Why My Snake Plant Is Drooping?
What’s the deal with your snake plant drooping? The most common reasons are overwatering, inadequate soil drainage, lack of heat, pests or disease, poor lighting or from being rootbound. Your plant will be able to recover if the underlying problem is identified and corrected. There are commonly reasons, so let’s dig in
Overwatering and Root Rot
Snake plant is a succulent, which means its thick, rubbery leaves hold a lot of moisture. Succulents, like other houseplants, require less watering, and the snake plant is no different, surviving in the hot, dry tropics of West Africa. This means they’re easy to overwater, and if they get too much moisture, they’ll have root rot.
How To Fix?
Allow your snake plant’s soil to completely dry out before reviving it. Prick your finger deep into the soil to ensure that it isn’t just the surface that is dry. Allow the plant to dry completely between waterings from then on, with at least the top three inches of soil totally dry.
Best Watering Time
To avoid drooping snake plants, usually they only need to be watered once every two to four weeks, with plants that receive more light or heat needing to be watered more frequently. They can be watered even less in the winter, just needing water when the leaves appear wilted.
Inadequate Drainage And Soil
If your watering schedule appears to be in order, it is possible that the soil is simply holding too much water and lacks adequate drainage. Repot your plant in cactus or succulent potting mix to fix this. Remove as much of the old soil as possible while repotting, and use a large enough pot. When you water, water should immediately come out of the bottom drainage holes, indicating that the soil isn’t effectively drained. If you pour a cup of water into the soil and it absorbs a lot of water, it’s usually a sign that you need improved drainage.
Root Bound
One of the most common causes why it’s drooping is that they become rootbound if they are not repotted or have their roots trimmed on a regular basis. Although snake plants may not require as much repotting as other plants and can tolerate rootbound conditions to some extent, if the situation becomes too severe, they may become sickly and drooping.
How To Fix?
Repotting! Snake plants need to be repotted every three to five years, or if you can’t place the plant in a bigger pot for some reason, you’ll need to clip the roots so that they only take up about half to three quarters of the pot’s space. By pulling the soil away from the sides of the pot with your fingers and examining to see if the plant’s roots are thick all the way to the pot’s sides, you can tell if it needs repotting or cutting. If there appears to be more root than dirt, it’s time to upgrade to a larger pot.
Lack Of Heat
Although a snake plant can become excessively hot, if the leaves are drooping, this is unlikely to be the case. It’s very likely that it’s not getting enough heat. Maintain temperatures above 50°F for a healthy plant.
Poor Lighting
Snake plants do, in fact, thrive in the shade. They, on the other hand, thrive in partial sunlight. If your plant is getting very little light, it’s conceivable that it’s becoming unhealthy and drooping. Aside from the health benefits of adequate lighting, partial sun tends to make snake plants look better, with brighter leaves that show their signature pattern more prominently. Although snake plants can tolerate up to 8 hours of light per day, all-day direct light in a south-facing window may be too much for them, causing their leaves to droop.
Summary
It’s preferable to wait for fresh, healthy growth to appear before chopping off the old leaves, as this will help your plant recover much faster. If you follow the above instructions for reviving your drooping snake plant, you should never have troubles with it again.