How Often to Water a Snake Plant: When in Doubt, Do Not

Learn how your own pot dries

There is no interval that works for everyone. The same plant in a terracotta pot at a window and in a plastic pot at the back of a room wants water two or three times as often in the first case as the second.

Dry, and then wait longer

The rule that keeps a snake plant alive is that dry is the normal state and wet is the exception. If you are unsure whether to water, the right answer is almost always no.

1. Push a skewer to the bottom Slide a long wooden skewer down the inside of the pot to near the base and leave it ten seconds. If damp compost clings to it, do not water.
2. Judge by weight Learn the weight of the pot once just after watering and once when fully dry, and after that you can decide by lifting it.
3. Watch the leaves When the leaves soften slightly and fine wrinkles appear on the surface, the plant has started drawing on its own reserves. That is the point to water.

When you do water, water fully

Watering thoroughly but rarely is the pattern. Small frequent amounts wet only the top of the compost and leave the roots shallow while the base stays permanently damp.

1. Water the compost, not the leaves Water sitting in the center of the rosette or at the base of the leaves causes rot. Pour onto the compost, and if you splash the crown, tip the pot to drain it.
2. Empty the saucer Tip away what drains through after ten minutes. If the plant lives in a cachepot, take it out to water and put it back once it has stopped dripping.
3. Not in the evening Water in the evening and the pot stays cold and wet all night. Water on a bright morning so the surface dries during the day.

Intervals through the year

These are for a plant in a terracotta pot in reasonable light. In a plastic pot or a dark corner, stretch every interval considerably.

Some wrinkling of the leaves over a dry winter is fine, and they plump up again when you start watering in spring. Watering in winter because the leaves have wrinkled is the single most common way people kill this plant.

It does not want misting

Unlike most houseplants, a snake plant gains nothing from misting and can be harmed by water sitting in the crown. Cleaning the leaves is worth doing, but do it dry.

1. Wipe with a dry cloth Once a month, wipe the leaves with a soft dry cloth. It removes dust so the leaf works properly, and it is also when you would notice mites.
2. If you use a damp cloth, wring it out For real dirt, use a cloth wrung out hard and keep water out of the base of the leaves. Let it dry somewhere with air moving.

Telling too much from too little

Both extremes change the leaves, but in opposite ways, and the compost tells you which you are looking at.