How Often Do You Water A Snake Plant?

A snake plant is an evergreen plant native to parts of Africa and Asia. It’s identifiable by its stiff, sword-like leaves. You may also have heard it called ‘mother-in-law’s tongue’ or Sansevieria trifasciata. 

Despite being mildly toxic to humans and other animals, many people enjoy growing snake plants in their homes since they are decorative and interesting to look at.

Plus, they have some practical uses, such as filtering the air inside your home. 

However, if you’re going to take care of a snake plant, one of the most important things to know is how often to water your plant. 

Snake plants have different water needs compared to a lot of common houseplants, and you can easily damage the plant’s health by watering it too often or too infrequently. 

Read on to find out how often you should be watering your snake plant depending on its growing conditions, and the science behind the plant’s needs. 

Snake Plants And Crassulacean Acid Metabolism 

When it comes to plant ownership, understanding the science behind your plant’s needs is really helpful. This applies to snake plants as much as any other plant. 

Snake plants are technically succulents because their leaves have the ability to hold water. This is not surprising since they are native to warmer climates.

Snake plants are able to hold water thanks to a kind of photosynthesis known as Crassulacean Acid Metabolism, or CAM for short. 

Using CAM, snake plants can store water to keep them hydrated when temperatures skyrocket during the day. 

How Growing Conditions Impact Watering Needs

Based on the information above, you might think that you hardly ever need to water your snake plant. This is partly true; snake plants are able to tolerate periods of drought. 

However, depending on the growing conditions affecting your snake plant, you might need to water it more often than you think. 

Temperature is a major factor in how often you should water your snake plant, as is humidity.

Increased temperature will mean you need to water your snake plant more frequently, while higher levels of humidity can allow for longer periods without watering. 

Light conditions will also influence your watering schedule. If your plant is exposed to a lot of light, you’ll need to water it quite frequently, whereas if your plant has very little light exposure, you should wait longer before watering. 

The type of container you choose is also an important factor to consider. You’ll need to water your snake plant more often if its pot has drainage holes, since water won’t remain in the soil after watering.

Also, be aware that terracotta plant pots soak up water to some extent and may mean you don’t need to water so often. 

Experts recommend planting your snake plant in soil that drains effectively so that the roots of the plant aren’t affected by excess water.

If you plant your snake plant in soil that doesn’t drain so well, you will need to make sure that you don’t accidentally over-water your plant, since water will accumulate in the soil. 

How Often To Water Your Snake Plant 

Because growing conditions have such a big impact on how often snake plants need to be watered, it’s difficult to put an exact frequency on when you should be watering your snake plant. 

With that being said, an easy way to tell if your snake plant needs more water is to check if the soil has dried out completely.

If the soil is totally dry, you should top up the water levels, but if it still feels damp or moist, you should wait and check again the following day. 

It can be difficult to thoroughly check the soil below the surface, so you may want to invest in a helpful tool called a moisture meter.

This appliance has a type of probe that you can put into the soil and the meter will tell you if the soil is dry. 

As a general rule of thumb, snake plants growing in well-draining soil should be watered roughly once a week during the warmer seasons, whereas they can go a couple of weeks without being watered during the colder months.

Again, though, this can vary significantly depending on light, humidity, soil type, and plant pot type, so be sure to take these things into consideration.

When To Adjust Your Watering Schedule 

It’s important to be able to tell when your plant is overwatered or under-watered, so you can adjust your watering schedule accordingly. 

When a snake plant has not been receiving enough water, it will start to dry out visibly. This will usually start with the ends of the leaves, which may begin to turn brown or feel crunchy to the touch. 

Look at the soil as well as the plant to see if it looks dry. Dry soil may start to form a gap around the edge of the container and look more compact than moist soil. In some cases, it might actually help to replace the compacted soil before watering again. 

On the other hand, an over-water snake plant will show signs such as yellowing and mushiness. If the soil always looks soaking wet, this is a sign that you’re adding too much water.

In this case, gently take the snake plant out of its container and make sure the roots have not started to rot before replacing the snake plant in new soil. 

Final Thoughts 

Watering a snake plant can be complicated because these plants are so easily affected by their environments. 

Usually, snake plants need watering on a weekly basis when the weather is warm, and every 2 or 3 weeks in cold weather.

However, direct light exposure, high humidity, and soil or pots that drain water away can increase water needs, whereas dark environments with low humidity and non-draining soil or containers do the opposite. 

Check your soil by looking at or touching it, or use a moisture meter to see if the soil is fully dry before watering your snake plant.