Snake plants are a popular plant due to their ability to combat allergies. However, many snake plant owners have noticed mushy leaves. So what’s the deal with snake plant mushy leaves?
If your snake plant has mushy leaves, that means you are overwatering it. Since snake plants don’t need much water, the cause of mushy leaves is overwatering and soaking the soil. To prevent this, maintain a steady watering schedule and check the soil to see how dry it is.
In addition to overwatering, another common cause of snake plant mushy leaves is root rot, which can be caused by soil that doesn’t drain properly; to fix this, repot the plant in fresh, well-draining soil and remove any mushy roots.
The rest of this article will cover snake plant mushy leaves and how to take care of snake plants.
Snake Plant Mushy Leaves
Snake plants are fascinating because of their shape and effects. For starters, they’re beautiful plants with sword-shaped leaves. The straight leaves grow upright, which gives them that sword look. Along with that, they have an awesome name.
Their name comes from their appearance. Yes, they have a sword-like formation, but the leaves themselves have the color and scaly look that snakes do. Along with that, it has the nickname of “viper’s bowstring hemp”.
The reason why it’s called that is because snake plants can be used for bows. Their fiber is great for making bowstrings, earning them that nickname. However, they have more function than just “looking cool”. They’re also healthy.
These plants help with allergies and can alleviate the effects of them. That may seem far-fetched, but it’s true! Snake plants add moisture to the room you’re in. They release oxygen and create a more moist airspace.
That means that they combat poor air quality and reduce your chances of having an allergic reaction. There’s yet another reason to get a snake plant, but keep in mind that their mushy leaves could kill them. You should never overwater a snake plant.
To combat mushy leaves, make sure you’re taking care of them properly by keeping a consistent watering schedule, exposing them to sunlight, never misting them, and keeping them in the proper temperature.
1. Watering Schedule
As mentioned previously, snake plants don’t need much water. So much so that in the winter, as long as the soil stays moist, you can water them once a month. This is because they can hold more water in their soil and thick leaves.
In general, you should water them once every two weeks. You want to wait until the soil is completely dried out, then you can water them again. What this means is the two weeks isn’t a sure schedule. You should feel the soil and determine your schedule based on that.
That’s why you don’t have to keep the same strict water schedule during the winter. The water stays trapped in the soil for longer during the colder months, therefore you don’t have to water them as long as the soil is moist. The soil is the key to your schedule.
Identifying Signs of Overwatering
Overwatering is the primary cause of mushy leaves in snake plants. To properly address this issue, it’s essential to recognize the signs of overwatering. Apart from mushy leaves, overwatered snake plants may exhibit other symptoms such as yellowing leaves, root rot, or a foul odor from the soil.
These signs indicate that the roots are being suffocated due to excess moisture. By identifying these indicators, plant owners can take prompt action to adjust their watering habits and prevent further damage.
2. Sunlight
Like water, sunlight is a necessity for plants to survive. As the watering section suggests, snake plants prefer cooler temps and don’t need to be in direct sunlight. They can tolerate sunlight, but the best course of action is to put it in a spot where it’ll get indirect sunlight instead.
Where you put them also depends on how fast you want them to grow. The more light you expose them to, the faster they’ll grow. That means if you put them in a shady corner, they won’t grow as fast, but they’ll be fine.
Even if the spot is low-light, the snake plant will be alright. Shady, low-light, dark – the snake plant will survive, but you’ll have to adjust your watering schedule according to how you organize your pot.
3. Misting
Another way of providing water and humidity to plants is misting. Misting is the practice of spraying water onto plants by using a spray bottle. This spray bottle impacts the humidity on the plant and increases it. That’s why misting is such an effective practice used by gardeners.
However, misting isn’t something you should do for snake plants. They don’t require it thanks to how they’re structured. The thick leaves store water for when they need it, and the humidity isn’t a huge deal to them either. Therefore, you shouldn’t mist them.
4. Importance of Well-Draining Soil
In addition to overwatering, the choice of soil and its drainage capacity play a significant role in maintaining healthy snake plants. Soil that doesn’t drain properly can lead to water accumulation around the roots, causing them to rot and resulting in mushy leaves.
It is crucial to use a well-draining potting mix specifically formulated for succulent plants or create a suitable mixture by adding perlite or sand to improve drainage. This ensures that excess water can flow freely through the soil, preventing waterlogging and subsequent root rot.
5. Temperature
To keep your plant alive, you need to keep it in the proper temperature. Snake plants cannot tolerate extreme heat or extreme cold. You should keep the plant away from air drafts and vents, but keep it in a space that is about room temperature.
The average temp range you should keep a snake plant in is 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything below 50 degrees will harm it, and anything above 85 will too. That’s why you should keep it in that average range. It’s a little cooler, but not by much.
Effects of Temperature Extremes
While snake plants are relatively hardy, they are sensitive to extreme temperature conditions. Exposure to temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above 85 degrees Fahrenheit can be detrimental to the plant’s health, leading to leaf damage and mushiness.
It is vital to keep the snake plant in an environment with a stable temperature range of 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid placing the plant near drafts, open windows, or heating vents that can subject it to sudden temperature fluctuations. Maintaining a consistent temperature helps to prevent stress on the plant and keeps the leaves firm and healthy.
Summary
Snake plants are low-maintenance plants that can get mushy leaves from being overwatered. To prevent mushy snake plant leaves, you should reorganize your watering schedule to every two weeks at least. At the most, you can wait a full month.
Along with watering, there are a couple other factors you have to maintain. For starters, you should expose a snake plant to indirect sunlight. It can handle direct, but indirect is better. Snake plants can survive in low-light areas as well, such as corners.
There’s also misting and temperature. You should not mist your snake plant since they have thick leaves that store water. The temperature should be room temperature; not too cold and not too hot.
Previous posts:
Frequently Asked Questions
When taking care of a plant, there are many questions you may have about it. Here are 3 common questions and their answers.
Are Snake Plants Hard To Maintain?
When it comes to care, snake plants are amazing since they aren’t very high-maintenance. As you saw throughout the article, snake plants don’t require much attention. In fact, snake plants can thrive off of low care.
Now, that doesn’t mean you should be actively neglecting it. Mark it in your calendar that once every two weeks or so, you water the plant and check its surroundings. Check the soil and how much sunlight it’s getting.
Other than those requirements, a snake plant doesn’t need anything else. That means that they’re not difficult plants.
How Long Snake Plants Live?
Plants can live a long time, and snake plants are no different. These plants have an average lifespan of 5 to 10 years. However, if you take care of them well, you can have snake plants living up to 25 years, or even longer than that!
To reach this age, you should pay attention to the health of your plant. You can do this by checking the soil at your convenience to feel for any abnormalities. Don’t miss any waterings and your snake plant will live a long, healthy life.
How Fast Snake Plants Grow?
How fast a snake plant grows depends on you and your care. If you expose your snake plant to lots of light, it’ll grow faster. However, on the contrary, the lower the light exposure, the slower it’ll grow.
It’ll experience better growth if you place it outside during the summer. Otherwise, snake plants are slow when it comes to growing, and you shouldn’t expect it to grow fast no matter what.
Hey, I’m Lisa and I’ve been an avid gardener for over 30 years. I love writing, talking and living in the garden! Feel free to connect with me on my socials below