One snake plant could last you a lifetime as long as you know how to propagate them. It just so happens that snake plants are one of the easiest houseplants to propagate (basically the process of making new plants from parts of the existing plant). Here are the easy steps to follow in order to propagate snake plants.
First, cut one of the snake plant leaves and make the cutting as close as possible to the soil. This part is typically needed for snake plants that have issues like broken leaves or leaves that have become yellow and soft. If you would like to make more baby plants then just cut off more snake plant leaves. We would recommend using a sharp tool like a shear or a heavy-duty scissor suitable for gardening use.
Once you have made the cut, we would also suggest cutting a small V-shaped notch at the bottom of the snake plant cutting. This will increase the surface area for roots to develop from.
once you have the snake plant leave cuttings, the next step is to place them in a jar of clean water. This jar or vase should ideally contain at least 3 inches of water. Place this jar in the area of the house that gets a decent amount of indirect sunlight. Replace the water once every few days. The roots should start to appear from the snake plant cuttings after a month or two. You will want the roots to be at least one-inch long.
You could also place the snake plant cuttings in succulent potting mix but water as a base tends to be more foolproof in this phase of propagation. Make sure to water the potting mix regularly (once it starts to feel dry) if you decide to go with this propagation method.
Once a good amount of roots have formed, the baby snake plant is ready to be transferred to its pot container. Be gentle as roots can get easily damaged. Make sure the snake plants are grown in soil that drains well. Succulent potted mix tends to work best for these types of houseplants.
I wanted to shaer some of my experience of propagating a snake plant.
1. Cut that v-shape! It really makes a difference in the development of roots.
2. After you made the cut, leave the leaf out for a few days on the kitchen counter (or somewhere pretty open). You want to give the cuttings some time to heal without suffering from rotting.
3. We recommend using succulent potting mix when it’s time to put the cutting into a container. Well-draining soil is super important.
I failed recently at propagating my snake plant cutting. I feel like I might have left the plant out for too long (about 3 days). Anyone can recommend how many days to leave the cuttings out for?
Has anyone had success with propagating their snake plant into perlite? Or is it preferable to put the new babies straight into soil?