How Can You Grow a Snake Plant from its Cuttings?

One of the most budget-friendly, quick, and effective ways to give your living space, bedroom, or office area a complete makeover is by investing in a couple of potted house plants.

Not only does the refreshing and lush green color of these indoor plants enhance the overall outlook of the space, but they also help manage people’s stress and anxiety, allowing them to be more productive and happier individuals.

However, while a majority of the American population loves investing in potted house plants, many people struggle with being able to keep their indoor planters alive for too long.

This usually happens when the indoor plant is a high-maintenance planter that requires too much care.

Hence, if you want a potted house plant that can survive with the bare minimum, you need to get yourself a snake plant.

Not only are these plants visually appealing, but they can also grow from their cuttings, which makes it easy to propagate them and grow new plants.

Table of Contents

Propagating an Indoor Snake Plant

According to several research studies, owning a potted house plant has a variety of benefits.

Only a fifteen-minute interaction with an indoor planter is said to reduce stress levels, which eventually leads to increased productivity and reduced employee absenteeism.

This is obviously related to keeping plants in an office. When you keep plants at home, you create a relaxing environment that’s good for your mental and physical health.

Hence, anyone buying a potted house plant for the first time is usually very excited about the refreshing little addition to their house.

They tend to water it frequently and keep it on the windowsill so that their planter gets sufficient filtered sunlight.

However, while these efforts work for some indoor plant species, the same care routine cannot and should not be generalized for all the different potted house plants.

Many potted indoor plant species need to be watered only once a week, and some need little or no direct sunlight at all.

Overwatering or overheating these plants can affect plant growth, leading to premature death. On the flip side, underwatering will cause the plant to dehydrate, killing it in the process.

One such plant that requires the minimum care effort and is highly tolerant and resistant to external varying conditions is the Sansevierias plant, commonly known as the snake plant.

Apart from its fantastic quality of being extremely low-maintenance, another great characteristic that makes the snake plant one of the most popular and commonly bought indoor plants across the USA is its ability to propagate from its cuttings.

This means that once you learn how to grow a potted house plant using its long leaf cuttings, you can increase the number of snake plant planters across your home without having to invest in new ones.

Continue reading what it means to propagate a potted house plant and how you can grow an indoor snake plant using only its cuttings.

Moreover, the article will list down the professionally advised care routine for an indoor snake plant that you can follow.

This will ensure that all your bought and propagated potted snake plants enjoy a long and healthy life.

Let’s get started!

Check out: Are Dieffenbachia Toxic To Cats?

What Does it Mean to Propagate a Potted House Plant?

Plant propagation is a commonly used term among botanists and people who run plant nurseries. By definition, plant propagation is the process of deliberately increasing the number or population of a plant.

Generally, plant propagation is done either sexually or asexually; however, the reproduction method depends on the unique plant specie and its biological design.

Hence, propagating a potted snake plant is the process of putting in the effort to grow more potted snake plants. This way, you won’t need to spend more money, and you can enjoy having more plants around.

How to Grow an Indoor Potted Snake Plant Using Only its Cuttings

As mentioned above, Americans and most of the rest of the world cannot seem to get enough of snake plants because of their low-maintenance care routine and ability to propagate from simply leaf cuttings.

However, how do you propagate snake plants at home using just their cuttings?

Some of the ways you can grow an indoor potted snake plant using only its cuttings are as follows:

Read here: How to Keep Cats from Pooping in Your House Plants?

In Water

One of the most common ways to grow a snake plant from its cuttings is to use nothing but fresh and clean water.

Not only is the process of setting up the snake plant cuttings in the water extremely simple, but the expected success rate is quite high.

Hence, if you want to propagate your snake plant from its cuttings, you will need the following items:

A well-grown and healthy potted snake plant
A wide, transparent glass jar
Clean water
Sharp pruning shears

Now, follow the steps listed below:

Take your sharp pruning shears, and cut a long, firm, healthy snake plant leaf from the leaf’s bottom.
Take the same shears to cut and divide the snake plant leaf into three to four long segments.
Now cut an inverted V-shaped notch at the bottom of every snake plant segment.
Doing so allows a higher surface area to volume ratio of the leaf to get exposed to the water around it, which leads to quicker results and successful propagation.
Leave the snake leaf segments on a counter for a few days till they are fully dry and slightly hard at the bottom.
Doing so helps prevent fungus from growing inside or over the leaf cuttings.
Place the leaf segment inside the glass jar, and make sure that its direction is the same as it was when the whole leaf was still growing as a part of the plant.
Fill the glass container with clean water, and ensure that only the leaf segments’ bottoms are fully submerged.
Place the water container containing the snake leaf segments on a windowsill that gets sufficient indirect sunlight.
Ensure to change the water after every three to four days.
Finally, wait patiently to allow the roots to form and grow at the bottom of the snake leaf’s cuttings. Usually, this waiting period can take one to two months.
Once the newly grown roots are at least one to two inches long, remove the cutting from the water and plant the cuttings and their roots in well-fertilized soil.

In Soil

Another way to grow an indoor snake plant using its cuttings is by planting them in a moist potting mix. Here is what you need to do:

Repeat the first four steps mentioned above to prepare the snake plant leaf segments for propagation.
Pot the snake leaf segments or cuttings in the moist potting mix, at least half an inch deep.
Now, place the container containing the soil and the cuttings in a well-lit spot that gets sufficient filtered sunlight.
Ensure that the soil remains moist at all times; however, it should never be too wet.
Finally, wait at least two months before you inspect the results.
Gently pull the leaf segments out of the soil and plant them in separate pots if they have grown sufficiently long roots.
However, if the snake plant cuttings still do not have any roots, replant them and wait another month or so.

Read here: How to Transport a House Plant During a Move?

Professionally Advised Care Routine for an Indoor Potted House Snake Plant

As mentioned above, caring for a potted snake plant is extremely easy, and almost anyone with no prior plant-care experience can do it.

Hence, if you have an indoor potted snake plant, simply follow the care routine mentioned below to keep it healthy and alive:

Unlike most plant species, a snake plant grows and usually thrives on less water. Anytime the snake plant is overwatered, this increases the chances of the plant being subject to a fungal or pest infestation.
Hence, only water your potted snake plant once or twice in a period of two weeks.
Although a snake plant can grow and survive in dark and shaded conditions, keeping the plant in a well-lit spot is best to enhance its growth rate.
If you do not have a windowsill with enough sunlight, you can leave your snake plant outside in the sun for a few hours.
Although the snake plant is tolerant against varying weather conditions, it is best to keep it in a warm environment.

Final Thoughts

If you enjoy the company and refreshing aura of potted house plants and you do not have the time or money to constantly care for the plant, a potted indoor snake plant is the ideal planter for you.

Not only does the lush green indoor plant help lower anxiety, stress, and tardiness, but it is also highly tolerant and can usually live a long life.

Simply cut the long leaves of your potted snake plant and place them in a jar or water if you wish to increase your indoor plant collection using only the cuttings.

This is a foolproof way to save money while also ensuring that you’re able to populate your house with some wonderful greenery. Once you get really good at it, you can even try it with other plant species.