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mike_maret

Saving a snake plant

8 years ago

Alright. New here so hopefully I can get some assistance.


I bought an amazing snake plant that was huge last fall and I decided to break it up and plant it into 3 different pots. The small ones are in a shallow pot at work and doing great. The bigger bunches shown in the pictures I potted too deep in an attempt to keep them upright and it seems they have gone down hill. I've been having leaves rotting and whatnot. So I dug them up after consulting a guy at a local nursery to see what I'm working with (he told me they were planted too deep).

So here is what I have, regular size scissors for scale. These guys are tall!

I've got 2 with roots, and 3 that are basically bare.


So I'm wondering if these stuff will work on such a large plant...


I'm also wondering about propagating through leaf cuttings on the ones with no roots.


Any snake plant experts out there with any thoughts on how to get the best yield from what I've currently got?


Appreciate any and all considerations. Hope this pans out well for them.

THanks


Michael

Comments (14)

  • 8 years ago

    Russ I am in Ohio and currently in a low light apartment... I keep it high 60s low 70s. And yeah, this is probably the worst time to be dealing with this... I might look into heating pads, but unfortunately, I'm in the process of buying a house, so funds are low and these guys are going to have to make a move soon too (lots of natural light in the new place though!).

    I believe the roots of the stems shown are in decent shape so I will replant those tomorrow. Would putting any of the rooting powder on them help?

    The others, I don't really see any rotted tissue, hopefully, they just need to dry out a bit (which isn't much since I haven't sprinkled in well over a month).

    Thanks for all the advice!

  • 8 years ago

    Russ, what is the all green variety of Bantel's?

  • 8 years ago

    Fred, He means back to S. trifasciata. Good advise given Russ.

    I see the problem I used to have with them. over watering them. I had the most hardest time with these guys. Keep them very dry this time of year. The rooting power will help. I would plant them in pure grit until you see roots and no watering them until you see roots. Could spray mist very lightly to keep the leaves from drying. I would use a old two liter bottle of pop cutting the top half off. Grit or perlite in the bottom. Would hold moisture high while keeping the soil dry. After seeing some roots or new growth, then re-pot into regular mix. They are in a dangerous stage right now.

  • 8 years ago

    Fred, they usually revert to trifasciata as Stush says. Pretty sure you knew that so maybe my comments weren't clear.

    Yeah Stush, Michael's cuttings are precarious at best, sometimes it's best to just lay them on a bright windowsill and spritz them once in awhile until spring. I've seen thick leaf cuttings of sans like cylindrica, patens, hallii and the like sit there for months and then start producing roots right where they lay. Pot those up and they grow like wildfire.

    I've rooted sans in pure grit or perlite, mostly the latter since it's readily available. Probably the safest bet to root sans cuttings, but it's hard to tell when perlite needs watering since it doesn't change color when wet. Adding a tiny bit of peat moss or Miracle-Gro can help, it will be darker when moist and usually doesn't add much more risk of rot.

    I just saw two 5" pots of Bantel's with 4 or 5 plants each on the discount table at Walmart for under $4. I'd have bought both but already have a couple of small ones.

    Russ


  • 8 years ago

    Russ, Reminds me of when I was giving up on Bantel and saw 4 pots full of 5 or 6 each and on clearance for (I think) $2 each. Who could pass on such a deal. Any way, they grew like weeds for me after that. Never had a problem with them again. I gave out about 1/2 of them here.

  • 8 years ago

    Stush, Bantel's fairly common in the big box stores these days. Although they're slow growing I guess wholesalers and growers found them profitable to market. They do seem more sensitive to cold and overwatering, but once you understand how to handle them they're fairly easy.

    Russ

  • 8 years ago

    Ha! maybe common in FL big box stores but not in NJ.(tear drop)


  • 8 years ago

    I think my set is about shot. With a move to a new house upcoming and even the rooted ones doing poorly (stalks starting to mush and fall over after replanting) I just don’t have time to give these guys a lot of TLC. Will certainly keep a look out for more in the future and be super careful with the water.

  • 8 years ago

    Weird. I rooted a leaf off my snake plant that broke off by doing none of this. I broke it off moving it inside for the winter. Leaf was probably 4ft long, I was busy, stuck it in a vase, poured some plain water in the vase, propped the leaf against a shelf so it wouldn't fall over, and forgot about it! It grew a great set of roots and is now putting out new leaves.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Vitorama, good to see you here. Let me know if you need Bantel's, mine are small but I can find larger ones in stores.

    Russ

  • 8 years ago

    Thank you for the offer, Russ, but I’m pretty maxed out now. Hopefully my Bantel’s will revive in the spring sunshine.

  • 8 years ago

    Okay, but the offer stands.

    Russ

  • 8 years ago

    Sherry, That always happens when it's no big deal. If you wanted to start a new plant it would have died. Some times all goes well with me then all goes bad. Almost like playing poker.

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