When it comes to a Snake plant and it’s light requirements, there are a few things to take into account such as hours needed and intensity.
Keep in mind that Snake plants are very resilient and can tolerate not having the right type of light quite well so if you place in the wrong spot, it’s not the end of the world, at least for a little while.
So here is what you should know when it comes to your Snake plant and the light it requires to grow and look it’s best.
Do Snake plants need light?
Although it would be best for Snake plants to get plenty of light, Snake plants can actually grow just fine in low light conditions since their tough plants.
It’s not recommended for them to be permanently placed in low light though.
If you’re just placing it in a low light or dim location temporarily for whatever reason then your Sansevieria will be perfectly fine.
With that said, if you keep a Snake plant is super low light or no light conditions for too long, you can possibly run into some of the following issues.
- Drooping leaves (bending, falling over)
- Your Snake plant can turn yellow (Chlorosis)
- Weak leggy growth (abnormal stretching of the leaves)
- Overall slowed or stunted growth
As you can see it’s definitely not ideal for a Snake plant to be placed in no light or low light conditions for very long and really should only be done temporarily.
If you want your Snake plant to grow well and have the least chance of problems then it needs to have a good amount of light!
How much light does a Snake plant need?
Overall the recommended amount of light needed to grow a healthy Snake plant is 8-10 hours of bright indirect light provided daily.
You can certainly provide more than that if possible or you can even get away with providing a little less than 8 hours.
The key is that you’re giving your Sansevieria bright indirect light or medium light for the vast majority of the day.
You don’t want to be giving that much light if it’s full sunlight as this can scorch the leaves.
Snake plants can really only handle a few hours of full sun a day before they start running into problems.
With that said, the more bright indirect light you give, the faster your Snake plant will grow as this plant loves to get a lot of light and will reward you by looking great!
Where to place your Snake plant
Snake plants can grow well both indoors and outdoors and it’s really up to personal preference, or the space you have available.
Here are some spots you can use to ensure your Snake plant is getting the right light it requires to grow it’s best.
Indoors
I would have to say the safest spot if you’re growing your Snake plant indoors is close to an East facing window.
This allows for a small amount of full sun in the morning and bright indirect light for the rest of the day which is perfect.
For east facing windows, you can keep your Snake plant right up against the window or only a few feet away and it will be protected from intense light while still getting the required amount of medium light.
You can also use south facing or west facing windows to get plenty of light, but these will be more intense than an east facing window.
South facing windows will provide the most light overall, but full sun will be more present throughout the day so if you go with a south facing window, keep your Snake plant several feet away from the window to reduce the chance of leaf scorching.
A north facing window can provide some light, but it’s not really ideal because it will be pretty low light compared to all of the other options, but it is an option.
Lastly if all else fails, you can certainly use an indoor grow light to provide exact amounts of light if that is something that works for your living space.
Outdoors
When growing your Snake plant outdoors, you should also try to place it in a spot where it will get the same type of light as it would indoors.
For example, you should plant in a location that gets most of it’s light from the east, west or south while at the same time having some protection from the harsh afternoon sun.
When growing outdoors, it’s recommended to plant in a container than you can readily move around at least until you know exactly where you want to grow so it’s not stuck in soil in a bad spot.
Make it easy on yourself and your Snake plant!
Overall you want to grow somewhere that gets 8+ hours of bright indirect light while only getting a few hours of full sun at most.
You can grow under a porch, under some trees or really anywhere you can find that can protect your Snake plant when the sun is at it’s peak for the day.
If you really want to grow outdoors and don’t have a suitable spot, you can try using shade cloth directly above your plants.
This will allow for medium light all day and protection from harsh full sun during the afternoon.
Bear in mind when growing outdoors, the temperature needs to be somewhere between 60 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Snake plants will not survive very long in colder temperatures so something to keep in mind.
Personally I find it better to grow indoors since you don’t really ever have to worry about that.
How do I know if my Snake plant needs more light?
If you have been growing in low light conditions for some time, it’s possible that your Snake plant will respond in some type of manner.
This could be in the form of leggy or stretched out growth as plants leaves will stretch towards the nearest light source they can find.
You could also run into the issue of droopy leaves or the leaves may lose their color or even turn yellow due to chlorosis which is a loss of chlorophyll from the super low light.
If you notice any of those signs then odds are your Snake plant needs more light!
Closing thoughts
If you made it this far then thank you for reading and I hope this article has helped you find out the light requirements for your Snake plant so you can grow one to be as healthy and happy as possible!
If you want to learn how to provide better care, check out my article on Snake plant care so you can get everything right as soon as possible.
As always have fun and enjoy the experience!