Dracaena trifasciata (formerly Sansevieria trifasciata) or snake plant is an awesome house plant and can tolerate a wide range of growing conditions, making it perfect for indoor growing.
If you want a plant-it-and-forget-about-it houseplant, then this is the one for you.
The common names for Dracaena are rather tongue in cheek – mother-in-law’s tongue and snake plant are two of the most well-known common names.
I mean, really, who came up with these names? I certainly wouldn’t want to call it that in front of my mother-in-law!
Taking Leaf Cuttings of Snake Plant
Mother-in-law tongue or snake plant is also pretty darn easy to propagate from leaf cuttings.
When I started rooting these leaf cuttings, I cut the leaves into 2 to 3 inch sections, stuck them in soil, and watered them regularly for the first week or so.
After the first couple of weeks, I would remember to water them every once and a while and, believe it or not, they rooted!
That’s all it took! Just a lot of time and patience and sometimes remembering to water them.
It takes a long time to propagate mother-in-law’s tongue plant from leaf cuttings, but if you’re not in a rush to grow new plants, it’s a very cost-effective way of getting new plants.
I even had enough grow roots that I gave some of the snake plant cuttings that had rooted to my friends.
I had some leaves on my adult plant that were leaning over and needed to be trimmed off. This is the reason I decided to start some new plants from the leaf cuttings.
Step-by-Step Instructions for How to Root Snake Plant Leaf Cuttings (Dracaena trifasciata)
- For the best results, trim the leaf at a slight angle
- Cut them into 2- or 3-inch lengths.
- Be sure to put the bottom end of the leaf (the original bottom) into the soil.
- Cover the end of the leaf so that about ½ to ¾ of an inch of the leaf is covered.
- Water and then keep the soil evenly moist for about a week or two.
- Then you can reduce watering to just when the soil gets dry.
With a little patience and keeping an eye on the soil moisture, you’ll have roots growing from the leaves in about 4-8 weeks.
I gave my cuttings a very gentle tug to see if there was any resistance (meaning roots had grown in the soil) to check on their progress.
In another few weeks, you’ll see new leaves emerging from the soil.
Easy to Care For Plant
Dracaena grows in low light conditions or indirect bright light; it requires very little water and is not susceptible to many of the common houseplant insects.
It does not tolerate freezing temperatures well, but the average temperature of a house suits it just fine.
The most important thing to remember when caring for Dracaena or mother-in-law’s tongue is to not overwater it. Overwatering is a sure fire way to kill this plant.
Water it every two to three weeks and reduce watering in the winter. You might want to include a little general-purpose fertilizer in the water once in a while, but I don’t find it to be that necessary on a frequent basis.
Quick note on this plant. If you have pets, be careful where you place your snake plant as it is toxic to dogs.
