The Perfect Indoor Plant for Those Who Lack a Green Thumb

Saturday, November 10, 2007 03:45 AM

If you want to have houseplants in the home but do not have a green thumb then you should start with a plant that is easy to grow. One of the easiest houseplants to grow is the ’Sansevieria trifasciata’ commonly known as the ’Snake Plant’, or the ’Mother-in-Laws tongue’.

The plant is a nice looking plant with its long, stiff, heavy, sword like leaves that shoot up from the base of the soil. The leaves grow 70-90 cm tall and are 5-7 cm wide and can be either, dark green, green with yellow edging or pale green and are banded with grayish green horizontal stripes similar to an exotic snake.

The Sansevieria trifasciata is said to be one of the hardest plants to kill as it can grow in low light, high traffic areas, withstand drafts and dry air and is rarely bothered by pests or disease. It does not require a lot of water so let the soil go dry between each watering and then water it well when you give it a watering.

Over the winter months it may need to be watered every few weeks depending on where it is placed. If you over water the plant it could get a root rot. If the plant begins to get a root rot you can remove the plant from the pot and cut out the rotten area and then re-plant the pot again. A sign that the plant is being under watered is wrinkled leaves and in this case water it more often.

Another nice thing about the Sansevieria trifasciata is that it is low maintenance and needs to be transplanted rarely as it likes to be pot bound. It also does not need a lot of fertilizer. It is the perfect plant for people who like to have plants but do not like the work involved with them. The plant is also easily propagated by dividing the new plantlets or rooted side shoots off the plant and then re-planting them into other pots.

One other feature of the Sansevieria is that it is a good air filtering plant. It can absorb certain poisonous substances. So, if you’re looking for a plant that will survive almost any condition and does not need a lot of attention and does not mind some neglect the Sanseviera is a plant worth looking into.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George Area: