In the year 2020, the whole world was confined to their homes due to the coronavirus. If you have been reading my blogs regularly, then you must know that I am a tree lover and I have planted many tree seedlings and take care of them regularly. Anyway, I bought some snack plants during the coronavirus. And today in this blog, I will discuss in detail about snack plants from my real experience. If you are thinking of planting a snack plant or want to know about its care and benefits, then this blog is for you.
What Is Snake Plant
If you think this plant looks like a snake from its name, you’d be wrong. It’s nothing like that. Generally, this tree or plant comes from Africa. Its leaves are somewhat like swords with sharp edges. The leaves are green and have white spots. This tree grows in the jungles of Africa in harsh conditions, so it requires minimal care. My plants have grown to 25 cm; these plants grow up to 1.2 meters maximum. This plant has flowers, and the flowers are white.
Common Name | Snake Plan, Mother in law plant, mother in law’s tongue |
Botanical Name | Dracaena trifasciata. |
Family | Asparagaceae |
Plant type | Evergreen perennial typically grown as a houseplant |
Mature size | 6 inches to 12 feet tall in native habitat depending on variety. Typically 2 feet tall when grown as a houseplant |
Sun Exposure | Sun to part shade |
Soil type | Sandy, well drained |
Soil Ph | Slightly acidic to slightly alkaline |
Bloom Time | Spring |
Flower Color | white |
Hardiness Zones | 9-11 (USDA) |
Native Area | West Africa |
Toxicity | Toxic to cats and dogs |
How to Grow Snake Plant
Since the snake plant can survive harsh conditions in Africa, it doesn’t cost much to grow this plant quickly. I feed my plants with liquid once from April to September. Given this, my plants grew very quickly. Moreover, once the soil at the base of the plant is dry, water should be given once. This plant should be kept away from sunlight as the sun’s ultraviolet rays damage it. So, keep this plant in sunlight for some time in the morning so that the natural growth of the plant is correct.
How To Get Snake Plant To Bloom
Plant flowers when the plant is old enough that the roots go deep into the soil, and when it gets enough sunlight, it produce white flowers. Generally, these plants have few flowers and grow very well indoors. Two of the snake plants I have flowered so far.
How To Care Snake Plant
I agree that tree identification is a very natural thing, but if the tree identification is not done correctly, the tree is harmed instead of benefiting the tree. Therefore, to identify the tree, you must know that all tree identification is not the same. Because according to the type of tree, planning has to be done differently. Here I will present only the description of the snake plant from my own personal experience.
Soil
First, discuss what kind of soil to use for this tree. If you use any kind of soil, this tree will grow fast. This tree grows very well in soil where the amount of sand is 1/3 of the soil. If water accumulates at the base of this tree, there is a tendency to rot, so the soil that will drain the water for this tree, i.e., sandy soil, should be determined, as I do. So I will tell you that you must use sandy soil when planting snake plants.
Light
Snake plants need sunlight, but how long they should be exposed to sunlight and for how many days after that should be known first. If the plant is not exposed to sunlight at the right time, it will suffer a lot because excess sunlight damages the leaves and can cause the plant to deteriorate quickly. So my personal opinion is that snake plants should be exposed to sunlight every morning if possible or once a week.
Water
We all know that water is another name for life. Just as it is impossible for humans to survive without water, a tree needs to be supplied with water regularly in order to survive. Now, I don’t know how much water should be supplied to the snake plant. In winter, this plant needs to be watered less because I have not watered my snake plants more than 2 times a month. Also, when you see the soil at the base of the plant is dry, water it. Remember that overwatering can cause root rot in this plant. Watering should be done every 14 days during spring and summer when plants are in active growth. Remember that the quickest way to kill a plant is to overwater it. Too much water will rot its root system. Yellowing leaves are an early sign of overwatering.
Benefits Of Snake Plants
I will try to highlight the many benefits that we get from the snack plant and the things that play a significant role in our daily life from my actual experience because I do not comment on things that I do not observe myself. I have been growing the snack plant tree in my home for a long time, so I will talk about the 5 benefits of this plant:
1. Air purification
2. Low maintenance
3. Health benefits
4. Aesthetics
5. Absorbs CO2 at night
Air purification
We can see everything but the harmful toxins and pollutants in the air, such as formaldehyde, benzene, and xylene. But they are very harmful to our human body. The snack plant helps to purify this harmful air. All kinds of harmful toxins are absorbed from the air, and we get clean air inside the house or room.
Low maintenance
Unlike other indoor plants, the snack plant does not require much care or maintenance, so it takes less time and money for this plant.
Health benefits
Every person wants to have good health, and no matter how much we do every day to maintain this health, our health is not always good. Now the question is, how does the snack tree play a role in maintaining good health? If you have a few snake plants in your home, they offer several health benefits, including reducing headaches, eye irritation, and respiratory problems.
Aesthetics
Snake plants help a lot to decorate a house beautifully and to bring a touch of natural nature indoors. So, if you plant a snake plant in your house or home, the environment and beauty of your home will be much enhanced.
Absorbs CO2 at night
Snake plants reduce CO2 levels at night by absorbing it. This is due to Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), which is the ability to perform a certain type of photosynthesis that failure-tolerant, succulent plants like Sansevieria Trifasciata perform.
Conclusion
So finally, I would like to say that snake plants are very good plants that will enhance the beauty of your house or home to a great extent. Also, if there is a tree in the house, then you can feel the touch of natural emotions in that house. If you are a tree lover, you should plant snake plants with other plants. In the above discussion, I have tried to highlight my personal experience.
