Repotting a Snake Plant: Roots Strong Enough to Break the Pot

Signs it needs repotting

Snake plants are unusual in that they push their pots apart. The signs are physical rather than subtle.

The pot bulges or cracks A plastic pot bowing at the sides, or a crack in a terracotta one, means the inside is solid with rhizomes and roots.
Offsets pushing out at the rim When the rhizomes have reached the edge and young shoots are appearing right against the pot wall, there is no room left.
Water runs straight through If a thorough watering drains immediately, there is very little compost left. The roots have displaced it.
The plant rocks or topples Tall leaves raise the center of gravity. If it falls over, move it into a larger, heavier pot before the leaves get creased.

Repot in the warm months, with the compost dry

Cut roots have to regrow, and that only happens while it is warm. Working with dry compost is the other half of it: the rootball comes apart cleanly and the cut surfaces are far less likely to rot.

Season	Repot?	Why
Early spring	Avoid	The roots have not started moving, so recovery is slow
Late spring to late summer	Best	Roots regrow quickly, even in real heat
Early autumn	Preferably not	The roots may not recover before winter
Late autumn to winter	Never	Roots do not move and cut surfaces rot

Choosing the pot and the compost

Drainage matters more than anything else, so choose the pot for how fast it dries as well as for how it looks.

Material	Suitability	Notes
Terracotta	The best	Dries fast, so less risk of rot. Roots can crack it
Glazed ceramic	Good	Heavy and stable. Choose one with a large drainage hole
Plastic	Usable	Slow to dry, so make the compost more open
No drainage hole, or hydro	Difficult	Hard to judge the water. Not for a first plant

A generous layer of drainage material in the base, filling a fifth to a third of the pot, improves both the drainage and the stability.

How to repot

The instinct after repotting anything is to water it in, and with this plant that instinct is wrong. The cut roots need to seal first.

Stop watering a week before Dry compost falls away from the roots cleanly and the cut surfaces do not rot. Working dry is the single most useful part of this.
Get it out of the pot Lay the pot on its side and pull the plant out by the base. If the roots have gripped, cut a plastic pot away or break a terracotta one.
Remove old compost and dead roots Crumble the old compost away by hand and cut off any root that is black, soft or hollow with clean pruners. Keep the thick white ones.
Let the cuts dry If you removed a lot of root, leave the plant in bright shade for half a day to a full day so the cuts seal before planting.
Plant at the same depth Add drainage material, then set the plant so the base of the leaves sits level with the compost surface. Planted deeper, the leaf bases rot.
Do not water for a week Leave it dry in bright shade for a week, then water thoroughly and return to the normal routine.

After repotting

The first fortnight is about letting the roots seal and take hold rather than getting the plant growing again. Doing less is the whole technique.

Stage	Watering	Position and feeding
First week	None	Bright shade. No feed
After a week	One thorough watering, then when dry	Back to its usual place. No feed
Once new leaves move	Normal	A half rate feed if you use one

If it struggles afterwards

None of these are unusual after repotting a succulent. The one that matters is rot, and it is why the week of dryness afterwards is not optional.

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Soft at the base, leaves falling	Rot from a cut surface	Lift it, cut out the rot, dry it and replant
Leaves wrinkling but the base is firm	The roots have not taken hold yet	One watering, then wait in bright shade
It will not stand steady	Too little root, compost too loose	Stake it and firm the compost gently

Written byYasuGrowing vegetables and fruit in Chiba, Japan, and building Gadenin. Corrections are welcome. 15 years of growing.