If you’re wondering how to keep a Snake plant small, pruning is of course the most logical option, but there are a few more things you can do that you may have not thought about.
Thankfully these things are usually pretty easy to implement and don’t require too much effort on your part so you can keep your Snake plant compact.
Keep in mind some varieties of sansevieria will grow taller than others so depending on what kind you have, you can expect different results on average.
So here are some things you can start doing today to keep your Snake plant small and prevent it from getting too tall.
Pruning
Pruning is often a necessity when caring for Snake plants and it really is the best way to keep a Snake plant small and compact.
The best part about pruning is you get to pick and choose what leaves need to go or get pruned back a little so you can keep everything even and aesthetic.
Not only is pruning a great way to limit a Snake plants size, but it’s great for removing unhealthy growth or if the leaves get damaged or discolored such as having yellow leaves.
This also allows for more energy to be used on new growth, rather than wasted on unhealthy or unrecoverable growth.
Overall some benefits you can get from pruning include the following.
- Keeps your Snake plant small and aesthetic
- You can remove unhealthy or leggy growth
- Your Snake plant can be placed in more locations
- Your plant can use more energy on new growth
- It can be pretty fun and satisfying
How to prune
First you want to have some sterile gardening tools at the ready such as a sharp knife, scissors or pruners.
Any of those will do as long as they are sterile by using rubbing alcohol or clean them with boiling water beforehand so you don’t risk spreading disease between plants.
Once you have your preferred pruning tool, select a large leaf and make a horizontal cut across the leaf as close to the soil as you can.
You can also gently pull up on the leaf while you’re pruning to make it easier for you and the plant and ensure a clean cut is made and not a weird ripped cutting.
Keep in mind you will have a leaf stump that is really only visible when you’re looking down into the container so you can rest assured your Snake plant will remain aesthetic when looking at it normally.
Now repeat this simple step for each large leaf you wish to remove so you can have your Snake plant as compact as you want while keeping everything fairly even at the same time.
After this is done, you can even propagate your Snake plant with the removed leaf cuttings if you want to.
After all, it’s free and nothing beats free!
Rotate your Snake plant
One thing you may not be implementing yet is turning or rotating your Snake plant.
Depending on where you’re growing, one side of your Snake plant may be getting too much light, while the other parts could be getting too little.
If one side is getting too much light then you can expect there to be much more growth for one part than the rest of the plant.
If one side gets too little, then this can result in weak leggy growth since plants tend to stretch towards the nearest light source they can find.
The leggy growth can also cause the leaves to not support themselves and start drooping (bending, wilting or falling over).
As you can see, uneven amounts of light can result in well, uneven growth that makes your Snake plant not look it’s best!
Regularly turning your Snake plant can ensure that each side gets the same type and amount of light and thus more symmetrical growth will occur.
Benefits of regular rotating can include the following.
- Even growth all around
- You won’t see one part growing too tall
- You won’t get leggy or stretched out growth
- You will reduce the odds of sun scorch (too much sun)
- You will reduce the odds of chlorosis (loss of chlorophyll from low light)
- This can give you something active to do (fun)
How to rotate your Snake plant
In general you should rotate your Snake plant at least once a week, but you can get away with doing it more or less like every 10 days or you can do it a few times a week.
It just depends on the look you’re going for and how much light your sansevieria is currently getting.
When rotating you should do it in quarter increments like going clockwise or counter clockwise 1/4 of the way each time.
This ensures that your plant will get as even light as possible throughout each month so you don’t have to worry about too much growth or weak and unhealthy growth.
This is especially true if you use windows as a light source since most of the light is only coming from one direction while the opposite receives very little.
You don’t want to neglect any part of your Snake plant do you?
Then it’s time to start rotating regularly.
Plus It’s a great way to maximize aesthetic appeal and it gives you a chance to actively work on your plant by being involved.
Go easy on the fertilizer
While fertilizing is a great way to ensure healthy and strong growth, this could also be why your Snake plant is getting too tall more so than you would like.
Plus most fertilizers are actually super strong and houseplants require much less to grow well so having too much can certainly cause excessive growth.
Snake plants are no exception and will do quite well with less than you would think.
Some benefits of using less fertilizer can include the following.
- Reduce the odds of fertilizer burn
- Your Snake plant will stay small much easier
- You won’t have to flush the soil as often
- You save time and money (very valuable)
How much to fertilize
Manufacturers will have their recommended amount of fertilizer to use, but for Snake plants you want to use it at 1/4 to 1/2 of the recommended strength.
If you just want to keep your Snake plant small, but also want to fertilize then I would recommend using a well balanced liquid fertilizer at 1/4 strength rather than even 1/2 strength.
Generally you would want to fertilize once a month during the spring and summer, but you can certainly get away with much less such as only once or twice per season.
It just depends on how much growth you’re going for and how your plant responds to the fertilizer.
Less is better in the case of keeping it small and compact.
Plus you reduce the chances or time that it takes for problems to occur when using any kind of fertilizer.
FAQ’s
Below are some frequently asked questions on this subject that you may find useful and straight to the point.
How do you limit Snake plant growth?
Overall if you want to limit the growth of your Snake plant you can utilize pruning when the leaves get too tall, rotate your plant to ensure even growth and use less fertilizer than you normally would to keep growth rate in check.
How do I shorten my Snake plant?
Your best bet to shorten your Snake plant is by pruning the leaves that are too tall by making a horizontal cut near the base of the leaf as close to the soil as you can.
Can a Snake plant stay small?
Most snake plants only grow to be somewhere between 1 and 3 feet tall so depending on your view of small, you may never have to worry about this.
Some varieties of sansevieria can grow up to 12 feet though so you will have to utilize pruning and other methods to keep your Snake plant small and compact.
Final thoughts
If you were wondering how to keep a Snake plant small, by now you will know the best and easiest ways you can achieve this with not too much time or effort.
As always I hope you found this information useful so you can get back to having fun!