How to Repot a Snake Plant [Complete Guide]

Snake plant is a well-known indoor plant, growing in both sunlight and dwell corners. Whether it typically needs no special care, so snake plant easily set up his own kingdom in the specific corner of your house. 

Repotting a snake plant is an easy DIY task that you can do as an expert or beginner. As a beginner, you have a lot of confusion or lack of knowledge to understand why, when, or how to repot a snake plant!

Thus, here we’re trying to give a potential guide for a startup gardener to understand every single section of a snake plant and properly do the repotting task as well. Read the full article with an informational guide! I hope it’ll be greatly helpful to you! 

How to Repot a Snake Plant: Step by Step

Repot a Snake Plant Step by Step

Considering a beginner, here we’re trying to give a detailed direction on how to transplant a snake plant. It’s not as tough as you think. Don’t get too tensed; just following the steps perfectly.

Let’s begin.

The overview of what we will be going through:

The first step of the transplanting process will be collecting the materials and gather knowledge. Next, you will remove the plant, wash the root, and separate or device it. Then transplant it into a new pot. But, before that make sure your snake plant is ready for repoting.

Step 1: Gathering tools for repotting 

First, you should be collecting the right tools that you need for the whole project. It’ll prevent mess as well save time and energy.

  • Soil mixture
  • Pot
  • Knife
  • Water
  • Cloth or taps

Step 2: Remove the Snake Plant from the Old Pot

Remove the Snake Plant from the Old Pot

To remove the mother-in-law’s tongue, you may not apply extra force if the soil or root is not made into trouble.

  • First, wet the soil with watering and then easily remove it from the base of the pot.
  • If it looks tough, then first try to dig and remove half of the potting mix. Make sure you remove the soil around the pot. Then dig continuously until it comes into the base of the pot.
  • Don’t be scared if you’re worried about the root damage. It’s a totally root growth issue that they’re large at the bottom of the soil or growing outside of the pot.
  • Make sure not to damage any leaves or root balls under this removing task.

Step 3: Prepair the soil

While it’s repotting period, you can also check the old soil left on the pot. If this soil is already in good condition, you can use this will help as a filler. Also, you can add some organic matter to get completely well drainage soil to use.

Confused?

Read our review on the best snake plant soil.

  • The best method is to examine the old soil to ensure the drainage system. Is it still drain well?
  • Check the soil is over-dry out or not! If it is looking much dry out, Then no need to use it.
  • Because it can cause a crack and not good for growing mother in law tongue 

Step 4: Examine the root

Examine the root

Repotting the snake plant but don’t have to inspect the roots yet? Then, you are going to do a great mistake!!!

Snake plants are usually susceptible to cause root rot! Do repot snake plant with root rot is right? Not at all!! 
 
The identical root rot sign that will confirm you are under inspection is the dark or mushy spot on the plant’s root. If you notice that sign, then use a sharp knife or scissors to cut it off.

Losing the soil with fingers to expose the root condition. Here, you can see the white rhizome or rootball, which is known as snake plant pups. These white roots have delicate growth. They are generally seen as “L” or “J” shapes. 

If your sansevieria’s plant has bulgy roots, then slightly cut the root ball.  The best root growth technics is to divide the snake plant root into small ones and to repot them in a new pot.

Step 5: Prepare your snake plant’s pot

Now, take the selective new large pot and check the drainage hole located perfectly.  Next, use a mash tape or cloth to ensure the drainage hole free of any block.

Before the transplant, the plant must dry out the new pot. It’ll be easy to mesh up the soil at the bottom perfectly.

Step 6: Place snake plant into a new pot (Transplanting)

Place snake plant into a new pot

The last step is to begin now! At first, you can use newspaper or old cloth below the workplace to clean the house surface.

Now, place the snake plant in a pot and hold it using one hand. Then, make a space between the top of the soil and roots about an inch. Also, add space from the base of the pot.

Start putting the soil mixture and fill the pot. Here, you have to fill it at least one or two inches above from the top of the soil to the root balls.

Add perlite or sand, both of two, in the layer of the soil. You can also use a cactus potting mixture, as it includes all the necessary nutrients and ingredients.

Using worm compost on the top of the soil will give you extra advantages to the soil being remained nourish and good care to the plants.

For decor, add some pebbles to give an extra look to your loving snake plant. 

When transplanting a plant from a pot to the ground, you should—

How to Divide a Snake Plant?

Dividing the snake plant just takes a look at the visual condition of roots to propagate. After that, divide them correctly and repot them in a new pot to grow. These easy steps have to be done in this task.

Remove the plant to find the exact stems and roots that need to divide.

So, how do separate snake plants?

Just loosen up the root muss and then separate the snake plant partially. Now, sever the plants with the help of a knife and selectively divide them into a group or individual you want to make up for! 

Now, Repot each plant in a 1-2″ larger size pot before and then place them in their selective corner. Hence, the dividing of the snake plant is doing successfully.

If you need an in-depth tutorial on this, read How To Separate Snake Plant (In 4 Simple Steps)

The Equipments and Information You Need to Conduct a Successful Transplanting

Here is the list of equipment you need:

  1. Soil
  2. Pot
  3. Dibble, pruning knife
  4. Water supply

The basic information you need to gather.

  • What is the best soil?
  • What Type and size pot to use?
  • PH level
  • And how to care for them after repoting.

What Types of Soil is Best for Repoting Snake Plant?

First, you must ensure about your soil mixture is a well-draining soil. You can learn more about the commercial soils on our review on Best Soil for Snake Plants and Using Guide.

If you have sansevieria/mother-in-law tongue or any other snake plant types, you should use good drainage soil. Such as-

Organic soil:

Organic soil is best for the growth of sansevieria and also well-draining soil to use.

  • Enhance the growth and flourish
  • No pesticide include
  • Provide natural chemical and nutrition

Potting mix:

Potting mix is another soil mixture that is the best choice to ensure good drainage. Also –

  • No additives
  • Include styrofoam that has a greater water retention capability.
  • You can also use cactus and succulents potting mix.

These are the best to ensure good drainage of the soil. 

If you have a regular potting mix of gardening soil, add some perlite, sand, and compost and ready the soil mixture well.

Maintain pH level:

Snake plant loves to grow on acidic soil as this pH should be about 5.5-7.0. 

Correct pot for repotting snake plant:

Whether repotting is usually for getting your snake plant replaceable nutrition soil, deeper root growth, easy water drainage availability. These all depend on your correct pot choice.

That’s why it’s the main focus to forget the result of the project perfectly. You might consider the following points to make a good pet choice for your loving plants-

Snake plant pot size:

To select a perfect pot, you must ensure the size. Here, the size is including what types/species of your sansevieria is! The growth speed is also considered. 

Before repotting, measure the old pot size. Then, select a new pot 2-4″ larger size than the old one. If your snake plant is slow-growing, then just choose a pot 1-2″ larger than the old pot size.

Check the root size approximately. Plants with larger root sizes need a deeper pot to root growth. Again, the slow-growing root size plants easily grow up in a shallow pot. 

Don’t select an extreme size pot or too-small pot. If the snake plant pot size is too much larger then the soil is dry out slowly. As a result, the moisture holds on the soil longer and causes root rot in your plant.

Again, if it is too small, then the drainage system will be faster, and the plant doesn’t get enough growing space.

Snake plant pot material: 

While repotting is a newly discovered internal growth of your plant, why should you not choose external beauty with different decor?

Generally, pot or container doesn’t exactly differentiate for any feature. But all over resources, some material gives extra advantages to your loving plant. Just see the following material for your repotting pot and choose one – 

Plastic pots

  • Versatile, inexpensive, lightweight,
  • Easy doing for wall hanging,
  • Need an extra drainage hole (as water cannot evaporate from side-pot,
  • Fade in sunlight and also get brittle,
  • Having no worthy features for perfect snake plant’s  pot.
Terracotta/clay pots
  • The best material for a snake plant pot,
  • Having a great pattern, neutral color,
  • Helps to drain water fast and quickly,
  • The soil remains well-aerated.,
  • Much heavier,
  • The crack might be noticed under low temperatures (winter),
Ceramic Pot
  • Best choice for shorter plant
  • Prevent top-heavy plants from tipping over
  • Drainage availability is comparatively low than terracotta
  • Much heavier to move on.
  • Expensive than other material.
Wood Pot
  • Well container for snake plant
  • Lightweight, good decor, and natural look
  • Holds water well
  • Easy to made
  • Plants can expand easily
  • Contain non-toxic color that helps to prevent root rot and fading.
Drainage over decor pot

The common question having, “do snake plants need drainage?” 

Obviously, mother-in-law tongue plants must have drainage holes over decor pots. 
 
If the soil holds water for a long and there’s no drainage system, it’ll cause root rot. So, it’s the first condition for a healthy growing snake plant in a pot.

  • If your pot doesn’t have a drainage hole, then drill 2-3 hole
  • You can afford a double potting where the plant container doesn’t need to drill a hole. Here, the extra pot will be under the main hole-less pot and work like a saucer for water. 
  • You can also use a cheaper plastic bottle for this purpose.

Snake Plant Care After Repotting:

Now when you have successfully done the transplanting job, it’s time to ensure that it lives in the new place. Here, some basic understanding of snake plants can help you out.

Snake plant is also known as a “Mother-in-law” tongue’ or popularly “Sansevieria”.  Every snake plant leaves reach above 6-8″ long (depends on variety).

Having banded green stiff leaves with a yellow border helps to create nice decor for your special corner. Besides, you’ll be amazed to knowing it’s a good oxygen producer plant also.

The snake plant releases oxygen in the fresh air at night. Thus, choosing an air refreshing plant in your bedroom corner is recommended with the best use of the snake plant, isn’t it?

It requires no extra care! Even if you ignore this plant for a week, it totally gives you a fresh look then.

Now here are some tips for caring for transplanted snake plants:

  • Place the snake plant for at least two or three weeks in a bright and indirect place after repotting.
  • Apply any type of fertilizer after one month. 
  • Only water after the dry out of soil about the one-inch layer. Because of overwatering or extra moisture held, the root rot will be found in your snake plant.

How to Know When to Repot?

Are your snake plant is ready for repoting?

 Well, like other plants aren’t really need any extra attention. Though, in its growing period, ”mother-in-law tongue” generally seems to be uncomfortable in decorative pots.

So, it would help if you recognized the sign for the help of your loving snake plant. This help tends to be used as repotting or transplanting mother-in-law tongue.

So, when to repot snake plant?  Here, I assured you the signs to clearly understand that you should repot your snake plant in those periods.

Is the snake plant’s pot bulging?

In general, the snake plant looks uncomfortable in decor pot, as they don’t get their growing space. For this, the bulged pot is showing how difficult the sansevieria going through!

This sign is giving you an alarm to repot mother-in-law tongue in a new large pot. So, they can easily grow up and be surrounded by a comfortable space!

Snake plants root bound

Most of the plant’s root is seen to be bounded to the pot. Again, the roots are getting out of the hole of drainage or at the bottom side! 

Because of the small pot, the root was bounded. And they didn’t get enough nutrition, medium, or space to grow. However, selecting a deep or larger pot and repotting the snake plant instantly at this period is necessary. 

Plants are getting crowded 

If plants are already being crowded, then it’s considered to transplant the plant in a new pot. The reason behind it is that the crowded plant suffers from distress. As a result, the plant stops growing, dries out, and leaves become stunned. 

Also, they’re not getting enough moisture or nutrition while crowded. So, it’s obvious to give them space to growing up freely. That’s why, after notice, this situation, repotting the snake plant instantly is a wise decision.

Water runs out of the drainage hole quickly

Watering in a plant you have to instigate if the supply water runs out straightly towards the drainage hole? Again, does the plant wilt quickly after watering? If this all happening, then, of course, you have to be repotted “mother in law’s tongue”.

Dehydrated plant

If you do not notice the snake plant carefully, the root will be expanded, and after that, it will seem dehydrated.

You can see that your plant is not growing along, drying out, leaves become yellow and droopy. Then, it’s a sign of immediate repotting of your loving mother in law tongue.

If you’re confused about when you should repot snake plant? Fine, then, the best time for repotting a snake plant is mostly recommended in late winter or early spring.

Because at this season, snake plants are not in growth mode. But, after getting the signs, you should immediately take the project of repotting/transplanting mother in law tongue.

There’s no need to wait for the season. Before starting the task, you should know about the planting pot, soil mixture briefly.

Frequently Asked Question: repoting snake Plant

Final Tips

There you have the details on how to repot a snake plant. Whether it’s about to repot, transplant, or divide a snake plant. Any of these is not so difficult to do as a beginner planter.

Just take little care of your loving plants, notice them at a single specific time in a week, and give them a free space to grow up in their style. Take a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the refreshment with their greenish surrounding leaves. 

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