Snake plants are a beautiful addition to your home, bringing a welcome and natural splash of green to any room in the house. They are low maintenance with tall, upright leaves but look super-sleek and impressive.
The House Plant website describes them as “tough as old boots” and simply summarises their care routine as: “Pop one in a sunny spot, give it a drink when you remember, and boom – instant plant parent success.” This, the website says, makes them “perfect for those new to indoor plants or if you just want something stylish that’s hard to mess up”.
The snake plant, whose scientific name is sansevieria trifasciata, is even said to have health benefits, including filtering indoor air and removing pollutants, even boosting mental health. And, according to the health website Healthline, it’s “one of the few plants that can convert carbon dioxide into oxygen at night”.
But fans of the plant are often keen to know how they can get more of them by producing more offshoots, which are known as “pups”. This gives you both a fuller “mother” plant and means you can have more snake plants around your house. One contributor to the Houseplant Lovers Facebook page said she was given her “mother” plant over 40 years ago and had “replanted the offsprings from this plant multiple times”. She added: “I now have eight like this all over my house. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.”
The pups grow from rhizomes, which, like roots, grow underground. And while snake plants might be low maintenance, certain factors, like poor soil conditions or insufficient light, could slow pup production. The Gardening Soul website says: “By mimicking the plant’s ideal environment, you can encourage more pups to grow.”
The website says these are the key ways you can encourage your snake plant to grow more pups:
- provide bright, indirect light
- use a snug-fitting pot, which signals to the plant that it’s time to produce offshoots to spread
- allow soil to dry between waterings
- fertilise during growing season
- stress the plant a little to encourage offshoots
- trim older leaves to give the pups more energy
- use the right soil mix, which drains well.
How to remove and replant your snake plant pup
The pup (also called a plantlet) can be removed from the parent plant once it has grown sufficient roots of its own. Some gardeners suggest waiting until the pup is 2-4 inches high before attempting to separate.
Gently remove the whole plant from its pot, then use a sharp, clean knife to cut the rhizome connecting the pup to the mother plant. Plant the pup in a small pot with the well-draining soil mentioned above. Water it lightly and keep it in bright but indirect sunlight.
What is a snake plant?
The snake plant is native to Asia and Africa. It can be recognised by its upright “sword-shaped” leaves that, to some, may even appear artificial. Given they are easy to care for, beautiful, low maintenance and require very little water to survive, they make perfect indoor plants.