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Office Snake Plant dying

10 years ago

Hello!

In October I had gotten two snake plants for the office, but in the last two - three months they have been slowly dying. Both of the plants seem to be suffering the same condition. Though the odd thing is that the condition of the leaves are different. Some of the leaves turned brown and break off easily. Others are yellowish/brown on top but towards the middle and the base, when pressed lightly, it's mushy and some liquid comes out. Other leaves are completely fine. And all three types are found in the same pots.

I water them both every three weeks with a full mason jar. And I leave the water out so it can turn room temperature. I also make sure to get all of the soil wet. In the soil picture you can see some woodchips but those are only on top of the soil.

First plant


Soil for both plants

Second Plant


If you have any advice I would be grateful!

Thank you!

Comments (7)

  • 10 years ago

    Too much water?? Although every three weeks wouldn't seem to be the problem.....

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    I water mine every 3 wks or so and that seems to be enough. But the sure way to know is sticking your finger in the dirt to ck BEFORE watering. Also, you never know if somebody is watering, in addition to what you do,. My housekeeper was watering my plants b/c at her other jobs that's part of her scope of work. I was watering also and eventually I noticed the effects. It took me a while to realize what was happening.

    ETA, sorry, meant every 3 wks

  • 10 years ago

    Every three days is too much, even in the summer months. However, every three days in the winter is WAY too much. I'd suggest either you or the housekeeper stop watering the plants. It appears you're killing them with kindness. These plants thrive on neglect, strange but true. Can you place them outside to let them dry out, or is it still too cold? I recently purchased an Eve at Home Depot, which was drowning when I brought it home. I keep all of mine outside (I live in south Florida), and it took almost three weeks for it to dry out. Fortunately the plant didn't suffer any damage.

  • 10 years ago

    I know that I am the only one watering the plants so it shouldn't be from overwatering if three weeks is usual.

    Is there a possibility that the humidity in the office is killing them? It is very hot in the office since we're closer to the furnace.

  • 10 years ago

    "when pressed lightly, it's mushy and some liquid comes out."

    i'm sorry to tell ya but this is rot & has got to go immediately before it spreads. You need to remove the entire leaf pls, the dark one w/ the yellow top.

    More importantly, it should probably be unpotted, taken apart, have all rot & debris removed from its roots & repotted into Cactus & Succulent mix w/ added perlite (like 50% as much). I'd remove that mossy stuff off the top, more potential for rot.

    What size is the Mason jar you're watering w/? how many ounces?

    Jaye: the poster said they were watering every 3 wks, not 3 days, as you seem to have said.

    I see that otherwise they look like healthy leaves / plants, I don't know what caused it, but I think it's fixable. Good luck.

    Lena

  • 10 years ago

    Thank you so much! I'll make sure to do this, hopefully the plant will be okay.


    Thank you to everyone who posted!

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Warmth is good as Sansevieria love heat. They like the soil to be somewhat dry before watering again. (outside in the summer time is a different story as they ill tolerate moist soil in the heat and bright light of the active growing season)

    Your plant, the pot is most likely staying too damp. Lena is giving you excellent advise to depot the plant and check the roots and repot in the soil mix Lena describes. You might consider a terracotta pot and some stones to lift the pot off the floor of the decorative outer pot so the plant never sits in water. Good luck and please keep us updated.

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