No matter what type of sansevieria you have, there will come a time when you will notice the pot bulging and it will look uncomfortable in the container. A snake plant that has roots coming out of the pot and out of the holes at the bottom of the pot might be suffering from a lack of growing space.You should immediately move your sansevieria plant to a larger pot if these signs appear. We present a detailed explanation of how to repot snake plants (scientific name: sansevieria) into a larger pot in this article.
We also discuss when to repot snake plants and how to repot snake plants. We also explain why you should repotted a snake plant to keep it healthy and growing.In general, most houseplants do fine in the same pot for their entire lifespan, especially sansevieria trifasciata, golden hahnii, and sansevieria laurentii, that produce long, wide, and top heavy leaves. It is for this reason alone that you will need to move your snake plant.
Check out these important issues to consider if you think your snake plants need a new container. In other words, when is the best time to repot snake plants, and how should you go about it?Alternatively, you could divide your sansevieria plant into more than one plant. Let’s look at a step-by-step process for properly transplanting a sansevieria plant.
The Best Time to Repot Snake Plants
Repottering snake plants or any type of houseplant is best done during spring, when the plant is just beginning to grow.
The same is true for all varieties of houseplants. Plants can be transplanted in late winter or early spring.
However, it is recommended that snake plants be repotted whenever necessary outside of these time frames. Plants should be transferred within a year and up to six years of age.
Your snake plant’s growth rate will determine how fast it grows. After transplanting a snake plant, repotting is the best time.
It is true that most sansevieria prefer their roots to be bound to the pot. If a snake plant’s roots are already growing outside the pot, it needs to be moved to a larger pot.
Repotting a snake plant in a new pot with fresh gardening soil or potting mix will result in a healthy and thriving plant.
Snake Plant Repotting Materials
In the event that you need to repot your plant due to any of the signs I mentioned, be prepared with the following:
Correct Pot Size
Sansevierias (especially mother-in-law’s tongue) make good container plants. There are many types of pots to choose from and use. Different materials can be used to make pots.
Plastic pots are an easy choice for many gardeners. Pot size is the most important factor to consider when choosing what to use. The size of the container will depend on how big your snake plant is and how old it is.
Obviously, you can add your house plant to any kind of pot you like!
In general, using pots larger than 2 gallons may be the best option. Snake plants tend to be tall and top heavy with foliage, so depth is also important.
Be sure the larger pot you need is at least an inch larger in diameter than your current pot.
Is the material important? As long as the pots are sized correctly, we do not mind whether it is plastic, ceramic, or even terracotta (i.e. clay pot).
Is it necessary to drill holes in the pots to drain excess moisture? Don’t forget to ensure that your grow pot has drainage holes so that you can get good and proper drainage.
Best Soil Types
Sansevieria trifasciata (mother-in-law’s tongue) or any other type of snake plant needs well-draining soil.
Whenever there is a lot of moisture in the air due to overwatering, these houseplants are prone to root rot. Keep sansevieria out of moist soil as long as possible.
Cactus and succulent potting mixes are best suited for soilless growing. Drainage is known to be great with these.
You can also combine a potting mix with perlite, sand, and compost if you only have a regular potting mix or gardening soil.
- Having a knife handy is optional, but if you see that your houseplant has grown and is ready for a transplant or division, then you need one.
- Water – Not much is needed, but softening the potting soil or gardening soil around the wrapped houseplant may help.
- Mesh tape or cloth – this can be placed at the pot’s base. We will discuss the purpose of this later.
Besides the materials I mentioned, if you don’t want to do this with your bare hands, you should also have your usual gardening equipment ready like gloves or a shovel.
A Step-By-Step Guide To Repotting A Snake Plant
Despite the fact that this might be your first time transplanting a sansevieria plant from home, don’t worry, you’ll find it very easy.The following is my guide on how you can transfer your houseplant effectively and efficiently. Here are a few simple steps you can follow.
Plants Should Be Removed from Old Pots
The first step is to remove your snake plant from its old pot. Having all of your materials ready is literally the next step you should take. There are no complicated steps.Before you remove your houseplants from their old pots, you should wet the soil first. It may be easier to remove moist soil, especially from the base of the pot.Try removing half of the potting soil first and see if the plant is ready to part with it. If not, continue to remove potting soil, making sure you remove it all the way around the pot.
As you make your way to the pot’s base, you’ll be able to see the roots and root ball.Don’t be afraid to damage the roots of your houseplant. Due to the root ball being larger than the pot, your houseplant may have outgrown its old pot.
Root damage is common in most situations – don’t be alarmed. It is especially important because the roots will be relatively large compared to the pot.Keep your sansevieria’s root ball close to the snake plant itself and ensure that it is still in a root ball.In addition, you should be careful to handle the plant itself carefully to prevent damaging its leaves.
Take a Look t the Soil
The extraction of your sansevieria plant from its old pot can be done simultaneously.When you check the snake plant’s gardening or potting soil, you can see if it’s in good condition or if it simply needs to be refreshed. Being able to drain well is a good indication that the soil is still healthy. Healthy soil can still be used for transplanting, but it doesn’t mean that poor soil is already hopeless. In general, bad soil is very dry and can crack easily.Even if the soil around the top shows that sign, you can still use it, but not much of it when you repotted it. You could use it as a filler, but it would be best if you added organic matter to allow it to drain.
Take a Look at the Roots
After you decide whether to reuse the soil your sansevieria plant was in, you should also check how its roots and rhizomes are doing.In addition, sansevieria plants are susceptible to root rot when the soil has too much moisture due to overwatering. It is best to check for any signs of this.
Sansevieria plants with root rot will have dark or black mushy spots on their roots. You can easily remove some from the roots of your sansevieria plant with your knife or scissors.Roots that are rotted can be removed by cutting them off. Root rot can only be treated this way.It is also possible to get rid of these types of roots and rhizomes if you already have a tall sansevieria plant. By removing a bit of the root ball from the larger pot, you will prevent overgrowth.However, if you want to grow your sansevieria plant continuously, you should only cut small portions of the root ball. Divide your Sansevieria plant with good roots for better results.
Get Your New Pots Ready
You should check the drainage hole at the base of your new larger pot. Ensure that the holes are not blocked and are completely open. A mesh tape or cloth will then be needed to prepare your larger pot. Your soil may benefit from the mesh as a safety net.
During this process, you will ensure that soil will not escape through the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. Make sure your larger pot is dry before transferring a plant. By doing so, you’ll be able to adjust the soil all the way around the larger pot if necessary.
Transfer Snake Plant into a New Pot
One of the keys to having a successful repotted snake plant is to use mesh at the foundation of the new container. Sansevieria trifasciata is a great container plant.
It will also allow the roots to bind as snake plants prefer to bury their roots in the pot.
Hold the sansevieria plant in one hand in your pot. Whether or not its roots touch the pot is completely up to you.
You may want to cover your workspace with a newspaper or plastic sheet to keep it clean. Please leave about an inch of space between the top of the soil and the roots and add a little space around the base of the pot.
You may start filling your pot with gardening soil or potting soil as you hold onto your sansevieria plant. You should give the root ball an inch or two of space from the top of the soil. Sansevieria thrives in any soil, so you can use regular soil.
Be sure to add sand or perlite after a few inches of soil. It will allow better drainage to get rid of excess moisture and prevent overwatering. In addition, you can use some cactus or succulent mix that you have, and usually this kind of mix already contains perlites, moss, and sand.
Sansevierias prefer well draining soil, so cactus potting mixes are specifically designed for this plant. You can also choose to decorate the top layer of your soil with attractive rocks or pebbles. The result is that your garden will be enhanced.
Before you add anything, make sure that you place a thin layer of worm compost on top of your soil. An easy process for composting worms is worm composting. When caring for snake plants, a little compost will go a long way toward helping them thrive.
It would be different if you divided your plant, but there is a really easy way to divide your sansevieria. If you plan to divide your plant in order to regrow new sansevierias, please confirm that the roots and rhizomes are still attached to the houseplant.
Propagation tip: You can divide your leaf cuttings or cuttings from cuttings once you have one new pot. Then, if you are dividing the cuttings, ensure they are transferred. If they start dividing, put them into a separate pot so they have room to grow.