Snake Plant Care

Common Name: Snake Plant
Scientific Name: Sansevieria species
Lighting: Moderate to Bright Light
Watering: Low to Moderate


The Snake plant is the ultimate for those without a green thumb. This house plant is one of the hardest to kill. A Snake plant contains heavy, sword-like leaves which shoot up from the base of the dirt. They will grow in a clump like style. Smaller shoots will eventually grow as well. Another common name for this plant is Mother-In-Law's Tongue.

The Snake plant is said to prefer moderate to bright light, however my experience is you can put it anywhere and it will grow. I had mine in an upstairs room with the blinds shut for weeks and it still was beautiful and it is still growing over 4 years later.

This houseplant prefers to be watered once every 7 - 10 days thoroughly, allowing the soil to dry in between waterings. If the foliage begins to droop, you are probably over watering. On the other hand if the foliages begins to wrinkle or bend over you are not providing enough water. This houseplant prefers to be pot bound, so avoid repotting unless the current pot is too small to keep upright.

On a special note, this houseplant is toxic when eaten. It is one of the many poisonous houseplants, so please keep away from pets and children.

Like I said earlier, this plant is really hard to kill, it's one of the easiest houseplants to grow. View my easy to grow houseplants list for other hardy choices.