Cylindrical snake plant

Cylindrical snake plant: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Upright or fan-shaped leaves from a creeping rhizome, up to 90 cm tall and about 30 cm wide.

Leaves

Cylindrical, hard and pointed, up to about 3 cm thick, with fine lengthwise grooves.

Colour

Dark green with paler, grey-green cross-bands.

Roots

Thick rhizomes that store water and produce offsets.

Flowers

An older plant sometimes produces a spike of small white to pale pink flowers that are fragrant in the evening, but this is rare indoors.

Plants: March–April

Why grow it?

• Almost indestructible: it tolerates drought, dry air and neglect.
• Fits in almost anywhere, from a sunny windowsill to a dark corner.
• A clean, architectural shape that suits a modern interior.
• Grows slowly and rarely needs a bigger pot.
• In winter, watering once a month is enough.

Cylindrical snake plant: where does it grow best?

• Bright light to partial shade is ideal. It also tolerates full sun and shade, but grows very slowly in the dark.
• Normal room temperature, and never below 10 °C.
• Sandy, free-draining compost: cactus compost or potting compost mixed with sand.
• Dry: it copes with drought far better than with wet soil.

Light

Sunny, bright, out of direct sun or low light

Potting soil

Cactus compost

Acidity

Neutral

Watering

Sparingly

Size

0.9 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 10 °C

Goes well with

• Zamioculcas: Another tough, glossy houseplant that needs little water.
• Aloe: A succulent for the same bright, dry spot.
• Cacti: Together a drought-loving group in a bowl or on the windowsill.
• Ponytail palm: Another water-saver with an unusual shape.

Cylindrical snake plant: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot in March–April, only when the pot is full of roots or bulging; usually only every two or three years.
2. Choose a heavy terracotta or ceramic pot with a drainage hole: the plant is top-heavy and easily falls over.
3. Put a layer of clay granules or gravel in the bottom for drainage.
4. Fill with cactus compost, or potting compost mixed with a third of sand or fine grit.
5. Set the plant at the same depth as before, firm it in and wait a week before watering for the first time.

Care

Water

Water only when the compost is completely dry: every two or three weeks in summer, about once a month in winter.

How to water

Water around the edge of the pot and never into the centre of the leaves. Tip away any water left in the saucer after a quarter of an hour.

Feeding

From April to September, once a month, cactus fertiliser or houseplant fertiliser at half strength.

Leaves

Wipe off dust with a damp cloth so it catches the light well.

Repotting

Every two or three years, when the pot is full. A pot that is too small is better than one that is too big.

Tip: If you are not sure whether it needs water, wait another week: overwatering is by far the most common cause of death. Push a finger into the compost and only water when it is dry right to the bottom.

Cylindrical snake plant: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed.

How:

• Cut off a damaged, soft or withered leaf at the base with a sharp knife.
• Brown leaf tips can be trimmed with scissors, following the shape of the leaf.

Caution: The leaves are poisonous to cats and dogs that chew them. Keep it out of their reach.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In spring, when repotting, pull or cut offsets with their own roots away from the rhizome and pot them up separately in cactus compost.

Leaf cuttings

Cut a leaf into 5–10 cm sections, let them dry for a few days and push them, bottom end down, into moist sand. Roots and new shoots only appear after a few months.

Cylindrical snake plant: how does it get through the winter?

• A houseplant that must never drop below 10 °C: cold causes soft, glassy patches on the leaves.
• In winter, do not stand it against a cold window or in a draught.
• In winter, water about once a month, and even less if it is kept cool. Do not feed.

Diseases and pests

• Rotting base: The leaves go soft or yellow, or topple at the base. The cause is too much water: take the plant out of its pot, cut away rotten parts, let it dry and repot in dry cactus compost.
• Mealybug: White, woolly tufts in the leaf axils and at the base. Wipe them off with a cotton bud and keep checking the plant for a few weeks.
• Cold damage: Glassy, soft patches after a cold night or a draught. Cut off damaged leaves and move it somewhere warmer.
• Toppling over: The long leaves make it top-heavy. Use a heavy pot or stand the pot inside a heavier outer pot.

Through the year

• March: Repot or divide if the pot is full.
• April: Start feeding, once a month.
• May: Take leaf cuttings. Water when the compost is completely dry.
• June: Water every two or three weeks, when the compost is dry.
• July: Feed. Dust the leaves.
• August: Water when the compost is dry.
• September: Last feed.
• October: Water less. Move away from a cold window.
• December: Water once a month. Never below 10 °C.

Edible and useful

Not edible. These dragon trees, the snake plant, lucky bamboo and the ti plant are mildly poisonous: the leaves contain saponins, which cause drooling, vomiting and sometimes diarrhoea and lethargy in cats and dogs; cats can also get dilated pupils. They like to chew the long, narrow leaves, which look like blades of grass: keep the plant out of their reach and clear up fallen or trimmed leaves. Do not let animals drink from the vase or bowl of lucky bamboo. A bit of leaf gives a child an upset stomach at most, but do not let children chew it. Call your vet if an animal has eaten a lot or falls ill. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• Following DNA research, the sansevierias were moved into the genus Dracaena a few years ago. In shops it is usually still called sansevieria or snake plant.
• In Africa, rope was made from the leaf fibres of related sansevierias, which is why the group is also known in English as bowstring hemp.
• Like many succulents, it opens its breathing pores mainly at night. That way it loses little water during the day.