Snake plants have a reputation for being impossible to kill. They are not. Most of the snake plants that die were watered too often, in soil that stays wet. The right soil does a lot of the work for you.
What a snake plant wants from its soil
Snake plants (Dracaena trifasciata, also sold as Sansevieria) come from dry, rocky regions of West Africa. Their leaves and thick underground stems store water. That makes them tough against drought, and sensitive to soggy roots.
In practice, snake plant soil needs to do two things:
- Drain quickly after watering.
- Dry out fully between waterings.
Regular potting soil is built to stay moist for seedlings and annual flowers. In a pot on a Canadian windowsill in January, it can stay wet for weeks. That is where root rot starts.
What to look for in the mix
Good potting soil for snake plant is gritty. When you pick it up, you should feel small pieces of mineral, not just fine, dark material.
- Pumice or perlite. These create air space and let water move through.
- A small amount of organic material. Coco coir works well. It holds a little moisture without staying heavy.
- Charcoal. A small amount helps keep the mix fresh.
- Not much fine peat. Fine peat packs down, then repels water when dry.
If your current mix looks like dark, fine soil and clumps when squeezed, it is probably too heavy.
Signs of the wrong soil
- Leaves are soft, wrinkled at the base, or fall over.
- Yellow patches spread from the bottom of the leaves.
- The soil smells musty.
- The pot feels heavy days after watering.
- The base of the plant is mushy.
If the base is mushy, the plant is rotting. Unpot it, cut away soft brown roots and any soft tissue, let the cuttings dry for a day, and repot in dry, gritty mix. Wait about a week before watering.
Can you make your own?
Yes. A common homemade snake plant soil is about equal parts potting soil, perlite or pumice, and coarse sand or grit. It works, but it means buying several separate bags in large sizes, and then a way to store what you do not use. For a single plant, that is a lot of material. For a collection of succulents, it can pay off.
How to repot a snake plant
Snake plants like being a little snug. Do not rush to repot.
- Repot only when you need to: roots crowd the pot, the plant tips over, or the pot is bulging. Spring or early summer is best.
- Choose a pot 2 to 5 cm wider than the current one, with a drainage hole. Snake plant roots are strong. A pot that is too light may crack or tip when the leaves get tall.
- Let the old mix dry first. Dry roots are easier to slide out and less likely to be damaged.
- Remove the plant, shake off the old soil and trim any rotted or shrivelled roots.
- Add a layer of dry mix, set the plant at the same depth as before, and fill in around the roots.
- Wait 5 to 7 days before watering. This gives any damaged roots time to seal.
- Then water thoroughly and let the pot drain.
Use the “How much do I need?” calculator on the mix page to turn your pot diameter into litres and bags.
Watering and light
Water deeply, then let the mix dry out completely. Push a finger or a wooden skewer to the bottom of the pot to check. In winter, that may mean a month between waterings. Snake plants tolerate low light, but grow better in bright, indirect light.
There is no fertilizer in the mix, so if you want to fertilize, do it lightly in spring and summer. Most snake plants do fine with very little.
Common mistakes with snake plant soil
Using a pot with no drainage hole is the most common one. Water collects at the bottom, the roots sit in it, and the rot starts where you cannot see it. If you like a decorative pot, keep the plant in a plain nursery pot inside it and lift it out to water.
Another is watering on a fixed schedule. A snake plant in a bright south window in July uses water far faster than the same plant in a cool room in December. Check the mix, not the calendar.
A third is topping up with the wrong thing. Adding fresh regular potting soil on top of a gritty mix creates a wet layer over the roots. If the mix is tired, replace it all at repotting time.
Propagating from leaf cuttings
If you divide or trim a snake plant, you can root the pieces. Cut a healthy leaf into sections about 8 to 10 cm long, let them dry for a day or two, and push the bottom end (the end that was closer to the roots) about 2 cm into damp, gritty mix. Roots take several weeks. Note that cuttings of the yellow-edged varieties usually lose the yellow edge, so they come back plain green.
A ready-made option
Our Succulent & Cactus Mix is a good fit for snake plants. It is 40% pumice, 30% coco coir, 20% perlite and 10% horticultural charcoal, mixed by hand and sold in a light 3-litre bag. It also suits ZZ plants, aloe, jade and haworthia. We ship by Canada Post across Canada, except Quebec for now. See the shipping page for rates.
For other houseplants, read our guide to the best soil for indoor plants.
