Gadenin日本語Get the appThe year in outline
There is less to do with a snake plant than with almost any other houseplant. The whole year comes down to switching the watering on in spring and off again in autumn, and getting those two switches at the right time is most of the skill.
| Season | Watering | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Restart once new growth shows | Repot, divide, take leaf cuttings |
| Summer | Every ten days to a fortnight | Move out of direct sun. Outdoors if you want |
| Autumn | Stretch out towards none | Bring outdoor plants in. Stop feeding |
| Winter | Almost none | Keep above 50F (10C). Do not repot or cut |
Spring: restart the watering
After a dry winter the plant looks slightly shrunken, and the temptation is to water it heavily as soon as the weather turns. Wait until you can actually see a new leaf pushing from the center.
Once it is growing, this is the window for everything disruptive: repotting, dividing and taking cuttings all belong to late spring and early summer.
Summer
Growth is fastest now, and this is when a plant put outside in bright shade firms up noticeably. Keep it out of direct midday sun and out of the rain.
Even in summer, the interval is long by houseplant standards. Ten days to a fortnight between waterings is normal, and in a spell of wet weather it can be longer still.
Autumn: start the taper early
The mistake in autumn is leaving the reduction too late. Compost that is wet when the temperature drops is exactly the combination that rots the base of the plant.
Start stretching the interval as soon as nights cool, bring any outdoor plants in before nights fall below about 59F (15C), and stop feeding entirely.
Check the base of the leaves and the bottom of the pot before bringing a plant indoors, so you do not bring pests in with it.
Winter: keep it dry
In a room around 50F (10C), give it no water at all. In a warmer room, once a month at most, in the morning. Do not feed, do not repot and do not cut.
Some wrinkling of the leaves is normal and reverses in spring. Watering because of it is how most snake plants are lost, because cold and wet together is the one thing this plant cannot tolerate.
If a room genuinely drops below 50F (10C), move the plant rather than trying to compensate with anything else.