cm, but you may get leaves longer than others.

Twist, the leaves are twisted and horizontally striped and grows about 14 inches. It is a slow growing snake plant with the option of flowering. However, once it flowers it will stop producing new leaves.

White snake plant or Bantel’s sensation. Grows around 3feet tall and has narrow leaves with whiter vertical stripes. I believe this is the most distinguishable variety.

Below are a few photos I found on google in order to what I've listed them. The twist is a cool one I wouldn't mind sat on my desk.

Growing

Growing is simple, infact, it is one of the easiest plants I have researched. It is super flexible with light and humidity which makes it a great addition to any office or corner of your home. The only way you could kill this sturdy plant is by over watering it.

So, you will need

· a pot with draining hole,

· a plant,

· some good potting mix (well-draining),

· some sharp shears.

Note: it is not necessary to fertilise but if you want to; use half the recommended dilution and only do it once a month during growing season (summer/spring).

There are a few ways you could go about this.

1. Rooting in water.

You will need a large container that will hold the leaf up right. Get some tissue and get it damp, not wet, damp. Remember the only thing that kills this plant is water. Pop the leaf in there and change the tissue every couple of days, place it in indirect sunlight. Once it starts to form roots, plant, and carry-on care as you would normally. I would avoid watering straight away, just like most succulents they enjoy a little neglect.

2. Rooting with cuttings.

This works the same way as above, but instead of putting it in some water, leave it in indirect light and allow a callous to form at the bottom which will take a day or two. Once the callous has formed pop it in some soil and again keep in indirect sunlight.

You can get a couple of plants out of a leaf with this method.

3. Division.

This is where you can witness the reproduction of a snake plant.

Snake plants are rooted by Rhizomes. Rhizomes are stems that grow horizontally, (I think they look like fresh ginger), they shoot new roots out of their nodes down into the soil and then shoot new stems up to the surface.

To use the Division technique. You need pull the whole plant out, dust off the Rhizomes and using very sharp shears or a hand saw, cut through the Rhizomes dividing up the snake plant leaves, then plant.

It is all that simple.

Drooping of the stems are usually (apart from root rot from over watering) the only thing that can go wrong with your snake plant. So, why is your snake plant a droopy snake plant?

- Improper watering

Once your new companion is rooting and growing, water very sparsely and keep in indirect sunlight. Allow them to dry out before watering as their thick leaves have their own water storage system (Keeping these dry will help too), check with your finger that its soil is dry about 1/3 of the plant down before watering. When watering stick to the edges of the pot and only allow the snake plant to sit in the drained water for 5-10minutes before removing the excess. Watering once or twice a month is sufficient.

- Lighting

West and east facing window light is usually perfect all year round for this one. If the light is too harsh or visa versa this can also be a problem for limp leaves. I always try and remember to turn my plants too, just so all sides get a little sun.

- Repotting

If neither of these are the problem, then it might be time for repotting. It may be suffering with rootbound, meaning it has outgrown its home. Snake plants only need to be re-potted every 3-5 years and when you do, use a container that is only one size bigger. This will help limit the chances of root rot.

However, rootbound can push the snake plant to go a step further. When a snake plant is continuously stressed it may produce a 3foot tall stalk covered in dozens of white miniature lily lookalikes. The flower is said to have a very pleasant smell and will attract a few insects however, it appears this flower is pretty rare so, enjoy it while you can. Everything good comes out of stress, right?!... dessert for example.

So, what else is good about the snake plant that you should go out and get one right now?! Like I am going to go and do after I am done here.

Firstly, on a more spiritual level they are said to help increase productivity and decrease stress (SOLD) and secondly snake plants have these huge thick leaves that sucks toxins such as Benzene, Carbon Monoxide, Xylene, Trichloroethylene and Formaldehyde in and breathes out pure oxygen. Another cool little fact is, that when photosynthesis is stopped at night on (by the withdrawal of sunlight) most other houseplants will release carbon monoxide whereas, the snake plant will continue to produce oxygen making it an awesome bedroom or small space plant.

I would love to see your Snake plants, have you got one that I never checked out? Tag me on Instagram @loopyloushomemade :D

Drop me some comments with your tips on snake plants or any other plants in that matter, I wanna hear them all <3