• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • Timothy Norton
  • Nancy Reading
  • r ranson
  • Jay Angler
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Tereza Okava
  • AndrĂ©s Bernal
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • M Ljin
  • Matt McSpadden

why do my snake plants sprawl?

 
Posts: 9601
Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain
2838
4
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I see ones that fill a pot and all grow upwards....why are most of my leaves horizontal?
Everyone says these are easy but I suspect they feed them or do some magic thing that I don't know.

My house plant potting soil is whatever I have...this looks like it was the top soil I had on hand and some course sand along with probably a handful of rock dust.....

The one in the big pot is several years old from rooted cuttings I was given and the smaller one a division just potted last year.

I've killed TWO snake plants from over watering...roots rotted so I'm being more careful with that.  These are not wilted though as I am watering often enough.

IMG_20250829_143836_309-2.jpg
snake plant
snake plant
 
pollinator
Posts: 721
Location: SE Indiana
414
dog fish trees writing
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Still overwatering, that's my guess. I let those suckers dry up, only water a couple times over winter when they are inside. Rarely if ever when outside over summer. I have to divide and repot them every couple of years. In late spring outside they grow bloom stalks with tiny flowers. Maybe lack of light too, they look kind of shoved in a dark corner. Cool painting.
 
pollinator
Posts: 239
Location: Salado, Texas
50
hugelkultur forest garden fungi foraging medical herbs ungarbage
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
i was gonna say to try them on more sunlight ...not too sudden of a change, just gradually move them to brighter and brighter spots.   Mine are in pretty fertile soil, they don't seem to might that.    Maybe try cleaning out a gutter that's full of leaves (good compost in those kind of places), and use that to pot up one of your next pups.
 
Judith Browning
Posts: 9601
Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain
2838
4
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Mark,
Those are the only ones I did not put out for the summer so ,yes, they are not getting any direct light.   I need to hide them from my watering can then!
I don't have any shade in the yard for house plants so have them on the porch getting filtered light through a screen....will put these out also.

What is your potting soil like?

(since you mentioned the painting I've attached an image of the whole thing...old, and I don't know the artist)
IMG_20250829_154133_037-2.jpg
[Thumbnail for IMG_20250829_154133_037-2.jpg]
 
Judith Browning
Posts: 9601
Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain
2838
4
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

James Bradford wrote:i was gonna say to try them on more sunlight ...not too sudden of a change, just gradually move them to brighter and brighter spots.   Mine are in pretty fertile soil, they don't seem to might that.    Maybe try cleaning out a gutter that's full of leaves (good compost in those kind of places), and use that to pot up one of your next pups.


good advice...one year I put all of my house plants out in what I thought was a shady spot and several leaves got sun burned.

I need to work on my potting soil mix...we even have a gutter to clean.  This soil in my pots is pretty dense and hard when dry.
 
Mark Reed
pollinator
Posts: 721
Location: SE Indiana
414
dog fish trees writing
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
My potting soil is just a mix up stuff I find around the place. Maybe a bit of compost, a little plain garden dirt, some partially composted leaves or grass clippings. It gets pretty brick solid when dry too but the snake plants don't seem to mind. I take them out in spring on the porch and when the trees leaf out pretty good, I set them on the ground under so that they get direct morning sun but not much else through the day.  In winter they go to an unheated room upstairs with east windows and are watered very little.
 
gardener
Posts: 2014
Location: Zone 6b
1241
forest garden fungi books chicken fiber arts ungarbage
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I agree that adding organic matter will help. Also, do you use soft water on them? If so, use hard water to supplement some calcium. It will make cell wall stronger and promote root growth.
 
Something about .... going for a swim. With this tiny ad ...
physical copy of the SKIP book
https://permies.com/wiki/160690/physical-copy-SKIP-book
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic