Mother In Law's Tongue
Common Name: Snake Plant, Mother In Law’s Tongue
Latin Name: Sansevieria
Family: Ruscaceae
Plant Type: Succulent
Origin: South Africa
Blooming Time: Rarely
Humidity: Low
Temperature: 60 – 85*F
Height: 4′
Color: Dark green, light green or creamy white
Insects and Diseases: Thrips, scale
Description:
Mother in Law’s Tongue has thick, vertical sword shaped leaves. The leaves are dark green and are accented with
lighter green bars going horizontal along the blade like leaves. Some varieties have a yellowish colored border along the leaves.
Lighting:
Bright indirect sunlight is recommended for Snake’s Tongue. The plant can survive in lower lighting conditions, but it will grow faster and have deeper colors when given brighter light.
Watering:
The soil should be kept barely moist, but not soaked. Watering can be done in sink or tub, to make sure that all the roots get water. But, make sure that there’s a hole in the bottom of the pot so that excess water can properly drain.
Soil:
Soil should retain water, but drain well to prevent root rot. A African Violet soil mixture will work very well when a little sand is added for drainage. To mix your own soil add 1 part garden soil, 1 part peat and 2 parts of Perlite or coarse sand.
Fertilization:
Snake’s Tongue should be fertilized once a month. Use a good quality water soluble mixture that is nitrate free.
Fertilizer is only needed during the growing season and shouldn’t be given during the winter months.
Propagation:
Propagation can be easily done through leaf cuttings or division of the plant. Keep leaf cuttings in evenly moist soil, provide occasional mistings and place them in filtered sunlight.
Toxicity-Poisonous:
All parts of the Snake Plant are mildly toxic, but the plant has been used in herbal remedies in some areas of the world. While low doses of the plant normally don’t produce any symptoms, large doses can cause vomiting or nausea.
The poison found in the plant can cause the tongue and throat to swell and be numb. In severe cases there may be distress in the digestive tract.
Tips:
Unlike most plants, Snake Tongue’s will droop when they’ve gotten too much water not too little! If the leaves have a wrinkled appearance or start to bend, the plant isn’t getting enough water!
Snake’s Tongue plants like to be root bound, repotting should be avoided unless the plant gets too heavy for the pot and can’t remain upright. When repotting, select a pot that is just a few sizes larger than the current pot.
Written by Connie Corder for HouseplantsForYou.com, Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved
Hi
please help
the leaves of my snake pant easily come out of the soil. they have drooped to the left of the pot and can’t remain upright. one touch, and they leave the soil ocmpletely. What is wrong with it?
sarah
Can I planted my mother-in-law plant outdoor in the summer?
The mother-in-law plant cant tolerate temperatures much lower than 50 degrees F or much higher than 95, ideally the temp should be between 60 and 85. Keep this in mind if you decide to plant yours outdoors during the summer. If you do decide to do that it would be best to leave it in a pot so that you will be able to move it to the shade or bring it back indoors if the temperature starts to get too high or too low.
My Mother in Law plant is very large (4″ to 4 1/2″ with even some 5″ or more spikes). I have had it for 25 years or more. It rarely looses leaves. The leaves are always bright, firm and not miscolored. My problem is droopy leaves. The new, center leaves stand up but the older and outer ones droop to the floor. I have tried tying them up posted and unposted. I have tried trimming them. Nothing seems to change. I have this large, beautiful, vibrant plant with droopy leaves. Is there anything I can do?
If the plant gets too much water it will cause the leaves to just fall off and it will also cause them to droop. Most experts recommend that soil be kept just barely moist, but some say that it is best to let the soil completely dry out before watering.
Most plants will begin to wilt with too little water, but this one wilts or “droops” with too much water. Too little water causes the leaves to become wrinkled.
The leaves on my snake plant seem to be getting large brown spots in which sap secretes, also on some of the leaf stems half the stems seem to be shrinking, any ideas for me.
is it possible that spiders can cause the above damage (previous comment)
I used to have problems with the leaves of my snake plant drooping and falling out but I think I was over-watering it and I moved it into a brighter light and now the leaves are firm and upright – the plant looks so happy. Hope that helps.
I can not believe it, my snake plant has blooms that are growing out the center, it is in a pot and is about 2 feet tall and the bloom stalk is 1 foot tall it looks like the blooms will be white. I’ve never seen this, I’m in central Fl. and I keep it outside all year.
I have 2 cats. Can I keep my Mother In Law Tongue Plant?
I would if i had a cat as even though the plant is poisonous cats are clever. There are many plants in the garden which are poisonous in which their instinct tells them not to touch. (no cats but mother in law tongue plant and kids.)
MARY ANN,
WE HAVE ABOUT THREE OF THE SNAKE PLANTS AND THEY ALSO HAVE BLOOMS THAT GROW OUT OF THE CENTER OF THEM. THEY ARE ALSO KEPT OUTSIDE YEARROUND.
THE BLOOMS ARE TRUMPET SHAPED AND WHITE. THEY ONLY BLOOM AT NIGHT, AS DOES NIGHT BLOOMING JASMINE
THEY ALSO HAVE A VERY PLEASANT SMELL, MUCH LIKE THE JASMINE.
WE LIVE IN COASTAL TEXAS.
MY mother in law tongue has bloomed for first time ever -i did not know it could bloom-i keep it outdoor on patio year round- i live in texas – i have had this plant for many years and do not know what i did to make it bloom- looks very nice – now that it bloomed will it die?-like century plant maybe?
Hi Bonnie and Sheryl
Congrats, I hear this is very rare and may only happen once in the plants lifetime.
Mine only bloomed for max of 2wks. I took lots of pix and I still miss the wonderful scent. I’ve had corn plants bloom several times with the same sweet smell (and only in the eve), and hope my snake plant will bloom again too!
My mother-in-law tongue has bloomed for the first time too. It is an older plant, probably at least 10-15 years old. It had belonged to my mother before me. I didn’t even know they bloomed. I have had it on my sunporch all summer and trimmed all the damaged and yellow leaves off a couple of months ago. Maybe this extensive pruning helped it bloom, I don’t know. When the stems first starting getting the little nectar drops I tasted a drop and it is very sweet, like honeysuckle. The flowers smell “green” and powdery. The plant is living outside in Maryland. Based on previous posts, it seems the key to blooms is the plant living outside for an extended period of time.
Sheryl & Sherry,
I just happened to find this website and I was wondering if I should now after all blooming has finished relieve the plants by cutting the dead blooms off? And then I read that these plants that have spread across the width of my yard and……..BLOOM ONCE A YEAR EACH YEAR! Are not suppose to? Did I understand that correctly?
Thanks,
Susan
I’ve had my mo-in-law plant for about 10 yrs, moved it from Oregon
8 yrs ago to western AZ & about a month ago, it started this little
stem & w/in the last 3 days has started blooming & like all above
have said, it is a wonderful fragrance & i’ll be sorry to see it end.
When I bought it, it just had 3 leaves (tongues) & only about 7 inches
tall, now it is almost 5 ft tall !
Lovely plant ! Lorna
Lorna,
When they (MLT) were in full bloom I pulled open the sliding glass door and was hit with a most pungent smell. I have lived here since 1994 and I have never noticed that they had a smell at all.
I did clear a sky blue vine from overhead i guess giving them a little more sun made them real happy
Do you know anything about “Sky Blue Vine”?
Susan
Can anyone recommend a good fertilizer? It says on the website to find a water soluble, nitrate free one. Where can I find that?
For those who had the blooming snake plant, did a “fruit” form where the bloom was? Mine did; several green round pods formed where the blooms were, and all of them fell off except one. The remaining one has turned reddish orange. Has anyone seen this? I rooted this snake plant from a larger pot that got overcrowded. The original plant has never bloomed. I have had both outdoors all spring and summer.
Today we added a forum the the HousePlantsForYou.com website. The forum is located at http://www.houseplantsforyou.com/forum/ and you are invited to come by and join in. Get yourself a cool user name, and join in on the discussions.
Ihave a MLT and it’s so big now i need to get a bigger pot any tips on how to repot it……….
Hi my nickname is Gloworm> I would be happy to read or join your Garden Club
Many thanks
G
Hey Gloworm – we would be very glad to have you so come on over http://www.houseplantsforyou.com/forum/ and sign up.
I have a snake plant with large white fuzzy growth on several of the leaves. Any ideas as to what might have caused these. the growth almost looks crystalline.
My Mother in law bloomed this year much to my surprise. The blooms were so sweet smelling. I didn’t even know that they would bloom. Mine is in direct sunlight by a window and has been since it was given to me. Some of the leaves are about 5 feet tall. Love it.
Hi.
I have had my mother-in-law for over 32 years. It bloomed for the first time about 5 years ago. And has bloomed several time. I live in middle Missouri. My husband was in the Army so we were stationed in many different places. When we went to Germany I had my mom keep it for me. I sit it outside for the summer, but this year when I brought it in, it started getting brown circle spots on the leaves. It is over 4′ tall and I hate cutting the leaves off.
I live in northern Canada, and my snakes tongue plant has never lived outdoors. I inherited it from my grandfather over 20 yrs ago and he had it many years prior. This one is also a spawn off that one, and therefore has been re potted. Last summer,(2009), it bloomed for the very first time, as well as 2 others that are much older. This one however is now in bloom as i write this. (March 7/10). This one is always in a south facing window, sometimes gets a bit of winter air when my door opens and closes. It also is planted in about a 5″ width and 9″ deep pot and is 3 ft high. I have also heard many say that they have never ever seen them bloom. I am so happy my did , its B E A U tiful!!!