How to propagate Sansevieria ( aka Snake Plant) in water or in soil easily, by leaf cuttings or division of rhizomes. Pros & cons of 3 best rooting methods!
Sansevierias have many names: Snake Plant, Bowstring Hemp Plant, Mother In Law Tongue, or Devilβs Tongue. They are some of the easiest and most beautiful plants to grow, see Snake plant care tips here. Sansevieria plants are great for indoors and mild climate outdoors.
They are also incredibly easy to propagate, which means you can multiply your beautiful Sansevieria plants for your home and as gifts to share with friends!
Let’s look at how to propagate Sansevieria, and compare the pros and cons of 3 different propagation methods: by leaf cuttings in water, by leaf cuttings in soil, and by division of rhizomes.
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Sansevieria / Snake Plant propagation basics:
Keep cuttings and plants in bright light, out of direct sun. temperature should be above 45Β°F, best temperature range is between 65Β°F and 90Β°F .
This is actually very similar to the propagation of Fiddle Leaf Fig, another favorite indoor plant. Tutorial here!
How to propagate Sansevieria leaf cuttings in water.
Cut off a healthy Snake plant leaf near its base. Make a notched upside down V cut at the bottom, and place the leaf in a clean jar of water.
The water level should be slightly above the V cut. Because root will grow from the cut tissue, this technique helps to lift up most of the cut surface so roots have room to grow.
After about 3 to 5 weeks, you will see roots growing from the bottom of the leaf cuttings. In another 2 to 3 weeks, tiny pups will start growing. You can transplant the cuttings in soil or just let them keep growing in water.
Pros of propagating Snake Plants in water:
This method is super easy. It is really fun to watch roots and pups grow from the cuttings.
If you like to grow plants in water, you will love propagating and growing Sansevierias in water. You can just keep them in water, which is my favorite way to grow certain houseplants!
Cons:
Many showy variegated varieties such as Sansevieria “Moonshine” with dark margins, or Sansevieria “Laurentii” or “Gold Flame” with yellow stripes etc, will most likely revert to the common green Sansevieria and lose the color margins when propagated from leaf cuttings.
If you want to keep the unique patterns of the original variety, you will need to use method number 3: propagate by division.
You may also love: How to grow indoor plants easily in water!
How to propagate Sansevieria leaf cuttings in soil.
Cut off a healthy Snake plant leaf near its base, let the cut surface dry and heal for 1-2 days. Plant the cuttings in potting soil. Water well and let drain.
Don’t let the soil get too dry or too wet. Cuttings can rot in soggy soil. Check on the soil once every one to two weeks and water if the top 2″ of soil feels dry below the surface.
Like the cuttings in water, these leaf cuttings will also root and grow pups, which will become new plants. They take only a bit longer to root than the cuttings in water.
Pros:
This is a one step method. If you place several cuttings in one pot, you can have an instant plant! I like to mix different varieties in a pot. They look like living sculptures. π
Cons:
Same as propagating leaf cuttings in water, the cuttings in soil may not grow true to the original plants if they have variegated margins or stripes.
How to propagate Snake Plant by division.
Division, in horticulture and gardening, is a method of plant propagation, where the root clump of a plant is broken up into two or more parts. Both the root and crown of each part is kept intact.
Take your plant out of the pot, or dig up a clump from the soil. Use clean and sharp knife or scissors to divide the root clump. Each division should have roots and some leafy top or pups attached.
Plant the divided clumps in their new pots or in the garden. This method creates more room for new growth as your plant multiplies.
Pros:
This is the method to use if you want the Sansevieria plant to be exactly like the parent plant, especially those varieties with colorful margins.
Cons:
You will need a bigger plant in order to divide it.
Now that you propagated Sansevierias, check out these tips on how to grow healthy Snake Plants easily! Happy growing! See you next week!
Hi! I love these tips! I have 4 cuttings that I placed in water after letting their cuts dry for 2 days. (I cut straight across and not in a v) they have thick roots about 1β long but no pups yet and itβs been about 5 months, should I move them to soil? I donβt want to be impatient but itβs been so long! Thank you!
hi Hayley! yes i would move them to soil. π they will grow pups in soil too!
Hi, I have one snake plant that’s almost 40 years old (various methods of propagation). It’s obviously healthy, but can you tell me how long the thing will bloom? Every summer it shoots of the most beautiful flower stalks (my mom compared them to fireworks) – that smell HORRENDOUS! The sap is a sticky consistency with a sickly sweet, rotten odor. Is there a time limit on blooming, or a way to stop it? We thought it might be light related, and moved it out of strong sunlight – but nope, sometime between June and August the kitchen smells like something died and started to rot. The flowers are worth seeing, but sometimes not at the cost of the gagging when you miss a stalk. Any tips (even to minimize the “fragrance”)?
hi Anne Marie! it must be certain species that smell so bad! some snake plant flowers smell nice! π you can cut off the flower stem as soon as it comes up to prevent the flowering.
Hi
I love plants and want to grow some. We get very little sunlight in the place I live. Heard about snake plant and will try with water. Is it ok about less light for the plant.
hi Rupa! yes snake plants can tolerate low light better than a lot of other indoor plants! π
I have a ROUND leaf coming from the base of my snake plant! What??????
hi Lyn! sometimes the new leaf will look round at the beginning, but will grow longer in a few weeks! π
Hi, Ananda,
Thanks so much for the clear instructions which I’ve followed. HOWEVER, my sansevieria cuttings keep rotting in water. This has happened after a week in the water. I’ve had to cut the rotted portion and try again. After the third try, I started changing the water every 3 days instead of every week. Please help! My cuttings are getting shorter and shorter. I’m into my fifth attempt. Thanks, Lucile
Hi Lucile! If you let the cut piece dry for 3-5 days, and keep the jar in a warm place but no direct sun, it may help. Make the v-cut which minimizes the area that touches the bottom of the jar will also help to prevent rotting.
Thank you.
Hello there, when I had cut one of the snake plant leaves I had cut it the just straight but in 4 cuts. Most post I have seen shows that. It’s been a week and a half propagation started. I’ll take one out and cut the V to see which one will propagate first.
Good luck Jo! π the v-cut minimizes the area that touches the bottom of the jar, which help to prevent rotting. Feel free to update here on your experiences with different cuts!
Superb planting
Hi Ananda. Is it normal for the original cutting to die after the new leaves appeared?
Hi Eve! Yes that can happen sometimes. The new leaves will grow into a plant. π
You mentioned to let cuts dry before propagating in soil. Do the cuts need to dry before rooting them in water?
hi Sue, yes it also helps when rooting in water! π
It’s been 8 weeks since I put my snake cuttings in water to propagate. 3 of the 4 cuttings have tiny little roots coming out, but no pups yet. I was changing out the water weekly even though it’s been clear. Is there any way to speed up this process? Your post says 3-5 for rotting, and another 2 before pups start forming? Thanks for these great articles!
hi Mani! i find some varieties send out pups sooner, but yes some had pups 2 weeks after rooting! not sure of ways to speed this up. π
Thanks for sharing this helpful propagate Sansevieria leaf cuttings in water post its very informative. All details you describe in your blog post about leaf cuttings is very informative for me.
Awesome post. Iβm curious, can you make multiple cuttings from one leaf? Iv tried this but always find the top roots fastest and the middle cuts seem to rot. I wasnβt sure if itβs possible or whatβs going on. Also I have never seen the V cut before but Iβm going to try that. How did you come to make that cut ?
Thank you in advance
-Elisa
hi Elisa! i have not tried multiple cuttings from one leaf but have seen some people doing t successfully. i saw the V cuts in some photos before, it really helps with rotting. problems. π
Hello. I would like to ask if it is possible for a black gold sansevieria to grow a shoot that is not the same pattern. I’ve had this one-leaf black gold and when the shoot grew, it has the regular snake plant pattern instead. I hope someone can reply. Thanks!
yes, 90% of the time, the special varieties will revert to the common green kind of sansevieria! it’s a bummer. i did have a moonshine cutting that gave 1 moonshine nd 1 regular pup at the same time! π
This is so helpful. I will definitely give this a try.
Could you also give insights on propagating a cactus plant pls. Kind regards.
Prim.
hi! most cactus will root super easily from a side shoot. soil method only, just don’t let the soil get too dry, and no soggy soil. π
Hello! I am trying to propagate my snake plant in water but the ends in water keep getting mushy. Is this normal? I left the cut leaf out for 2 days to callus over. I put 2-3 cuttings in each glass with 1-2 inches of water. Im changing the water if it looks cloudy. Help!
hi! did you make the V shape cut? π
Thank you………..that answers my question! Am off to give it all a try. Happy Spring…..soon!
I am excited to have come across this post! I have a few large plants and am ready to dive into propagating.
How cool is this!! Just what I have been looking for, thank you! Question: when cutting leaf of snake plant to propagate in water what becomes of the part of the original part of the plant left in the pot??
Appreciate your comments………..
hi Carol! the cut leaf on the original plant would not grow taller, which is why we cut near the base. but new leaves will keep growing! π
How often do you change the water?
hi, i would only change water if it looks a bit cloudy. once roots start growing, the water stays quite clear π
Can I cut a longer leaf into multiples or do they have to have the original point in order to grow roots?
hi casey! yes you can cut a leaf into multiples. just remember which side points up! π