How to propagate a Snake Plant

Hi guys, today I wanted to share with you some of my newly learnt gardening tips and experiences in hopes to encourage others to connect with plants and gardening as well. The focus for today is on snake plants. Snake plants are a really great plant to have around the house. They are great air purifiers for your home and don’t require too much attention in terms of watering or the amount of sunlight they need to thrive. Snake plants are capable of handling dryer soil as much as they can tolerate wetter soil and can handle a variety of sunlight making these the perfect plants for beginners. As a bonus this plant can be propagated, meaning that you can cut it and it will grow new roots! These propagated plants can then be moved into soil and will take off as new individual plants multiplying the number of snake plants you have in your space!

What you'll need to propagate:

In order to propagate your snake plant you will require the following:

• a mature snake plant

• a clean pair of scissors

• rooting hormone

• a few jars filled with water

• Sunlit area or grow light

Step 1: Find the snake plant you would like to propagate.

Note that It is best to aim for a plant stem which has a baby snake plant growing out of the same rooting system. By cutting the larger plant you will be transferring all the energy to the baby snake plant allowing it to grow much quicker. If you have no snake plant with babies growing on its side then any snake plant stem will suffice so long that it is mature and thick.

Step 2: The first cut.

Now you will need to make the first cut. Move your scissors to the very bottom of the snake plant. Aim as low as you can without cutting the sides of the new snake plant baby in order to prevent any damage that would infringe on its growth and development. If you do not have a baby from the same rooting system aim the first cut as low as possible in order to get the most cuttings out of your plant.

Step 3: Dividing the plant into multiple cuttings.

Next you will cut your snake plant into 2 1/2- 3 inch clippings. It’s very important that you cut from the bottom up and ensure you keep track of where the bottom of the clippings are since your roots will grow from the bottom part. You can place them in a row after each new cutting in order to keep track of your bottoms.

Step 4: Dip each bottom of your plant in rooting hormone.

By dipping the bottom of your plant in rooting hormone you are giving it added nutrients needed to grow new roots. Again, the emphasis is to place the hormone at the bottom/base of the plant.

Step 5: Place your clippings upright in a jar.

You will next place your new clipping in a jar (or a few jars) with the base of the plant which has the rooting hormone in first. It’s a good idea to ensure that the plant is sticking upright and is not floating in the water. To prevent your plant from floating find a narrow jar so that your plant can lay on the side and be supported upright. You can also place one or two clippings in a larger jar so long as they don’t topple on top of each other.

Step 6: Fill the jars with water.

You will now want to fill your jar with water so that the base of the plant is submerged with an inch of water. You don’t require much more water than that as too much water will prevent air from circulating around the plant making it soggy.

Step 7: Place your jars by a window or grow light.

As your plants develop roots they will require enough energy from either sunlight or a grow light. Place your jars by a sunlit window or close to a grow light (3 inches above the plants).

Step 8:Observe the plants growth.

Over the course of the next few weeks maintain the health of your propagated plants. This requires you to change the water with fresh water every 2-3 days. This will ensure that your plants have enough fresh water and oxygen required to grow new roots.

Step 9: Transferring into soil.

Once your snake plants has roots its time to transfer them into soil. Find small pots to start and transfer each plant into the pot. For a step by step guide on planting the propagations into pots watch my latest video on my YouTube channel Renelle B under the garden with me playlist.

Step 10: Enjoy the process.

Remember that gardening and caring for plants is a beautiful experience with Mother Nature. A time that is meant to be cherished so enjoy the process of caring for your plants.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this step by step guide on propagating your own snake plant. Be sure tho share your progress in the comment section bellow or on my social media platforms. I’d love to hear all about your experiences and lend a hand where needed.

Have a fantastic day.

Renelle B