How to Propagate Snake Plant?

Snake Plant, also known as Mother-in-law tongue, Snake’s tongue, Devil’s tongue or Bowstring Hemp Plant is native to subtropical and tropical zones, but it also enjoys dry environments with less humidity.

You can easily find this plant all across the world both indoors and outdoors, planted in pots or in the ground of gardens.

Snake plants are not just easy-to-grow houseplants, they are also very easy to propagate. So in case you are a huge fan of this spikey plant, don’t worry about buying more. Instead, learn how to propagate it properly.

In this article, I am going to cover 3 propagation methods you can try. Also, I will take a closer look at the growing and fertilization needs of the Snake Plant.

Rooting in Water

One of the most convenient ways to propagate your Snake plant is by rooting in water. Here’s the list of what you will need:

• Scissors or knife
• Jar or a glass
• Water
• Rooting hormone (not a must)

Now let’s see the steps you should follow:

1. Use a sharp knife or scissors to cut off a leaf. Try to snip off the leaf as close to the soil as you can. In case you choose a larger leaf, you can cut it into sections and use each one to propagate your plant.
2. At this point, you can use some rooting hormone to help the propagating process, but this step is optional.
3. After you cut the leaf you want to propagate, place it in a glass or jar filled with water. Make sure that the water covers 25% of the leaf.
4. Keep in mind that the Snake plant is highly polar. This means that it will grow roots only if the edge of the leaf that was close to the soil is placed in the water.
5. Find a warm place for the jar with indirect sunlight and don’t forget to change the water in the jar once a week.
6. Propagating your Snake plant by rooting in water takes about two months or longer. After you noticed that the roots have developed, you can plant the cutting in soil.

Cuttings

Another, actually faster way to propagate your Snake plant is by cuttings. Here’s what you will need:

• Knife or scissors
• Pot
• Potting mixture, preferably succulent soil
• Optional: rooting hormone

Steps to follow:

1. Similarly, to the previous method, cut off a leaf near the soil with a sharp knife or scissors. You can cut the leaf into little pieces and use them separately to propagate your plant.
2. In order to prevent bacteria from the soil getting into the freshly cut leaf, let the leaves out for a few days until they begin to callous over.
3. Keep in mind that the Snake plant is polar, so make sure you place the leaves correctly into the soil.
4. Before digging the cuttings in the soil, you can use some root hormone, but this step is optional.
5. Place the part of the cuttings that was closest to the bottom of the original plant into succulent soil or any well-drained mixture.
6. It takes about a month until the cuttings develop roots and another one until they sprout new growth.

Division

In case you don’t want to wait months to have more Snake plants in your garden or house, you can also try propagating your plant by division.

All you will need is the following:

• A sharp knife of a handsaw
• Pots
• Potting mixture

Now let’s see the steps of propagating your Snake plant by division:

1. Gently take your plant out of its pot.
2. Once it is out, find the rhizomes, this is where you will cut the plant. In case your plant is small, don’t aim for too many pieces, try to separate it in half instead. If your plant is larger, you can divide it into more pieces.
3. Cut your plant with a sharp knife or handsaw. Make sure each section has at least 3 rhizomes, a few roots and one healthy leaf.
4. Fill the pots with good-quality, well-drained potting mixture and repot each plant.
5. Water the freshly divided plants, then wait until the soil dries out before you water it again.
6. With this propagation method, it does not take a lot of time for you to be able to enjoy the beauty of your Snake plant. You can immediately place it in your house or garden where it gets a lot of warm, indirect sunlight.

How Long Does it Take New Snake Plants to Grow?

As you could see, depending on the method you choose, it can take a lot of time for your plant to develop after propagation.

Snake plants are considered slow growing plants, sometimes they even need months to show growth.

Usually it takes 6-8 weeks for Snake plants to grow roots. Depending on the environment they are placed in, it might take another 2-3 months to grow stronger, solid roots.

My advice is to be patient and don’t be discouraged by the lack of results during this time.

Should I Fertilize Snake Plant Cuttings?

Snake plants don’t require fertilization, but you can use some fertilizer to help them grow faster. Use a basic houseplant fertilizer in the spring or summer and make sure to give a good soaking every 2 weeks and let the soil dry out between.

How to Make Your Snake Plants Grow Faster?

Undoubtedly, Snake plants grow slowly, but usually that doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with your plant you should worry about.

However, sometimes you can try to do some things to boost the growing process and make your Snake plant grow faster.

Here are some tricks and tips you should consider:

• To help the rooting process, you can dig the leaves into root hormones before placing them into water or soil.
• You can change the environment of the plant. If your plant is not growing fast enough, it could be because of lack of light or low temperature.
• You can also change the soil to give growth a boost.
• Make sure you water your plant correctly. Underwatering can slow down the growing process.
• As mentioned above, you can use fertilization to help your plant grow faster.