Snake plants are known to be very easy to grow and care for as they are pretty tough plants and can thrive in not so great conditions.
Whether it be low light conditions or the fact that this plant is quite drought resistant, beginners will love this plant since they don’t have to be the best growers to get started.
Unfortunately that comes with mistakes that can still lead to problems with the snake plant and depending on the severity, can damage the plant to the point of no return.
The biggest problem most of you have faced is in fact overwatering which is the number one cause of root rot in Snake plants.
Fungus laying dormant in the soil is another cause but odds are it’s the overwatering that will rot your plant and quite fast which is why you’re here.
So let’s take a look at the tall tale signs of rot in a Snake plant and what you can do to save your plant before it’s too late.
Signs of Root Rot In Snake Plants
Unfortunately, you may not see anything at first even when rot is already occurring as this will start in the roots themselves which are covered in soil, out of view most of the time.
You could just check the roots every once in a while to see that they are still firm and white but this isn’t always practical or something you would think to do.
Odds are it takes some concerning signs for you to finally see what’s going on and sometimes it may be too late to do anything if it gets bad enough.
With that said, some common signs of Snake plant root rot include the following.
Yellowing of the leaves, wilting or drooping leaves, leaves turning brown or brown tips and so on.
These will be some of the first visible signs that rot is either occurring or has been going on for some time.
So if you notice any of these symptoms then it’s time to check the roots.
If the roots of your snake plant have turned brown, mushy or fall apart easily then you have a pretty bad case of root rot and you will need to act fast to have a good chance at saving this plant before it’s too late.
How to save a rotted snake plant
Once you have identified that you indeed have root rot going on, the first step will be to remove those rotted roots.
Use some clean gardening shears or scissors to remove every single root that is brown or mushy, after the soil has been brushed away as this can make the roots look brown when they may be fine.
You will want to keep any and all healthy roots which will be firm and white as these will be the key to moving forward from this endeavor.
Now you will want to rinse these remaining roots in some clean water and if you have access to some fungicide, it’s a good idea to spray some or apply some to these roots.
I personally like to use neem oil as it’s a pretty effective fungicide as well as a good pesticide when needed.
I recommend this neem oil by the way.
This will ensure that these roots will not be able to pass on any more fungus and help prevent them from getting infected again for some time.
Now you will also want to remove any affected leaves that have turned yellow, brown or mushy as these will be no good moving forward and the less leaves you have the easier it will be to save the plant, especially since there will be less roots than before.
Next you will want to repot your snake plant in a brand new container with some clean, fresh, well draining soil.
Ideally you will use the same size container as you were before but going up or down one pot size will be fine, just don’t go too big or small as this can lead to more problems.
As for the soil, you want to use fast draining soil which drains quite well such as a blend of cactus and succulent soil with some perlite added if you want.
After all of this is said and done, you should avoid watering your Snake plant for a few days and place the plant in a spot where it will receive plenty of bright indirect light.
Now that a few days have passed, give your Snake plant a good drink and allow the water to drain all the way through the drainage hole in your container that you hopefully are using.
These steps will be your best bet in saving your snake plant as a whole but this isn’t always possible if the rot has been going on for a while.
You may need to try and grow a new snake plant via propagation from any healthy leaves remaining if the vast majority of the plant has been damaged.
In short to do this you can cut away one or more leaves that have not been affected, which will be leaves higher up in most cases.
You will want the whole leaf each time with the base as well for higher odds of successful propagation as partial leaves have lower chances of success.
Let these leaves dry and heal for a few days and then plant them in some fresh soil with the base of the leaves slightly in the soil or at least touching the soil.
Having the soil slightly moist will work just fine and keep the leaves in indirect light for best results.
Snake plant root rot prevention
Lastly, let’s talk about prevention.
Now that you know overwatering a Snake plant is the main cause for root rot, you have to find that ideal watering cycle to keep this plant hydrated but not soaked all the time.
The best advice I can give is to only water your Snake plant when the first few top inches of soil have completely dried out and not water until that has happened.
This could take as little as a few weeks in the summer to over a month in the winter.
It just depends on how fast the soil dries in your area and you shouldn’t really stick to a schedule for the sake of it but rather just water when the soil has dried out.
Another tip I can give is that if you think you have been way underwatering your plant, don’t try and overcompensate by giving mass amounts of water to try and rehydrate the plant.
This will certainly lead to problems and increase the chance of root rot.
Just water thoroughly once the soil has dried and wait for the soil to dry out again and you will be good to go.