Hi all! Thanks to your comments, I’ve learned I overwatered my snake plant! I’m truly a newb when it comes to house plants, so I’m hoping for some more guidance. It seems like I should cut the dead leaves. How exactly do I go about this? And please speak to me like I’m a kindergartener lol. I’ve never repotted anything before so I’d love to avoid it unless completely necessary.
Ya I did that with mine too. I’d just repot it. Nothing to loose. Cut off the brown leaves. It might look bad but new will come. I use a soil that has drainage like perlite and some bark. But then I’d water it less often. Lesson learn.
0 Me gusta
Ah yeah, when I got my snake plant I wasn’t used to succulents and it took me a while to get my head around the fact it really did only want water every few weeks. I think of it like as creating the conditions it would encounter in a desert - letting dry out but then when it’s time for water, I really soak it like the rainstorms they get in desert locations and then let it dry again. There’s no secret skill of repotting, just a bit of practice, and you won’t hurt it. I second the advice above, chop off the damaged leaves and pop it in some new soil with added drainage. For mine I think I mixed in some of the soil I use for my monsteras so it has a little bark, perlite and charcoal. You can buy blends suited to your snake plant to take the guesswork out of it.
1 me gusta
I also overwatered and had to chop a leaf off my snake plant! to chop the leaves: take a pair of clean scissors (some people spray hydrogen peroxide to “sterilize” the scissors. I didn’t do this, personally. just washed them in the dishwasher) and chop 1-3 of inches below any brown/diseased sections in a pointed triangle shape. do not cut the leaf straight across — notice how the top of the leaves have a pointed tip? try to recreate that shape in your cut! you may be left with little green triangular nubs. that’s ok! they may grow back. to repot: prepare an appropriate potting mix by either purchasing a bag of succulent potting mix or preparing your own mixture of 2:2:1 all-purpose potting soil:sand:perlite (this is the mix I use, anyway). the key is for it to drain well bc snake plants like their substrate to be dry, so we want it to be easy for water to escape! choose an appropriate pot for the snake plant. they like to be pretty snug in their pots, so don’t size up. keep the same pot size or potentially introduce a slightly smaller pot. make sure it has drainage holes! once you’re ready to transfer, gently tap the sides of the pot to loosen up the dirt. then tip the pot over with one hand and support the base of the leaf and roots in the other. gently, but firmly, hold onto the plant while you load a few inches (depending on the pot size) of well-draining soil mix into the new pot. the soil can fill about 1/16th - 1/8th the pot before putting the plant back in. then, put the snake plant and roots in the new pot. pack in the sides and over the top of the roots with the well-draining soil mix. pack it with enough soil that the plant isn’t “wobbly.” after repotting: I bottom water the plant for an hour or two, until the soil is thoroughly soaked (lmk if you want more info on bottom watering). some people advise not to water right after repotting. my plants seem to appreciate it.
0 Me gusta re-read your post, you clarified you’d like to avoid repotting. as long as the pot it’s in has drainage holes and the medium is well-draining, you probably don’t need to repot the plant — just need to chop the leaves!
0 Me gusta Thank you so much for taking the time to type out this response! I really appreciate it!
1 me gusta I have a friend who coached me thru the very beginning of my plant journey and she spent a lot of time helping me. I’m just trying to pass on her knowledge! 🤍
0 Me gusta