How To Propagate Snake Plant in Soil: Snake Plant Propagation

Propagating Snake Plant

Snake Plants in Containers

The snake plant propagation is quite easy. The snake plant (mother-in-law tongue plant) is easily multiplied by propagating them from many methods.

1. The snake plant can be propagated from division or by suckers or by pups or by cutting. It can be propagated by cutting its leaves, whole or even their sections, or by by division of their rhizomes.
2. Snake Plant Propagation By Division: The easiest method of snake plant propagation is by division of rhizomes. Cut a small piece of rhizomes (roots) with a sharp knife and plant it in a pot filled with free-draining soil. This method of propagation will produce the exact clones of the mother.
3. The rhizome can be split to separate babies or pups or even grown up leaves to grow more snake plants quickly.
4. The snake plant cuttings can be rooted in water or soil as mentioned below.

How much time it takes to Propagate Snake Plant?

The time taken for snake plant propagation depends on the method of propagating method. The snake plant cuttings will root in about 3 to 6 months in soil, whereas it can take from 3 to 10 months in water.

 
There is no way of speeding up the propagation time. However, if you want to have a propagated snake plant faster, you should propagate it by dividing it, instead of propagating from cuttings.

Propagating Snake Plant from Leaf Cuttings

Can snake plant be propagated from leaf cutting? Yes, the snake plant can be grown from leaf cuttings quite easily in soil or in water. You can use a whole leaf, or cut it into sections.

How to Take Leaf Cuttings from Snake Plant

1. Select a healthy, firm and hydrated leaf for successfully propagating a Sansevieria plant quickly.
2. Take a sharp pruning shears or a knife and disinfect it with bleach solution or alcohol.  Cut the leaf at its bottom, as close to the soil as possible.

Prepare Snake Plant's Cuttings For Propagation

1. You can root the whole leaf or its segments.
2. You can cut a single leaf into many 3-4 inch cuttings, and root them all to get new baby plants. You have to remember which side was originally facing down (generally wider is down side).
3. Place the cuttings in shade at a warm  place for 3-4 days to allow them to callous. The callous will help prevent rot.

Plant the cuttings in damp soil mix in a pot. Ensure to plant the wider section of the cutting in the soil. The cuttings will take roots in 2 to 8 months. Lightly tug the cutting, if you feel some resistance, then it is a sign that the roots have begun to form. In a few months, new baby plant will emerge from the soil. You will not see any growth/change in the planted leaf cutting, a new baby will emerge when the cutting is rooted.

Snake Plant Leaf Cutting Propagated in soil

The above picture shows a mother in law's tongue - snake plant leaf cutting propagated in soil, a baby plant has grown which you can cut and plant in a pot.

Snake Plant Propagation Problems

Sometimes you may see that your snake plant is not propagating. Your cuttings may be dying due to water loss, fungal infection, and due to other things. The possible reasons for your snake plant cuttings die and not propagating are given below:

Planting Wrong Side of Cutting If you plant the cutting with the wrong side in the soil or water, you planted that part of the leaf (narrow portion) that was away from the soil, the leaf will not grow new roots (see the picture below).

How to plant snake plant leaf cuttings