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Every time I add a plant to my collection, I want to know how to make more of them. I love sharing plants with my friends and family, so I learn to propagate more to share with others. I bought a snake plant this time, so I immediately wondered how to multiply it.
Propagating snake plants is as easy as dividing the leaves and planting them individually, removing pups from the mother plant, or taking leaf cuttings to root. Snake plants can be embedded easily in water or soil, and it takes 6-8 weeks.
- How Do You Propagate Sansevieria (Snake Plants)?
- What is the Best Propagation Method for Snake Plants?
- How do you Propagate Snake Plants by Division?
- How do you Propagate Snake Plants by Pups?
- How do you Propagate Snake Plants by Cuttings?
- How do you Propagate Snake Plants in Water?
- How do you Propagate Snake Plants in Soil?
- What Happens During the Propagation Cycle?
- FAQ’s about Snake Plants
- Conclusions
Whether you’re new to houseplants or a seasoned green thumb, we’re here to give you the dirt on snake plants so you can propagate more in no time. Read on to discover the details on multiplying your Sansevieria.
How Do You Propagate Sansevieria (Snake Plants)?
There are three ways you can propagate a snake plant. Here’s the breakdown:
- By Division
- Separating Pups
- Rooting Leaf Cuttings
To learn more about each propagation, keep reading! We’re going to answer all of your snake plant propagation questions.
What is the Best Propagation Method for Snake Plants?
The Sansevieria plant can be propagated through leaf cuttings, splitting the mother plant into multiple plants, or taking a rhizome pup.
A recent short study revealed that most snake plant owners prefer to use the leaf-cutting method. Here are the results:
As represented above, most people who have snake plants reported propagation by leaf cuttings.
We’re going to give you a detailed breakdown of each propagation technique.
How do you Propagate Snake Plants by Division?
Propagating snake plants by division takes a plant apart by dividing the roots. Follow these steps to propagate the Sansevieria by division:
- Uproot the entire plant, remove excess dirt so you can see the roots.
- Carefully separate the leaves you want to remove from the plant.
- If necessary, cut or break the two plants apart, sometimes this will require you to snip some roots or cut a rhizome.
- Repot the separate plants.
How do you Propagate Snake Plants by Pups?
When your snake plant sprouts a new baby outside the original plant, you can separate it from the mother plant. This new plant is called a pup.
What is a snake plant pup?
A pup is a baby snake plant, and it can be from cuttings, division, or splitting the rhizome. A pup is a piece separated from the mother plant to grow and become an independent and mature plant.
What is a (Sansevieria) rhizome?
A rhizome is the plant’s root that grows horizontally under the soil, and this stem can grow new leaves along its length, which can be used to propagate new snake plants.
How do I take a pup from a rhizome?
Removing the dirt to see the leaves, lay the plant on a durable surface. Cut the rhizome in the middle with a sharp knife or garden shears.
The following is an example of what a snake plant rhizome pup may look like:
How do I plant the rhizome pups from Sansevieria plants?
You’ll want to take the cut end of the rhizome and place it in a new pot of soil, covering all of the rhizome and roots. It will take 6-8 weeks to root and more extended to show above soil growth.
Your snake plant pups could live up to 25 years. How Long Does a Snake Plant (Sansevieria) Live? is a great resource to learn more about the life span of a snake plant.
My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant’s point of view.
H. Fred Ale
How do you Propagate Snake Plants by Cuttings?
To propagate Sansevieria by taking leaf cuttings, you’ll need a sharp knife or pair of shears and water or soil to root the cutting in. You’ll want to cut a portion of one of the leaves and let the cut heal over a few days. Then, you’ll want to place it in water or soil and wait 6-8 weeks for the roots to grow. If you rooted it in water, you could transplant it into the soil.
How do I get a cutting from a snake plant leaf?
To get a cutting from a snake plant, you’ll want to choose a healthy leaf on the mother plant. You’ll want to cut the leaf at least an inch from the top of the soil. Cut the leaf straight across so there is a clean, flat surface.
How big do the snake leaf cuttings need to be?
The cutting should be at least 2 inches long, 3 inches optimally to propagate a snake leaf cutting. This section should be healthy to propagate a new healthy plant.
How long will it take for my Sansevieria leaf cutting to take root?
If you root your snake plant in water, you’ll likely see new roots start to grow after 3-4 weeks. The snake plant is ready for transplant when it produces a rhizome, which takes eight weeks.
If you root your snake plant in soil, you’ll want to water it once after planting, and only water when the soil is dry, and otherwise leave it alone for 6-8 weeks to root.
A snake plant cutting that begins to grow roots may look like the following:
How do you Propagate Snake Plants in Water?
To propagate Sansevieria in water, you’ll want to place the bottom quarter of the leaf in the water. The water should be refreshed every few days or at least once a week. When you refresh the water for your propagation, you’ll want to use room temperature water so you avoid shocking your pups.
How do you Propagate Snake Plants in Soil?
If you’re interested in starting snake plants in soil instead of water, you can bury a cutting or a division so that the rhizome and roots are at the bottom and the leaves are pointing upwards out of the soil.
Water your pup once, and let it dry out between watering to root your pups in soil. Since snake plants are part of the succulent family, it’s best to let any cuts heal over a few days before potting to prevent the cutting from rotting before it grows roots. Once it scabs over, it’s ready for planting.
What Happens During the Propagation Cycle?
During the life span of the Sansevieria, the snake plant goes through a repeated cycle. The above graphic represents this cycle. That cycle consists of the following:
- A snake plant pup is a baby snake plant, be it via splitting a rhizome, cutting, or division from the mother plant.
- The stage between a pup and a mature pup would be considered immature. The immature plant is focused on root growth first, which could also entail rhizome growth. Immature plants will begin producing more leaves after the roots are well-established.
- A mature snake plant will have enough leaves and/or rhizomes to divide and create more snake plant pups.
It’s wise to allow your snake plant to mature to have a better chance of survival if you attempt to divide it or take cuttings, which will increase your rate of success when you propagate your Sansevieria.
Once the snake plant reaches maturity, it’s possible to begin this process again, continually propagating and creating new plants.
FAQ’s about Snake Plants
Conclusions
If you’re a beginner green thumb or a seasoned specialist, propagating snake plants is easy. They’re hardy, versatile, and easy to care for as pups or mature plants.
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