Repairing Guides

how to repair snake plant leaves

by Shaylee Torp Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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How to fix rotting leaves on snake plants – 7 Easy Solutions.

  • 1. Slow down watering. The first step is to slow down the water you are adding. If you are watering your snake plant more than once per month then ...
  • 2. Choose a pot with good drainage.
  • 3. Plant in good quality potting soil.
  • 4. Trim off dead and damaged leaves.
  • 5. Empty the pot tray.

What to do With Damaged (or Broken) Snake Plant Leaves
  1. Don't do anything and let the plant heal itself. ...
  2. Only cut away the damaged parts. ...
  3. Cut away the entire damaged leaves. ...
  4. Use the broken or damaged leaves for propagation.
Jul 24, 2021

Full Answer

How to clean snake plant leaves?

The Snake plant’s leaves are attached to the main stem, and they are slightly difficult to remove from it. So, use pruning shears or sharp scissors to make a nice cut at the base. If you can’t get the entire leaf, this is the best method for this task. Once you remove the broken leaf, rinse it thoroughly. There shouldn’t be any dirt on the leaf.

Why are my snake plant leaves wilting?

If your Snake plant is exhibiting wilting leaves, you should first remove it from any direct sunlight. Then, place it in a shaded area and water the plant more frequently. If the wilting leaves are due to underwatering, then you should increase waterings until the problem goes away.

How to fix a broken leaf on a houseplant?

Yes, the broken leaf will need water to grow roots underneath the soil. Once you put the leaves in the pot, you can water them for the first time. For the next round, you should wait for 7-10 days, depending on the moisture level in the soil. If the soil doesn’t dry out quickly, you shouldn’t water your plant.

Do snake plants need a lot of water?

Related to cactus, these succulent plants require little care and only occasional water. If you give your snake plant the conditions it needs, it will remain healthy and the leaves won't droop. However, if the leaves begin to lose their upright form and droop, it's time to take action to save your plant.

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Should I trim damaged snake plant leaves?

Trimming a Damaged Snake Plant Take care in only cutting the broken leaf. With the leaves tightly packed together, it can be easy to accidentally damage the healthy snake plant leaves in the process. Make sure to use a sharp knife, scissor, or shear to keep the cut as clean as possible at the base of the snake plant.

Will cut snake plant leaves grow back?

Use a thin knife to cut the individual leaves away, being careful not to damage adjacent leaves. Remove all the leaves that you think are too tall. The smaller, younger leaves will continue to grow and preserve the character of the plant. If you want to grow additional plants, use the pruned leaves to start new ones.

How do you fix fallen snake plant leaves?

Water Sansevieria when 2“ – 3” inches of the soil is dry to touch. Snake plants exposed to the partial sun would need more frequent watering. Water the plant once every 2-3 weeks and stop watering once the water runs through the drainage hole of the container. Water the plant once a month during winter months.

How do snake plants grow new leaves?

They produce 2-4 new leaves at a time from their rhizome during the growing season and can easily grow 6-10 new leaves in a year. Snake Plants will typically spread by about 1-2 inches per year and will need to be repotted every 2-3 years once rootbound to prevent their growth being restricted.

How do you trim a damaged snake plant?

Whether your Snake Plant is overgrown or it has some damaged leaves you'd like to remove, pruning a Snake Plant is very easy. Using a sharp, clean blade, simply cut off the stalks you'd like to remove at the base, closest as possibly to the soil.

Can I grow a snake plant from a leaf?

Rooting snake plant cuttings is as easy as placing a leaf into a jar of clean water. Begin by cutting a leaf off an established plant. The cut leaf should be at least 6 inches tall (taller leaves are even better). Place the cut end of the leaf in a jar or vase filled with 3 inches of water.

Why is my snake plant floppy?

Like all succulents, the snake plant is susceptible to root rot in soggy conditions, and droopy snake plant leaves often result when the plant is overwatered. Water the snake plant only when the top 2 or 3 inches (5-7.5 cm.) of soil is completely dry, and then water deeply until water runs through the drainage hole.

Can snake plant grow from cutting?

Snake plant cuttings will root in moist potting mix, too. First, remove a leaf from an established plant, cutting the leaf at the base of the plant with pruners or a knife. You can maximize the number of new plants by cutting the leaf horizontally into 2-inch pieces.

How do you encourage a snake plant to grow?

To promote faster growth in your snake plant, be sure to choose the right pot, provide the correct amount of water, give it lots of sunlight, fertilize regularly, and be on the lookout for pest infestations. Adequate bright light and small amounts of fertilizer will help your snake plant produce green leaves.

1. Slow down watering

The first step is to slow down the water you are adding. If you are watering your snake plant more than once per month then reduce your watering schedule. Watering deeply once per month is usually enough to keep your snake plant happy.

2. Choose a pot with good drainage

It is very important to make sure the pot your plant your snake plant into has good drainage. It is idea to have at least 5 drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. You can even add holes in the side of the plant for extra drainage.

3. Plant in good quality potting soil

Choosing good quality potting soil for snake plants is important for drainage and to avoid rotting leaves on snake plants. You don’t need to choose a succulent soil but a good quality all-purpose potting soil is perfect. This will be high in organic matter and drain well.

4. Trim off dead and damaged leaves

To help your snake plant to recover it is best to trim off very damaged leaves. Any leaves that have started to turn brown and dry can be trimmed. Once the leaf is at least 30% damaged, it is best to remove it to allow the plant to grow new leaves to replace them.

5. Empty the pot tray

It is important to make sure that the pot tray is always empty of water. Trays are great for catching drips but you should never have it filled with water. This will cause your snake plant to become overwatered and can damage the leaves.

6. Use an inner and outer pot for indoor plants

The best way to avoid rotting leaves and overwatering on indoor snake plants is to use an inner and outer pot. What this means is to plant your snake plant in a regular, plastic pot with at least 5 drainage holes. You can then place the pot inside an indoor pot. These pots will not have drainage but will catch any drips from the inner pot.

7. Repot into fresh soil

You can repot your snake plant into fresh potting soil to help it recover from soggy leaves. If the soil is very wet, won’t dry out and is growing mold it is better to repot it to help it to survive. Simply tip the plant onto its side and gently pull it out of the pot. Let the extra soil drop off the plant from around the roots.

1. Let The Plant Repair Itself Without Any Intervention

If you do not like the dead or damaged leaves hanging morosely, you may remove them. As a rule, this is not necessary, though. During the course of the plant’s self-healing process, broken leaves ultimately die and drop off. However, the natural healing process of the snake plant might take a long time if it has suffered extensive damage (months).

2. Limit Your Chopping To The Affected Areas Alone

Snake plant leaves that have sustained damages are not only unappealing, but they may also put the plant under further trauma. To improve the appearance of your plant and foster the growth of new, more vigorous leaves, trimming away the damaged areas is a viable option.

3. Remove All The Damaged Leaves

Even if your snake plant is in good condition, you may need to trim it from time to time. It is possible to enhance a plant’s overall health by removing dead leaves.

4. Reproduce The Leaves That Have Sustained Damage

Snake plants are a lot of fun to grow since they are so simple to reproduce. You will be able to produce a lot more of these beautiful plants once you learn how to do it. These plants are among the simplest to adorn your house. They grow well in the interiors after you have cut off the damaged leaves.

Will a broken snake plant leaf grow back?

Broken leaves will not harm your plant unless you use poor potting techniques or your plant has a disease. Apart from such cases, the broken snake plant leaf will grow back.

Stop Further Harm To The Leaves

You should constantly check to see whether your snake plant is flourishing in the proper environment. Snake plants like a light that is both bright and comfortable.

Other Issues Damaging Snake Plant Leaves

Snake plants may succumb to a few situations despite their resiliency against most pests and diseases.

What can go wrong with a snake plant?

Unfortunately, there are quite a few things that can go wrong with your snake plants, from drooping leaves to brown spots or lack of growth. However, most are easy to fix, and your snake plant should return to normal in no time.

Why are my snake plant leaves turning brown?

If snake plant leaves are damaged, possibly from adverse weather or transportation, the site of the damage may become brown. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about it as the injury has already been caused, but you can prune away the leaf to promote new, healthy growth.

Why are my snake plants mushy?

If watering is not your issue, humidity may be the culprit. This is quite unlikely, as the humidity high enough to cause mushy leaves is more than most of us can handle. However, if your snake plant is sitting next to your humidifier or in a consistently moist bathroom, it’s not impossible.

Why are my snake plants' leaves yellowing?

In case you couldn’t already tell, overwatering is one of the worst things you can do to a snake plant. Roots left sitting in water will rot, resulting in an inability to send nutrients to parts of the plants that need it. This causes the yellowing leaves houseplant owners are so familiar with.

How to fix a plant that is overwatering?

To fix this issue, adjust your watering schedule. Only water when the soil has dried out for several days – these plants prefer underwatering to overwatering.

Why are my snake plants drooping?

Less often, drooping leaves could be a sign of heat stress. While snake plants can handle full sun spots, too much can be a bad thing. If your snake plant is placed in the baking hot sun all hours of the day, especially in front of a window, move it into a spot with more indirect bright light.

Why are my leaves mushy?

Soft, mushy leaves are most often a sign of overwatering. Just as overwatering can cause the roots to rot and the leaves to fall over , it can also result in too much moisture in the leaves and around the plant, causing them to rot too. The insides of the leaves will slowly begin to disintegrate and die off, leaving behind the mushy texture.

What does it mean when you see rotten leaves on a plant?

When you see rotten leaves on the plant, you know there is no point in keeping them as it is.

Do plants need water every other day?

So, there is no real need to supply water to such plants every other day.

Is a sage plant hardy?

Well, this plant is known for its hardy nature.

Can you keep a plant on a balcony?

If you keep your plant on a windowsill or the balcony, it might get excess water during the rains.

Do pruned leaves look good on plants?

Now the pruned leaves may not look great on the plant, but the process will surely help stop rotting in the entire leaf structure.

Can you throw leaves in the compost bin?

Also, when you remove these leaves, do not throw them in the compost bin.

Do snake plants like wet conditions?

Even though the Snake plant won’t mind a bit of moisture around it, it will certainly not like wet conditions.

What do you need to plant a snake plant?

Things You'll Need. Compost. Potting soil. Shovel or trowel. Pot with drainage hole. Tip. If the snake plant’s leaves shrivel or bend, water it more frequently than is your habit. The snake plant is also called Sansevieria and "mother-in-law's tongue," for its sharp, upright leaves, which are mottled green and yellow and resemble a snake.

How to repot a plant when it droops?

Repot or move a plant when its leaves droop — this condition often results when the plant receives excessive water. Dig it up or remove it from its pot, rinse off all old soil and replant it in fresh potting soil or an outdoor area where drainage is better.

Do snake plants need water?

Related to cactus, these succulent plants require little care and only occasional water. If you give your snake plant the conditions it needs, it will remain healthy and the leaves won't droop. However, if the leaves begin to lose their upright form and droop, it's time to take action to save your plant. Advertisement.

Why are my snake plants' leaves broken?

Broken or damaged snake plant (also known as Sansevieria) leaves can be unsightly and in some cases can even reduce your plant’s overall health. The growing environment could be to blame, or a plant disease might be your problem. There are many reasons that this might be happening to your snake plant.

Why trim a snake plant?

Also if the damage on the leaves of the Sanseveria (snake plant) is caused by a pest or a disease, it’s best to trim away the damaged leaves. By trimming away the affected leaves, you can prevent the pest or disease from spreading further.

What are the pests that snake plants have?

Another common snake plant pest is spider mites. These bugs create white, cobweb-like detritus on the leaves and stems of affected plants.

How long does it take for a snake plant to heal?

However, if the snake plant has a lot of damage, this natural healing process can actually take a long time (months).

How to get rid of rot on plants?

Always remove a plant with root rot from the pot it is in and replant in fresh soil. Rinse the roots before replanting and remove all rotted roots and leaves.

How to keep water from collecting near plants?

Plant in a pot with a drainage hole in the bottom to prevent standing water from collecting near the roots.

Why not use too much fertilizer on a plant?

Make sure not to use too much fertilizer because that will hurt the plant and burn the leaves.

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