Snake plants are ornamental leafy plant, which is also known to many under the names pike tail, leopard lily, and snake plant. So let’s speak about snake plant browning.
Whilst, snake plants look more impressive in group plantings, which is why they are often planted in one pot.
Features of snake plants
The originality of this plant lies in the absence of a stem. The photo shows it very well. Spring is the best growing season for snake plant.
Very broad leaves tapering towards the top. They originate from one nest. As they grow, they rush to the top.
Therefore, a solid bush really resembles pike tails stuck in the ground.
The height of the leaf depends on the particular type of plant. You can meet sheets at home that reach one meter, or you can see a “pike tail” that has very short leaves, but there are a lot of them, and they originate from one point.
Types of snake plant
In total, about six dozen varieties of snake plant are known to science, and all of them have differences in the shape, color, and length of the leaves. They cultivated only 10 of them as house flowers.
- Sansevieria graceful or graceful (Sansevieria gracilis) Snake plant gracious is a perennial herbaceous plant with fleshy, erect leaves that grow from a thick stem 5-6 centimeters high. The structure of the sheet plates is dense and rectangular with an elongated end. They are painted bluish-green and decorated with transverse cream fuzzy spots.
- Sansevieria Hyacinth (Sansevieria Hyacinthoides). The plant grows up to 50 centimeters. The snake plant leaves are erect and fleshy and grow from the rosette in groups of 3-4 pieces. The length of the leaf plates is 15-40 centimeters, and the width is 6-8 centimeters. The coloring is closer to the swamp, with angular lines of a lighter tone. The narrow edging of the leaves is white or pink.
- Underwatering and low humidity are the primary causes of snake plant brown tips.
- Sansevieria Dooneri (Sansevieria Dooneri). Snake plant Dooneri is a succulent plant with large basal rosettes, from which a couple dozen vertical leathery leaf plates grow. Their length reaches the mark of 35-40 centimeters, and the width is only 2-3 centimeters. They painted the background of the snake plant leaves in rich green with darker patterns.
- Sansevieria Kirk (Sansevieria Kirkii). A sparse rosette distinguishes snake plant Kirk with relatively thin green leaves with white stains and a brown-burgundy thin border. Some species with brown leaves and reddish-brown leaf plates are also known.
How to save a plant? Snake plant browning.
Place and lighting
The window sills of the southwestern and southeastern windows will be comfortable for the plant. A pike tail can stand both in direct sun and in a darkened room, although in this case, it will not bloom.
With sufficient light, the snake plant forms strong, large snake plant leaves with intense color and throws out a long arrow with small white flowers with a delicate aroma.
Green-leaved snake plants most of the time can safely develop in a shaded room, but nevertheless, in order for the growth of snake plants to continue, they need to be exposed to the sun for 2-3 months a year, then they will have time to form several new leaves.
Temperature
They satisfied it with the even temperature throughout the year – 60 °F – 77 °F.
It is curious that the snake plant does not have a dormant period—it can develop all year round.
However, in order to achieve flowering, snake plants are allowed to rest in a cool place for a month. Do not stand longer, as keeping it cool can lead to root rot. Then the plant is returned to heat again.
Watering schedule
When an underwatered plant is suddenly subjected to excess water, it can also provoke some leaf browning.
The plant is tolerant of irregular watering and tolerates dry soil and air, so the snake plants should not be sprayed, and excessive watering is generally harmful because it can lead to the decay of the roots. Both these bugs are sap suckers, which can damage the leaves of snake plants, causing leaf dehydration.
In summer, it is enough to water abundantly once a week, in winter—during the rest period—once a month. But it is best to focus on the drying of the earth in a pot. Try moving your plant a little further away from the window, or to a slightly shadier spot to avoid further leaf burn.
Pour it more abundantly than usual and remove it from the sunny windowsill without direct sunlight. Snake plants will quietly wait for your return.
Another point–when watering, direct the watering can to the edges of the pot. It must be remembered that for plants, the best solution would be to make drainage holes. Wet brown areas with white thread-like growths signify a fungal growth such as southern blight. Do not forget about overwatering!
Hygiene
The leaves of the pike tail are large, so dust accumulates on them quite quickly, so every 2-3 weeks you need to clean the leaves with a damp cloth. Determine which of the leaves you want to take off, and using clean, sharp pruning shears, snip them off at the base of the plant.
If overwatered, the snake plant will develop a root rot situation, and the root rot invites pests. It could also be that they transferred the pests from another infected plant.
Soil
The soil should be a low-nutrient and natural potting mix. It is best to buy a ready-made soil substrate (for hardy succulents), but you can cook it yourself, potting mix, and soddy soil in a 2: 1 ratio.
Pot for the plant
We recommend it to take a pot that is shallow, but wide, as the rhizomes of Sansevieria grow in width. The reason snake plant leaves turn brown from too much fertilizer is a phenomenon known as nitrogen burn.
The flower does not impose special requirements on the material. It grows well in clay, plastic, and ceramic flower pots.
But still, it is better to purchase clay or ceramic pots with thick walls, as the plastic can burst under the pressure of the powerful snake plant’s roots. Are your snake plant leaves turning brown due to too much fertilizer?
Reproduction of a snake plant
Carry out the procedure in early spring. An adult plant is taken out of the pot and carefully divided into 3 or 4 parts (or more – it depends on the size of the bush) with a sharp knife (previously disinfected). It is important to ensure that each division has a point of growth.
The incision sites are treated with crushed coal for the purpose of disinfection. They planted the separated parts in sandy soil. Keep warm with moderate watering. The appearance of new shoots indicates that the rooting of the plant was successful. After that, they can transplant young bushes into a new pot.
Why is my snake plant leaf brown?
While the brown tips indicate insufficient watering and too much light, brown spots can result from overwatering and pest infestation. If you don’t do anything, pest infestations will cause the leaves to turn yellow and brown.
Other common symptoms include stunted growth and black sticky mold.
Wrong care of snake plant leaves
Snake plants thrive in hot African regions, so it loves light, warmth, dry soil, and air. So, if:
- The snake plant leaves become wet, turn yellow and root rot at the base-water snake plants.
- The snake plant leaves sag, and become lethargic – the snake plant is too cold.
- Brown leaves spots appeared on the leaves, and over time, the whole plant becomes covered with spots – the air is too humid.
In such cases, it is enough just to arrange care, and snake plants will stop suffering. But the problem could be much more serious.
Save the snake plant healthy root
Rots are the most common diseases of snake plant. They can occur when snake plants are transplanted into non-disinfected soil, as well as with prolonged improper care (excess water).
Perhaps snake plants were infected before purchase. There are several types of rot:
Spots on the snake plant’s leaves of dark brown tips, brown tips, or red color appear on the brown leaf tips, young shoots quickly rot, and the leaves curl and become irregular—snake plants are affected by root rot.
Save the snake plant healthy leaves. Should I cut brown leaves off the snake plant?
When the plant gets extremely dehydrated, the first place you will see it is in the leaf tips. Also, the cause may be direct sunlight, excessive sunlight, excess nutrients, or excess fertilizer.
The leaves rot at the very base, turn brown and look affected, and the flower begins to exude an unpleasant odor – soft rot takes place.
Round brown spots on the leaves appeared on the brown leaf tips. Upon closer examination, spores are visible, subsequently, the brown spots darken and merge with each other—these are symptoms of whole-leaf rot.
In such cases, it is necessary to reduce watering and use fungicides. But not only this, the leaves of snake plants can wither.
There are multiple chemical pesticides and insecticides for treating pests, but if you would like a more natural route, you can use neem oil and avoid direct sunlight and excess fertilizer.
Pest infestation
It is worth carefully examining the flower for pest infestation. It is not uncommon that they can lead to the death of snake plants.
The leaves wither, turn brown, completely dry, and die off. Whitish stripes may appear on them—spider mites affected snake plants.
Develop brown spots on the leaves, and soon the entire leaf acquires gray-silver-brown tips, under the leaf you can find pest colonies—these are thrips.
The leaves wither, fall off, and change shape and color—perhaps a mealybug is operating, which settles at the base of the flower and quietly feeds on its juices.
In these cases, snake plants must be treated with any insecticide, or folk methods should be used.
Do not spray the leaves, but wipe with a cloth moistened with the composition. The soil must also be treated.
Whatever the reasons, all affected leaves must be removed.
If there are a lot of affected leaves, the flower will definitely have to be transplanted.
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Why is my snake plant turning brown and soft?
- indoor plants do not allow too much sunlight. Therefore, they can withstand a few hours of direct sunlight daily, especially in the late afternoon or early morning.
- for plant health, it is necessary to avoid cold stress
- timely treat spider mites on the plant leaves
- transplant the plant into loose soil line
- choose the right potting soil
- follow the watering regime, and water your snake plant once a week. Avoid inconsistent watering.
Notes to gardeners whose snake plant leaves turn brown
- Snake plants dislike potting soils high in clay, peat, or dense organic. They can get packed together, thick, and hard to drain. Such potting media can quickly become soggy or overly wet. Furthermore, because they take so long to drain, your snake plant will be standing on “wet feet” and likely develop root rot.
- If your plant is used to lower light conditions, it will show signs of stress if it moved into direct sunlight or warmer conditions.
- You might find that your snake plant’s leaf tips are turning brown also due to inconsistent watering, rather than simply too much water. If your plant fluctuates between being waterlogged, to being bone dry, this can cause some real issues for the root system and plant, causing brown tips.
- Spider plants can be prone to mealybugs, spider mites, and fungus gnats. Of these three, spider mites and mealybugs can cause brown tips on the leaves of your snake plant.
Conclusion
Your snake plant will develop brown tips if it cannot tolerate the intensity of the light. This doesn’t mean that you can’t move your snake plant once it is used to one location.
Because of the low humidity, plant leaves transpire more water than they would normally.
How do you save a browning snake plant?
To save a browning snake plant, you should first identify the cause of the problem. Some common causes of browning in snake plants include overwatering, underwatering, and exposure to too much sunlight. Once you have identified the cause, you can take steps to address it. For example, if the plant is overwatered, you should allow the soil to dry out before watering it again. If the plant is underwater, you should increase the frequency of watering. If the plant is exposed to too much sunlight, you should move it to a location with less direct sunlight. Additionally, make sure the plant is getting proper nutrition and the soil is well-draining.
Should I cut brown leaves off snake plant?
It is generally recommended to remove brown or yellow leaves from a snake plant, as they can indicate a problem with the plant or simply be a sign of aging. Cutting off these leaves can help promote the growth of healthy new leaves. However, it is important to not cut off too many leaves at once, as this can stress the plant. Also, make sure to not leave any remaining brown leaf attached to the plant as it can rot and cause fungal infections.
How often should I water my snake plant?
It is recommended to water snake plants every 1-2 weeks, allowing the soil to dry out slightly between watering. It is important to not overwater as snake plants are susceptible to root rot. It is also helpful to check the humidity level of the room and adjust watering accordingly.