Snake plants are good household plants that purify the toxic air quality and improve the atmosphere indoors and in outdoor gardens. These are very low-maintenance plants that can be propagated with the least requirements.
One thing you'll be surprised that snake plant leaves cuttings can develop their roots even in water and soil both. It means you can develop several snake plants from a long single leave of snake plants.
Here, I'm going to share both methods of developing roots in snake plant cuttings in both soil and water from scratch.
Rooting snake plants in soil and water
Although, snake plants need the least materials to grow the right method of sowing portion of cuttings, time of sowing, and conditions of sowing matter mostly.
Let's see some other basics of snake plants and then I'll share the guide and tips for rooting snake plants from cuttings.
Snake plants growing conditions
- Potting soil
For snake plant rooting and propagation, you need potting soil which has most of the sand, and then garden soil and compost. These plants like well-drained but need sand in an excessive ratio to soil and compost.
- Climate conditions
Moderate climate conditions are good for snake plants where temperatures remain below 80F and higher than 50F.
Humidity should be higher for snake plants throughout their growth.
- Sunlight and shade
Snake plants don't grow well in direct or intense sunlight. It needs partial indirect sunlight to grow and trees shade most of the time. Dark is not too good for sake plants but partial shade and bright indirect sunlight are good.
When to propagate snake plants?
- The large size of the plant
When snake plants become tall and large in the same container, they need further transplantation and propagation to make a balance. These plants can grow much taller but you should transplant them at the height of 4 to 5 feet.
Trimming the taller height of snake plants is not bad to maintain the overall growth.
- Small sized containers
Small-sized containers can be disbalance and fall in wind and storm easily. They are not even good for plant growth because of root restrictions. So when you see snake plants are not improving their growth, it can be a reason for further transplantation or propagation of snake plants.
- For more plants
Sometimes interested gardeners ask for snake plant sharing but because of the lack of number of snake pots, you can't share with them. But don't worry, even if you give them a long single leave of snake plant, they can start rooting them to propagate further. In a single pot with a couple of leaves, you can have multiple other snake plants.
Method of propagating snake plants
Snake plants can be propagated with two main methods in containers which are completely different fundamentally as follows-
- Leave cutting and root development
Leave cutting method is a very unusual and slow method of propagation and rooting snake plants. In this method, we cut a long leave and then further divide it into multiple sections. Each lower section of these cuttings develops roots in the water and soil and then you can further transplant them in bigger containers of soil.
Although this is a slow process and gardeners need patience for this but it is authentic to increase the number of snake plants with the least effort. While rooting the snake plant cuttings, the mortality rate is higher than usual so it is better to use many cuttings to get some proper root development.
- Direct roots division
When an established snake plant become too bushy with excessive leaves and pots remain too small for it, we divide its every single leave to propagate a new plant. Simply, each leaf develops its roots so it becomes easy to propagate them further. Either you can grow them in a small bunch of 4 to 5 leaves with roots or can transplant them one by one in new pots.
This is a quick and easy method to increase the number of snake plants in a short time with proper development.
Requirements for making snake plants root
Tools required
- Small leave cutters
- Planter tool
Materials required
- Glass jar
- Small pots
- Garden soil
- Sand
- Compost
Container for further propagation
For root development, you just need glass jars for small cuttings of snake plants. Although you can do it in transparent drinking utensils the right side of the cutting should be dipped in the water.
For further propagation, you need bigger containers that have a depth of at least 12 to 15 inches. It will be good if you have a cement pot while growing them on a rooftop.
Guide for rooting snake plants
Rooting in water
Step 1- Measure and cut a single leave in multiple sections
Cut a single snake plant leave first from the bottom. Use a sharp scissor or Knife to make multiple sections from it about 5 inches each. Mark the bottom cut of each cutting in the same pattern you cut them otherwise roots will not develop.
Step 2- Take fresh water for rooting snake plants
Fill the fresh water in glass or transparent containers up to 75%. Don't use any alkaline or acidic liquids in it and use it as fresh as possible.
Step 3- Dip cuttings in a cutting manner partially
Finally, dip 30% of the snake plant leaves cuttings in the water-filled containers with a stand to keep them straight and tall. You can use a toothpick to hold them straight upwards by just pinching and providing them stand with the container.
Step 4- Change water every week
Change the fresh water every week in the glass water by just removing the plants gently. They'll not die just for a couple of minutes. So don't worry but change the water as fast as possible every week for at least a month.
Step 5- Keep in partial light
Keep this container of water and cut in partial light and partial shade throughout the root development. If it is possible then provide some air moisture to the cuttings for more habitable conditions.
Step 6- Transplant after a month
After a month or more couple of days, your cuttings will have enough developed roots so that you can transplant them into bigger containers. You have the choice to either keep growing them in water or grow them in a soil container.
Rooting in soil
Step 1- Take several cuttings of snake and leave
Cut the leaves in the same manner as I suggested above while rooting in water.
Step 2- Take a sand excessive potting soil
Prepare a 3:2:1 of river sand, garden soil, and compost mixture for developing roots in cuttings of snake plant leaves. Mix it properly and take a wider container for rooting multiple cuttings.
Step 3- Sow the cuttings 30% in the soil
Sow the same section of the cutting in the potting soil up to 30% from the same root developing area as I suggested above otherwise, roots will not develop in time.
Make sure these cuttings will be fixed properly and don't move with shake or wind otherwise, they'll not develop roots properly.
Step 4- Keep in partial light and check the moisture
Keep the moisture check in the potting soil and keep it in partial indirect light throughout the root development time. Some of these cuttings may not develop roots with as 30 to 50% mortality rate but you'll enough rooting in the cuttings for your pots.
Step 5- Transplant after a month
Finally, after a month or a week more, your cuttings will develop enough roots in all the cuttings of snake leaves so that you can transplant them in the same potting soil mixture in the bigger containers. Just be gentle while transplanting rooting snake plant cuttings in a new container.