Your may face the problem “snake plant leaves falling over” if you do not take care of them properly. You need to consider many things if you spot snake plant leaves falling over. In this article we are going to discuss reasons for this problem and possible solutions.
can Watering cause snake plant leaves falling?
Overwatering
Over watering is the major reason for the snake plant leaves to drop.
Snake plants would thrive for some time without water as they have conserved water in their leaves.
When you water them, you should ideally observe whether the soil is in dry condition first and then proceed with watering.
In case you water your snake plant more frequently, they would become mushy and soft when you try to touch them.
In addition to that, you may spot some yellow or black patches on the plant and the plant will gradually start to deteriorate.
As such, always avoid over watering them and make sure that soil is dry before you water the plants. To do that, you could utilize a moisture meter.
It is important that you rectify the over watering issue and attend to it immediately, Unless it will cause further damages such as root rots which could be lethal on them.
If you spot this condition only on a few leaves, you could simply let them dry and cut down in watering.
Moreover, you need to always provide them with a pot which has enough draining holes too. Best is to use a terracotta type pot.
In case the overwatering has caused major damage in the plant, you need to remove the plant and let it dry.
After that you may trim the rotten parts of the plant prior to transplanting them again. You need to select a well-draining potting mix ideally a cactus or succulent mix would work best with these plants.
You may add some perlite to the soil medium also which will help to have a better aeration in the soil mix.
In case you cannot reuse the plant any further, you need to save some leaves which you could use to propagate.
Underwatering
It is somewhat rare to see snake plant leaves fall due to under watering.
However, some people may misinterpret not to water these plants at all when you say snake plants would thrive without water for some time.
When you skip watering them for too long, it will start dehydrating. You may water the snake plants when the soil is dry.
Particularly if you are someone who lives in a hot place and on top of that if you avoid watering them, it could cause the plant’s leaves to fall over.
You could ascertain this by observing the condition of the soil whether it is too dry.
Moreover, if you live in a warmer place while exposing them to the scorching sun and skipping watering them, underwatering would be the cause of the plant’s leaves to fall over the ground.
In addition to that, their leaves would tend to turn brown and appear in a shriveled manner.
Generally, snake plants could thrive well in drought.
However, once you spot any plant which drops its leaves due to underwatering, you need to resume watering as soon as possible and unless it is about to die , a little drink of water would make them get back to normalcy.
Can Fertilization lead to snake plant leaves falling?
Fertilization could also affect the snake plants to drop its leaves. It is not a very common fact which could cause the snake plants to drop their leaves.
If you have planted the snake plant in a new soil medium you could disregard this. However, on the other hand, if you have left the plant in old soil for too long , you could assume that nutrients have depleted and should consider feeding them.
You could fertilize them once every month in spring and in summer. Avoid feeding them in winter though.
Do snake plant diseases cause its leaves to fall?
Chances are that snake plants could be attractive towards pests particularly if you have kept them in high humidity levels and in wet conditions for too long.
In addition to that, if there are any other infected plants around these plants, that will also cause them diseases.
If they are falling over foliage, that is an indication which the plant tries to give you if it suffers from any pest infestation.
Once pests keep sucking the juice in the plants leaves, their energy would be deteriorating
Once there is any pest attack present in the plant, you should trim off the affected and rotten parts of the plant and transplant them in a new soil mix.
Best would be to use an insecticide for several weeks to overcome the pest’s menace.
You could either utilize chemical or organic options to remedy this condition. It could be either horticulture oil, neem oil or cinnamon oil that you could use.
On the other hand, keep in mind that you should not overfeed or over water them as it could badly affect them too.
Not enough Space to grow.
You need to be watchful and should carry constant check ups on your plant whether you can spot any root bound condition of the plant.
If your spot plant has become root bound, the best thing is to transplant them in a new pot.
Unless, if you leave them like that for too long, they lack enough space to grow well and they tend to grow compact in the pot whilst wrapping around themselves and binding with each other.
Once this happens, roots would run out of proper aeration and once it grows dense, it will be difficult for the roots to absorb water. Simultaneously, they would tend to drop their leaves.
Prevention methods for Snake Plant Leaves Falling
Set up a watering schedule
Best is to stick to a watering pattern for your snake plants. Having said that, it could vary depending on the weather conditions and on the seasons.
Generally during the warmer months, you may need to water these plants once every couple of weeks.
You could water them that way during spring, summer and in the initial stage of autumn too. During these periods, your snake plants would absorb water rapidly.
During winter you may water them once every month or once every two months.
Alternatively, you could apply the fingertip test where you could simply place your finger in the soil and observe how dry or how wet the soil is.
Even if you feel like it is completely withered, you should commence watering them. If it is the opposite, you should wait for another couple of more days to dry and resume watering.
A good fertilization routing to stop snake plant leaves falling
Snake plants do not depend on too many fertilizers. However , if you feed them occasionally , it will stimulate the plant’s rapid growth particularly during their active growing season.
Avoid fertilizing them in winter. When you feed them, ensure that you choose a fertilizer which has an equal amount of nutrients.
Ideally one with 10:10:10 or 20:20:20 ratio. You could feed them once every month in spring and in summer.
You could utilize only a half dozen of the prescribed ingredients to fertilize them.
Reguler disease check for snake plant
Fungal diseases could make a greater impact on the snake plants. Educate yourself on their symptoms especially on plant rust, southern blight.
That will help you to diagnose those conditions at the initial stage and you could treat them and get them back to normalcy.
Moreover, you could take off the damaged leaves to remedy them. It will avoid them spreading to the rest of the other plants.
You consider transplanting them if it is essential to do so to remedy them.
A Repotting prevent Snake Plant Leaves Falling
In terms of repotting these plants, you do not have to do it very often.
Best is to report them once every couple of years. It could again depend on your wish and on the plant’s health also.
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