Snake plants, also known as mother in laws tongue or sansevieria, are popular houseplants because they’re easy to care for and can survive in low light conditions. When it comes to snake plants, how often do you need to water them?
Snake plants have thick, fleshy leaves that store water and are able to go for several days without water. The soil should be lightly moist at all times but never soggy or waterlogged. It’s best to check your snake plant’s soil daily and water it whenever the top 2 inches of soil feels dry. This may mean watering daily or every few days depending on your climate and how often you tend to your plants.
How Often To Water Snake Plants In the Summer?
In the spring and summer, water your snake plant once a week or so. In winter, cut back on the frequency of watering by about half.
Snake plants are evergreen perennials, which means they grow all year round in warm climates and go dormant during cooler climates. The amount of water you give your plant will depend on its environment. If it’s growing in hot weather, it needs more frequent watering than if it were growing in cooler temperatures.
How Often To Water Snake Plants In the Winter?
In general, you should water snake plants less often in the winter than you do during the rest of the year. This is because snake plants tend to retain more water in their leaves during cold weather. The extra water helps prevent damage from frost or freezing temperatures, but it also means that your plant will need less frequent watering now than it would during warmer months.
If your snake plant has been outdoors all summer and is coming inside for the winter, then its soil may be dry by now. If this is the case, then you should check how much water is left in the ground before giving it any more water — if there’s no more than an inch left in the pot then it’s time to give your plant some.
In the winter, once every two weeks is usually enough. Over-watering can cause root rot, which is why it’s important to remember that no matter how much you love your snake plant, you don’t have to water it every day!
How to Judge When it’s Time to Water Your Snake Plant?
Snake plants are one of the best indoor plants for beginners. They’re easy to care for, they don’t require a lot of sun and they don’t need to be watered every day.
As such, they’re a great plant to start off with if you’re a newbie gardener or just want to try your hand at houseplants. However, if you’ve ever owned a snake plant before, you might have noticed that watering them can be tricky.
How do you know when it’s time to water your snake plant? Here are some signs that your snake plant needs water:
The leaves turn yellow or brown. Snake plants shed their lower leaves as part of their natural lifecycle and it’s normal for them to lose some leaves from time to time. If your snake plant is shedding more than usual, however, then it may need more water — especially if the remaining leaves are starting to turn yellow or brown on the edges.
The soil feels dry at the base of the plant (or between the leaves). When you check on your snake plant, press down gently on its soil with your finger. If there’s no moisture coming up through the soil like there was when you first planted it then chances are that you need to water them.
How to Water Snake Plants
Water when the soil is dry 1/4 inch below the surface of your potting mix. For example, if you can squeeze a handful of soil together and it falls apart when you release it, your plant needs water. If not, wait another week before giving your snake plant another drink.
Watering frequency depends on the temperature in your home. Snake plants do best when temperatures remain between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (16-24 C). If temperatures are above or below this range, they will either need more frequent watering or less frequent watering than indicated above depending on whether they’re getting too much or too little water.
How Long Can Snake Plants Go Without Water?
If you’re wondering how long snake plants can go without being watered, the answer is that it all depends on the size of the plant and its container. In general, though, most snake plants can go for at least three weeks without water. If you have a young plant that’s just been transplanted from its original pot into a larger one, it may need to be watered more often for a few days until its roots have had time to grow into the new soil.
In addition to watering frequency and size of plants, how long snake plants go without water also depends on whether they are indoors or outdoors and how warm or cool it is outside.
During the winter months (November through February), when temperatures can drop below freezing outside and even inside your home if you live in an area with cold winters, many snake plants will need more frequent watering than usual because there is less moisture in indoor air during this time of year.
Signs of Excessive Snake Plants Watering
The most common cause of a snake plant dying is overwatering.
If you’re new to the world of indoor gardening, it can be hard to tell when your plants need water and how much. If you’re unsure, stick with using a plant mister or spray bottle to mist your snake plant once or twice a week.
If you notice any of these signs of excessive watering in your snake plant, try cutting back on watering:
- Stems are limp and sagging
- Leaves are yellowing or turning brown at their edges
- Leaves are curling up into themselves like an accordion
- The soil around the roots is always wet
Final Thoughts
Snake plants need to be watered when the soil has completely dried out. This may be once a week or every two weeks. The longer you wait between watering snake plants, the less often they will require watering.
If you’re unsure whether or not your snake plant needs water, stick your finger into the soil up to one inch deep (2 cm). If the soil is dry down this far then it’s time for another watering for your snake plant! You can also use a moisture meter (available at most garden centers) to determine if there is still adequate moisture in the soil before giving your snake plant more water.
