Sansevieria | Snake Plant

Also Known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, Saint-George’s Sword, Devil’s Tongue, Jinn’s Tongue, ad More.

There is no shortage of common names for this succulent. It is among one of the recommended indoor plants, by NASA study in which you can find all the listed plants; likewise they give a brief overview of their findings in this article: Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement. It ‘s particularly good at purifying air from toxins such as formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, and nitrogen oxides. Another neat fact is that this plant creates oxygen at nighttime instead of during the day; for this reason some like to place these in their bedroom.

Soil

Though some note that these plants can handle tropical soil, and even less water, it is not ideal for the plants. It is important that they should be in well drained soil, a cactus/succulent is best.

Fertiliser

You can fertilize using a balanced fertilizer such as 20-20-20 once in the spring and once in the summer, or with a weaker mix such as 5-5-5 once a month through out the spring/summer during the growing season.

Sun/Lighting

They will thrive in moderate to bright indirect light. However in my Montreal experience, my snake plants are in full direct sun in my south facing window at the height of the afternoon. I mention Montreal, because we are further north, this may not be suitable for places closer to the equator. They can survive in low natural light, or artificial light, but they won’t be thriving.

Watering

Soil should be allowed to dry between watering, this goes doubly when experiencing low light conditions. They also require less water during the winter. When watered, you should put enough to run out from the bottom, and then spill the excess.

Cats & Dogs

toxic to both