Any plant enthusiast knows that there are so many snake plants to choose from.
In terms of beauty, the Whale Fin Snake Plant (or Sansevieria Masoniana, if you’re all technical) certainly has the wow factor. Due to its rarity, it is relatively hard to find.
You must treat a plant as rare and majestic as possible. As a result of its scarcity, one might think it’ll be hard to keep up with. However, this is far from the truth.
Whale Fin Snake Plant (also known as Mason’s Congo Sansevieria) is just as easy to maintain as all your other favorite plants. Additionally, it is relatively straightforward to propagate.
We’ve compiled all of our tips and advice on how to grow this three-named plant, so keep reading to learn everything you need to know!
Sansevieria Masoniana
Whale fin snake plants get their name from their shape, which resembles a whale fin. It reaches a point at the end and is broad. Whale plants usually have only one or two leaves.
When you see how big these leaves can be, you will understand that this is all that is required.
The plant is easy to care for and aesthetically pleasing, making it a popular (if a bit rare) choice for the home. People collect houseplants and post about them on social media sites like Instagram, which contributes to its popularity.
If you search for the hashtag ‘whale fin snake plant’ on Instagram, you will find 100s, if not thousands, of posts of this beautiful plant.
It is native to central Africa and is known for its air purifying properties. Its appearance is striking not only because of its shape, but also because of its color.
In certain light, the leaves are a mottled forest green color, and the outer edges are almost pink.
How to Water Your Sansevieria Masoniana
The whale fin snake plant is native to Central Africa. The plant is adapted to heat and dryness.
Nonetheless, the plant needs water in order to survive. Water it thoroughly, allowing it adequate time to dry between each watering.
As a result, the root system will remain as healthy as possible. Ensure that the soil can soak through completely.
A priority should also be made to ensure that there is adequate drainage so that the water can drain out, such as rocks and holes in the bottom of the pot. The risk of root rot and other diseases associated with standing water will be eliminated.
After watering, you should discard any excess water to prevent root rot. Whale fin snakes can suffer from root rot. Once a plant has been affected by root rot in this way, it can be very difficult to recover it.
Underwatering and Overwatering
It is important to let your plant get dry until at least the top part of the soil has dried out.
Check for moisture in the soil by simply inserting your finger into it.
If you leave it a little too long between waterings, your whale fin snake plant will probably be fine if it is neglected a little bit. For the sake of the plant’s health, you should not wait too long.
If you keep this in mind, it will be easier to avoid overwatering. By keeping in mind that plants need time to dry out between waterings, you are less likely to drown them.
It may seem like a good idea to overwater – especially if the plant is looking particularly dried out – but it can be even worse than not watering at all.
Due to the possibility of root rot, this is dangerous. When the roots are waterlogged for a period of time or if there is inadequate drainage, the plant will develop root rot.
Even the most well-draining plant with holes in the pot and rocks is susceptible to getting waterlogged if given more water than it is able to handle.
Light Requirements
You should place whale fin snake plants close to windows so they will receive the most light. By no means does this mean that they have to be directly in the path of the sun.
In any case, they do need a sufficient amount of light for as much of the day as possible.
As a result, if you have a south facing window, this can be a good place for a whale fin snake plant. In cases where the sun is very bright, you may want to consider either filtering it a little or moving it directly out of the path of the sun.
East and west facing windows are also excellent for these plants, as they will get a good amount of natural sunlight without being too harsh on the plants. It might be more difficult to install a north-facing window, but it still could be done.
You may even want to move it around your house depending on where the sun is at different times of the day. You have the complete freedom to choose. You will have a happy plant as long as it receives some natural light each day!
Soil, Potting Mix, and Pots
The most important thing to remember is drainage – and plenty of it!
Drainage is vital to avoid the issues we discussed in the previous section, such as root rot and problems associated with overwatering.
In order to ensure the overall health of your plants, drainage and watering are both essential.
Drainage comes from a mixture of the right pot and the right soil or potting mix. Sansevieria plants (of all sorts) prefer sharp soil.
As a result, it is a good idea to use cacti and succulent potting mixes along with something a little more grainy and sharp like pumice. The potting mix is divided by one part pumice and two parts potting mix.
Alternatively, you could use perlite if you do not have pumice on hand. Keep in mind, however, that perlite doesn’t allow for drying times to be as quick as they would be with pumice.
You may want to add rocks or pebbles under the soil to improve drainage. Adding sand may also be a good idea. The actual pot is another important part of the potting setup.
It’s hard to find a decorative pot that also has excellent drainage, even though it looks nice.
It is not uncommon for plant enthusiasts to get a thin plastic plant pilot with excellent drainage as a man pot and a ceramic pot for decoration.
Plastic pots should have holes at the bottom and a lip to ensure the best drainage.
Fertilizer
Whenever your plant needs fertilizing (which you may want to do at some point even if it is not a necessity), use the best quality fertilizer you can find that is suitable for your whale fin snake plant.
You will only need a small amount of fertilizer in their growing season since they are very light feeders. Fertilize with a low nitrogen fertilizer.
You should also keep in mind that fertilizer means nothing if the growing conditions are poor. It is not necessary to use fertilizer unless you really want to boost growth a little more.
Propagation
It is one of the most exciting things about getting a new plant when you are finally able to propagate it. Here you can take a part of your plant and grow it into a new one.
It’s like having lots of baby plants all over your house. The methods for propagating the whale fin snake plant are similar to those used for other plants.
Division Method
You can propagate your whale fin snake plant by dividing it at the roots.
Since your plant must have more than one leaf for this to work, it is not suitable for all types of whale fin snake plants, but if you have one with two leaves, this is by far the easiest method.
Divide carefully at the roots and repot the second leaf in a pot with ample drainage and well draining soil.
Water Propagation Method
You only need to cut a leaf from the plant (again, this works best if you have a plant with two leaves).
With a chopstick or popsicle stick, hold the leaf up and submerge it in water, allowing the roots to grow.
Soil Propagation Method
As with the water propagation method, the soil propagation method involves cutting off leaves from the plant and planting them into the soil so that they eventually sprout roots.
It is important to remember that the whale fin snake plant is notoriously slow growing.
Is the Whale Fin Snake Plant poisonous?
The answer is yes! There is concern about the toxic nature of the whale fin snake plant, especially for cats and dogs.
If you have pets and would like to get a whale fin snake plant, make sure your pet cannot access it.