How to take care of snake plant in winter? Plants indoors go into dormancy during the winter months. It is the same with snake plants. It is the dormant period for snake plants during the winter, so they don’t grow during the cold months. Such a period of dormancy allows them to take a rest. Thus, during the winter, snake plants will require different care.
Three of the biggest problems with snake plants during the winter are overwatering, excess nutrients, and inadequate humidity. Stop overwatering and fertilizing your snake plant. You can reliably get through the winter with your snake plant if you maintain a moderate humidity level.
The following guide will cover winter care for snake plants and what to avoid during the colder months. Let’s start.
How To Take Care Of Snake Plant In Winter
During the winter, you only need to give the snake plant a little attention. The holidays are around the corner, and this plant will help you to enjoy them. You can relax because snake plants can go without water and food for a month and a half during the winter. However, for our snake plant to remain healthy and survive throughout the winter, we must pay special attention to a few essential things about how to take care of snake plant in winter.
Avoid Overwatering
Succulent plants do not enjoy being overwatered. Snake plant is no different. Despite their ability to survive drought conditions, snake plants will not thrive if they are overwatered. During an overwatering period, the leaves of the snake plant may absorb more water than necessary, which might damage the cells.
Furthermore, it causes the snake plant’s leaves to split. Overwatered snake plants might give up easily if they are neglected for too long. When snake plants are overwatered, root rot can occur and pests are more likely to be attracted to the plants.
So what’s the best way to water your snake plants in winter? Snake plants can survive for up to a month without water. You should not follow a rigid watering schedule for your snake plant. Rather, just water the soil when the top two inches of soil become dry using a skewer or moisture meter. More frequent watering can lead to pest infestations and root rot.
Here are the things you can do to avoid overwatering:
- Make sure your potting soil drains well
- You should feel the soil before watering your snake plant
- The soil should be dry and not moist
- If your soil is wet or moist, do not water right away. Wait for a few days.
- You need to check the drainage holes as well as the tray
- If there is excess water in the tray, you should empty it
- If the snake plant is left sitting in still water for too long, the plant will die
- In case the snake plant is already suffering from an overwatering situation, look for the signs before repotting it
Stay Away From Excess Fertilization
Snake plants require fertilizer to thrive. But now the question is: When should snake plants be fertilized? Despite the fact that snakes require very diluted feeds, the feeds must follow a certain regimen. Fertilizing snake plants during the growing season is as important as it is during the dormancy period.
A snake plant is dormant during the winter, so no growth occurs during this time. Therefore, if your snake plant is not growing during the winter, you need not worry. Remember that winter is not the time to fertilize them. Normally, the feed should contain either a 10:10:10 or 20:20:20 ratio slow-release fertilizer, which is very diluted. It is true that you should keep fertilization in mind, but remember to avoid over-fertilizing the plants.
Summer and spring are the best times for fertilization. We reduce the feed by half during the fall and stop the feed during the winter. Why? It is because snake plants do not need any feed during winter. Overfertilizing snake plants may result in leggy and stunted growth. Additionally, it sometimes causes snake plants to burn.
Pay Attention To Where You Place Them!
Snake plants require little care, making them the perfect plants for beginners. Plants like this can flower in both full sun and low light environments. However, there are some things that we should not forget about how to take care of snake plant in winter.
Snake plants that are kept near windows, mostly southern windows, can become cold during winter if they are near a window. For the sake of your snake plant’s safety, you may have to close the windows.
In spite of the snake plant’s resistance to heat, the cold is not its cup of tea. Snake plants cannot tolerate temperatures below 50°F. Therefore, we must maintain a relatively constant temperature all throughout winter. Snake plants should also never be placed near radiators since the radiators’ heat will harm them.