Why Sansevieria (Snake Plant) Falling Over

A coworker has given me her snake plant. It’s quite large and planted in a 12″ pot. The snake plants I’ve seen have leaves that stand straight up. This one, however, is falling over. Many of them are about 36″ in length. There seems to be no support whatsoever. Is there a way of fixing this poor plant or is it doomed?

Hi Lesley,

Snake plants, sansevieria, have very small, shallow roots and need to planted in containers that are deeper than they are wide. A 36″ tall Sansevieria needs to be in a container at least 12″-14″ deep to prevent it from falling over. Gently take your plant out of its container & shake off the soil. When you re-pot it, be sure at least the bottom 8″ of the stems are covered in soil and that the stems are very close to each other. Plant you sansevieria in a good, rich, organic soil that drains quickly. If the soil in the pot isn’t draining well, add some sand. These plants like to be root bound so be sure the width of the plant container is no more than 8″.

These plants are considered poisonous and should be kept away from pets and children. Read more about common houseplants that are poisonous in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants.