How to grow sansevierias

What are sansevierias?

Also know as mother-in-law’s tongue or snake plants, these popular and striking houseplants mainly originate from Africa, in hot dry habitats, so are drought-tolerant, with fleshy, succulent leaves that are able to store water. They make very forgiving, low-maintenance houseplants that are impressive yet relatively indestructible. 
 
Several species and cultivars are sold as houseplants, with differing leaf shapes and styles of growth. The most widely available have upright, sword-shaped or cylindrical, pointed leaves. Others have flattened

Rosettes are the circular arrangement of flower petals; or a cluster of leaves radiating from approximately the same point usually around a stem. Examples include aeonium and most succulent plants, African violets, primula, sempervivums.

• Sansevieria trifasciata – the original and best-known, with sword-like, upright, twisting leaves that have striped markings. The variegated form, S. trifasciata var. laurentii AGM, which has vibrant yellow edges, is among the most widely sold

• S. zeylanica – similar to the above, but with plain silver-green mottled leaves, and is very tolerant of low light

• S. masoniana – broad blue-green leaves with a thin red edge. Known as the whale-fin or shark-fin sansevieria 

• S. kirkii – forms a star-shaped rosette of leaves that have wavy margins

• S. cylindrica – stiff, strongly upright, cylindrical leaves with concentric ring markings. ‘Starfish’ cultivars are branched

Although grown as foliage houseplants, sansevierias occasionally produce fragrant, starry white flowers.
 
Take care when handling or pruning sansevierias, as the sap is a skin irritant. They are also poisonous, so position them out of reach of children and pets.

For more on growing succulent houseplants, see our guide:

How to grow houseplant cacti and succulents

How to grow houseplant cacti and succulents

Choosing sansevierias

There are sansevierias of various sizes and for most locations, to enhance every home and workplace.

• Dwarf sansevierias, such as S. trifaciata ‘Golden Hahnii’ AGM, S. cylindrica ‘Inti’ and S. ehrenbergi ‘Samurai’, are compact enough to fit easily onto desks, shelves and windowsills

• Larger sansevierias, such as S. masoniana ‘Victoria’ and S. trifasciata var. laurentii AGM, are excellent in floor-level planters. Tall and upright, they’re easily squeezed in among other houseplants with contrasting foliage, such as Pilea peperomioides AGM, Aglaonema ‘Silver Queen’ AGM and Syngonium podophyllum AGM

• Unusual sansevierias, such as S. kirkii ‘Silver Blue’ and S. ‘Star Canary’, make great statement houseplants. S. metallica, S. trifasciata ‘Bantel’s Sensation’ AGM, ‘Golden Flame’ and ‘Silver Flame’ are also worth tracking down for their striking variegation 

• Sansevierias for low light – choose all-green plants such as S. zeylanica, S. bacularis ‘Mikado’, S. trifasciata ‘Pineapple’, S. trifasciata ‘Moonshine’ AGM or S. trifasciata ‘Hahnii’ AGM

• Sansevierias for bright light or full sun – all are suitable, but S. cylindrica and its cultivars, such as ‘Boncel’ and ‘Motum Kenya’, will do particularly well

To find more sansevierias to suit your particular indoor space, check out RHS Find a Plant. 

Buying sansevierias

Sansevierias are available from most garden centres and other houseplant retailers. For the more unusual species and cultivars, try larger online houseplant stockists, particularly those specialising in succulents. 
 
When buying in person, select plants with smooth fleshy leaves that aren’t wrinkled or puckered. The rosette of leaves should be firmly anchored in its pot, without wobbling too much from side to side. This shows it’s well-rooted and unlikely to be suffering root rot.
 
Although long-lived, these are relatively slow-growing plants. So if you want a plant with instant impact, it’s best to invest in a larger specimen at the start. 

Newly bought sansevierias are generally happy in their original container for the first few years. They prefer a cosy-fitting pot, so only need to be repotted once the roots and leaves have completely filled the existing container or are causing it to buckle. 

Choose a pot with plenty of drainage holes. It should only be slightly larger than the previous one, to avoid problems with overpotting – a much larger pot will contain a lot of spare compost, which will tend to stay damp after watering, encouraging root rot. 

Use a free-draining cactus compost or mix your own using two parts peat-free loam-based compost (such as Melcourt Sylvagrow with John Innes) and one part horticultural grit or fine gravel.

See our video guide to repotting houseplants:

Location 

Sansevierias are tolerant and adaptable and will grow well in most locations around the home. Ideally they like a bright, lightly shaded position, but most will also cope in lower light too. Those in shade often grow taller leaves, while those in sun may remain more compact.

Temperature

Sansevierias enjoy typical room temperatures, ideally between 15–24°C (60–75°F). Keep them out of cold draughts and away from radiators.

Watering

Overwatering sansevierias is a common cause of poor health, as the roots are likely to rot. These are succulent, drought-tolerant plants, so err on the side of minimal watering, doing so only once the compost has dried out. Push your finger into the compost to check, rather than watering routinely. Water the compost from above, avoiding the centre of the rosette. Pour away any water that drains into the saucer or outer pot, so the plant doesn’t sit in water for long.
 
In winter, growth slows and plants draw on the water stored in their fleshy leaves. At this time, they barely need any water, unless they’re in a particularly warm spot.

Humidity

Sansevierias like low humidity, so never mist them and avoid placing them in a steamy bathroom. They enjoy good air flow around them, but not chilly draughts.

Feeding

To boost growth, feed once a month through the growing season (April to September) with a liquid houseplant fertiliser or specialist liquid cactus feed.

Sansevierias don’t need pruning, but remove any damaged leaves by cutting them off at the base to improve the overall appearance. Wear gloves when handling cut leaves, as the sap is a skin irritant. Individual leaves are long lived, usually surviving many years without withering or browning.
 
Occasionally, sansevierias may produce starry white flowers on long thin stalks. Once the flowers fade, snip off the stalk down at the base.
 
If taller cultivars of Sansevieria trifasciata and S. zeylanica are kept in particularly low light, the leaves may sometimes flop, in which case you can support them with a wire hoop or bamboo canes and string. However, if you notice the whole plant leaning over, rather than just the occasional leaf, check for signs of root rot.

Sansevierias are quite easy to propagate in spring (March to May), when they’re coming back into growth after their winter rest. It is advisable to wear gloves, as the sap can be a skin irritant. 
 
There are three methods:

• Pot up offsets – established plants produce young rosettes, or offsets, around the outside, to expand the clump. Remove your plant from its pot and pull away well-rooted offsets from the rootball. Pot these up individually or, for a fuller pot, plant several together. Return the parent plant to its original pot, adding extra compost to fill any gaps
• Divide large clumps – remove the plant from its pot and split the clump into several pieces, each with one or more leaves attached to the fibrous roots. The rootball can usually be prised apart by hand, but you may need to use a sharp knife or secateurs on any tougher bits. Discard any damaged or dead sections, repotting only healthy ones. With taller plants, the new sections may initially need to be supported with a cane and string if they’re wobbly, until well-rooted and self-supporting
• Take leaf cuttings – cut off a mature leaf at the base, then slice widthways into 5cm (2in) sections. Keep them orientated in the same direction as they were growing, leaving them for a day or two in a dry place so the cut surfaces callus over. Insert half of the cutting, orientated bottom downwards, into a pot or tray of damp peat-free cuttings compost (or a 50:50 mix of peat-free loam-based compost and horticultural grit/perlite). Place in a propagator with bottom heat of 18°C (65°F) or seal inside a clear bag in a warm room. This method works best with non-variegated plants – cuttings from variegated cultivars tend to produce plants that revert to green

Sansevierias are usually healthy, long-lived and almost bullet-proof, suffering few problems and coping well with a little neglect if necessary. 
 
Overwatering and/or leaving them standing in water is usually the main issue, potentially leading to root rot. It can be tempting to water generously, as sansevierias have quite a tropical appearance, but in fact they come from dry habitats. So don’t be heavy-handed with the watering can – let the compost dry out between waterings, especially in winter. 
 
Sansevierias are generally untroubled by diseases, but are sometimes susceptible to:

• Mealybugs – sap-sucking insects that hide between the leaves at the base

• Red spider mites – usually only a problem in hot dry conditions

• Vine weevils – the grubs feed on the fleshy roots, causing the leaves to collapse

For more problem-solving tips, see our guides:
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How to help a poorly houseplant

How to help a poorly houseplant

Leaf damage on houseplants

Leaf damage on houseplants