TIL I was overwatering my snake plant for 2 years

Last month my neighbor stopped by and saw me watering it every 3 days. She goes 'you know those things are desert plants right?' Pulled it out of the pot and roots were all brown and mushy. Felt like a complete idiot. Anyone else kill houseplants by loving them too much?

3 comments

3 Comments

young.thomas5d ago

@hannahcraig makes a solid point about checking the soil before watering. But seriously, how do you even tell if a snake plant is getting root rot vs just being thirsty? I always second guess myself with that one.

gracethomas8d ago

Is it really that big of a deal though lol. Snake plants are tough as nails, pretty sure a few weeks of less water and she'll bounce back fine.

hannahcraig8d ago

Three weeks without water for a snake plant is actually pushing it, especially if the soil is bone dry and the leaves are already curling or yellowing from the previous underwatering. Those thick leaves store water, yeah, but once they start looking shriveled or floppy, the roots are already stressed and could start rotting when you finally do water it. I killed a snake plant once by thinking it was unkillable - left it for a month in a cold corner and it turned to mush when I finally gave it a drink. A better bet is to check the soil an inch down every 10 days or so, and water deeply but only when it's dry. Plants adapt to neglect, but they don't bounce back from root rot as easy as people say.