12 Things Every Snake Plant Owner Needs To Know

Snake plants, also known as mother-in-law’s tongue, are favorite houseplants for good reason. They look sharp, they put up with a lot, and they suit beginners and seasoned plant people alike. The plant is easy to grow and tolerant of a wide range of conditions.

Easy is not the same as automatic, though. Getting the basics right, especially light requirements and watering, keeps a snake plant looking its best for years. Here are 12 things worth knowing, including a couple most care guides skip.

1) Snake Plants Are Easy To Care For And Hard To Kill (Mostly)

Snake plants earn their tough reputation. NC State Extension describes the plant as durable, easily grown and difficult to kill, and some varieties have been known to live 20 to 25 years.

They are not indestructible, though. Iowa State University Extension says the quickest, and sometimes the only, way to kill a sansevieria is to overwater it. We come back to that in number 9. Also watch for mealybugs and spider mites.

Two cautions before you bring one home. First, pets. The ASPCA lists the snake plant as toxic to dogs and cats, names saponins as the toxic principle, and lists nausea, vomiting and diarrhea as the signs. All sansevierias should be kept out of reach of children, dogs and cats. If you suspect your pet has eaten some, call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center or your local veterinarian.

Second, if you garden in Florida, keep it in a pot. In its north, central and south Florida assessment, UF/IFAS Extension rates this group of plants a high invasion risk, predicted to be invasive and not recommended. A 2021 article noted that the last assessment was issued in 2011. A 2025 article still says it is best to keep this plant in a pot indoors, because any part of the plant can regrow and no herbicides are currently labeled for controlling it.

2) Snake Plants Are Now Reclassified As Dracaena

Snake plants have a new scientific name. Recent DNA-based studies showed that the group once called Sansevieria sits inside the genus Dracaena, so botanists folded it in. Extension guides put it the same way: sansevieria is now included in the genus Dracaena.

Snake plants are now officially Dracaena. The common snake plant, once Sansevieria trifasciata, is now Dracaena trifasciata. Other snake plant species moved to Dracaena as well.

You will still see the old name in plenty of places, including some university and pet-safety pages. The name is what changed. The plant on your shelf is the same one.

3) Many Snake Plant Varieties And Cultivars Exist

Snake plants come in many shapes and sizes. Check out our article on 35 rare, unique varieties. The one most people know is Dracaena trifasciata, also called mother-in-law’s tongue.

There’s a long run of cultivars. A few popular ones: the Laurentii variety is dark green with lighter zigzags and yellow edges. The Moonshine snake plant has silvery-gray foliage. ‘Black Gold’ is dark green with bright gold edging. And the Hahnii, also known as the Bird’s Nest snake plant, is a dwarf.

With so many choices, you can find a variety that fits your space and style.

4) Snake Plants Do Not Need Much Fertilizer

Snake plants do not ask much of you at feeding time. Frequent fertilizing is not necessary, and an all-purpose fertilizer at half or quarter strength in spring promotes healthy growth.

The growth rate is medium. For product ideas, see our guide to the best fertilizer for snake plants.

5) Snake Plants Flower, But Rarely Indoors

Snake plants do bloom. Mature plants can produce small, fragrant, greenish-white flowers in spring, followed by orange berries. The flowers and fruit rarely appear on indoor plants, though; a snake plant rarely blooms as a houseplant.

With abundant light and good fertility, a sansevieria may produce flowers. Read more about snake plant flowers. If yours ever does bloom, enjoy it. It is a real treat.

6) Snake Plants Were Part Of The NASA “Air Purifying” Study

Yes, snake plants were tested. A 1989 report lists mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria laurentii) among a dozen common indoor plants chosen for screening. The chemicals studied were benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde.

Your living room is not a lab chamber, though. That study put houseplants in small sealed chambers, and in reality these houseplants have little effect on air quality in the home or office. Researchers who reviewed a dozen studies spanning 30 years in 2019 found that the air exchange in homes and offices dilutes these chemicals much faster than plants can remove them.

If cleaner air is your goal, the American Lung Association suggests cutting pollution sources and opening doors and windows for 10 to 15 minutes a day. Grow a snake plant because it is tough and good looking, not because you expect it to purify your air.

7) Snake Plants Do Not Mind Being A Little Crowded

Snake plants do not need frequent repotting. Sansevieria does not mind being a bit crowded in its container, and dividing the plant helps manage one that gets excessively pot-bound.

Wider-than-normal clay pots are often used for this tall, narrow plant so it does not topple over.

When you do repot, choose a pot with drainage holes that is only a little bigger than the current one. Use a well-drained potting soil, such as cactus mix or potting soil amended with perlite. Staying wet is what leads to root rot, which we cover in number 9.

8) It Is Easy To Grow New Snake Plants

Snake plants are simple to propagate, and there are two methods.

The first is leaf cuttings. Cut a leaf into sections 3 to 4 inches tall. The end closest to the base of the parent plant is the bottom. Dip that end in rooting hormone and insert it one to two inches deep in a moistened rooting medium such as perlite. New shoots or plantlets should appear at the base in about two months.

The second is division. For a mature plant, separate the clumps or rosettes of leaves by cutting the thick underground rhizome, making sure each section has both roots and shoots.

There is one catch. Variegated types with edged leaves, such as Laurentii, lose their coloration when grown from leaf cuttings, because that variegation comes from a chimera. Divide those instead to keep the pattern.

Be patient either way. If you share pups with friends, tell them to keep the plant in a pot. That means explaining how snake plants reproduce and keeping them in a controlled environment.

9) The Biggest Danger To Snake Plants Is Overwatering

If plants stay wet, root rot develops, causing leaves to turn yellow and collapse, and eventually the plant dies. Careful watering is a must, because overwatering can rot the roots.

So skip the calendar and watch the soil. Water only after the soil has completely dried out. Let it dry between waterings from spring to autumn, and water only every one to two months in winter, cutting watering back significantly from fall to late winter. Don’t pour water into the center of the rosette.

Watch for leaves turning yellow or a plant that starts to droop and collapse. If you suspect root rot, unpot the plant, cut away mushy roots and repot in fresh, well-draining mix. Our guide to snake plant root rot walks through it.

10) Pruning Snake Plants Is Sometimes Needed

Snake plants need very little pruning. The main job is removing damaged or yellowing leaves so the plant looks its best.

Use clean, sharp scissors or pruning shears, and cut leaves close to the soil line for a neat look. Taking a whole leaf looks tidier than trimming part of one.

11) Upright And Bird’s Nest Types Of Snake Plants

Snake plants come in two main growth habits: upright and bird’s nest. Upright types have stiff, flat, sword-shaped leaves. The leaves of Dracaena trifasciata can be up to 4 feet long and 2 to 4 inches wide, though indoor plants are often smaller, to about 2 feet tall.

Bird’s nest types like Hahnii stay much shorter. ‘Hahnii’ is a dwarf plant with 6 to 12 leaves forming a short, funnel-shaped rosette, and bird’s nest types typically have leaves less than 8 inches long.

Light is flexible for both. Sansevieria tolerates low light levels very well.

12) Snake Plants Grow In High And Low Light Conditions

Snake plants are adaptable about light, which makes them versatile houseplants. Sansevieria prefers bright, indirect light, meaning bright enough to cast a shadow but not in the sun’s direct rays. Plants also tolerate low light very well, although leaf color and patterns can look muted.

Snake plants prefer warm, sunny locations but tolerate some shade; protect them from hot afternoon sun. Direct sun for only part of the day, 2 to 6 hours, works well, and the plant tolerates very low light. In short, aim for a bright spot out of the harshest sun, and do not worry if you cannot offer one. Our full guide to snake plant light requirements has more.

Average home temperatures suit them. They prefer it a little warmer, with 70 to 90 degrees F ideal, and they tolerate cool temperatures around 50 degrees. Indoor plants may be taken to shady outside locations in summer.

Which snake plant is on your shelf, and what surprised you most on this list? Tell us in the comments.