As houseplants that are known for their blade-like leaves, it can be quite concerning when the snake plant leaves start to curl or fold inwards. Here are the most common reasons why this happens and several tips on preventing this from happening in the first place.
An inconsistent watering schedule can be blamed for many of the issues that people may have when growing snake plants, including times when the leaves turn yellow or brown. It’s not much different when leaves start to curl or fold inwards. This can happen due to a lack of watering. Most houseplants will lose their shape if they start to lose the inner moisture that helps maintain the rigidity of the cells and tissues.
Yes, snake plants are drought-tolerant but that doesn’t mean you can ignore them completely for a week or more. Make sure you are adding some water to the potting soil once the top layer of the soil starts to feel or look dry.
The leaves of the snake plant can also fold or curl inwards if it gets too much sunlight. Yes, it can be quite stressful for the snake plant if it gets direct sunlight all day long. Don’t be surprised to also see some discoloration in the leaves. Snake plants grow best in indirect sunlight conditions.
Much like getting too much sunlight, snake plant leaves can also start to fold inwards if the surrounding temperature gets too cold or hot. A high room temperature, for example, can accelerate the transpiration process resulting in the snake plant losing water more quickly. Cold temperatures can also lead to damaged leaves following the hardening of moisture in the plant cells and tissues. Try to position your snake plant in an area of the house that has a consistent room temperature.
Caring for a snake plant is not rocket science but there are certain variables you can get wrong from time to time due to factors outside of your control. The sooner you can react to these changes, the more likely it is for you to be able to revive the curling snake plant leaves.
I’ve done the steps suggested above to help my snake plant but the leaves continue to curl inwards.
@Crazy Plant Lady – how long has it been since you took those steps? It can take a few weeks for snake plants to recover especially if the curling leaves were caused by watering issues.
My snake plant looks quite healthy but the leaves are gradually curling? Is that a sign of something bad? Is it expected for leaves to curl at some point?