The snake plant flower has grown in popularity as a houseplant due to its low maintenance and incredible tolerance. However, its flowers are lesser known due to their elusive patterns. If you want information about snake plant flowers, here is everything you need to know.
What is a Snake Plant?
Before we get into the flowers, let’s learn more about the snake plant, its appearance, and its nature.
The snake plant, Dracaena trifasciata or Sansevieria trifasciata, is a perennial plant native to many parts of Africa and Asia. Due to its low maintenance nature, the snake plant flower is famous as an indoor house plant. It’s also known for its more common name, mother-in-law’s tongue.
The leaves or spikes have a sword-like structure. It ranges in color, primarily yellow and light on the outline, and is rich deep green on the inside. Green jagged lines are present throughout the leaves, which gives in an incredible pattern,
A stalk can grow every year in the middle of the leave structure. These stalks are the place where snake plant flowers bloom. If you are unfamiliar with snake plants, it’s easy to see these stalks as a weed or a foreign plant.
Snake plants are mostly placed indoors due to their high tolerance for low sunlight and low maintenance needs. If you are new to handling plants and gardening, the snake plant is an incredible option.
All About Snake Plants Flowers
It might come as a surprise, but snake plants can bloom. However, it is an elusive process, and there are no patterns as to when they will produce flowers. There is one thing for sure; the flowers are beautiful and aromatic.
Along the tall stalks, tiny green buds will be present. The stalks will not be hard to miss as it’s long and will tower most of the leaves.
Commonly, only one stalk per plant will rise annually. However, some rare mutations can happen, and two to three stalks might be present. The green buds will then bloom into white flowers with elongated petals.
A snake plant flower is hard to miss when placed inside a room. It has a solid fragrant aroma that can envelop the room with its smell.
Blooming a snake plant flower sounds good, right? However, it can be pretty hard to witness one. There are no exact patterns or methods to bloom the flowers. However, you can increase your chances with some caring tips.
When do Snake Plants Flowers Bloom?
There is no exact timeframe in which snake plants bloom. With so many factors at play, snake plants can bloom every year or not at all. However, there is a typical pattern you can look out for.
Most of the time, the stalk will grow in springtime or around April. These stalks will develop flowers that will stay for a few weeks. Often, the flowers will produce small orange berries as they die out.
This blooming process only occurs yearly, making it a rare sight. Sometimes, a snake plant can die out without blowing even once. However, you can take small steps to ensure that your snake plants produce flowers.
How to Make a Snake Plant Flower Bloom?
There is no exact way to ensure that your snake plant flower bloom. However, you can take a couple of steps that might help in triggering it to bloom, such as:
Limit Watering Your Plants
Watering your plants comes to owning them. However, snake plants are succulent, meaning they can store large amounts of water on their leaves. The plant can even survive for months without a drop of water other than the natural ones.
Depending on your location, snake plants can be watered as little as once a month. You must ensure the soil is completely dried before watering the plants again. Limiting and putting a bit of neglect on your snake plants can trigger their system to propagate and produce flowers.
Track the Temperature and Sunlight
Although snake plants can handle dryness and the hot summer sun, they cannot stand the coldness of the winter. Being native to Africa and Asia, the plant is used in hot climates, so it’s best to keep them inside during winter. Not having it in direct sunlight will not be a problem as long as it’s kept in a dry place.
Keep Track of the Soil
Snake plants thrive on dryness, so the soil should cater to that need. Leaving the plant on moist soil all of the time will make it suffer root rot. To ensure that your snake plant will bloom, keep the plant on fast-drying soil and ensure drainage holes in the pot.
Know the Age of the Plant
Young snake plants are not prone to blooming. When it comes to propagation, mature plants do it more often. Snake plants might not bloom in the first season. However, there is a significant chance they can flower in the first five years.
Older plants also have a surplus of roots which causes pot bounding. This process can cause slight stress on the snake plant and trigger flowers.
How to Take Care of Snake Plants Flowers?
Now that your snake plants are blooming, here are some steps to ensure that it’s safe and continue to thrive.
Keep the Snake Plant Indoors
As stated, snake plant flowers produce a strong aroma. Although the scent smells wonderful, your snake plant can be in danger through it. Insects and pests are attracted to the pungent and rich odor of the flowers.
This can cause your plant to be attacked by pests and damage not just the flowers but your whole snake plant. It’s best to keep the plant indoors when they are in bloom. The limited sunlight will never be a problem as they can thrive without it.
Limit the Water and Nutrients
Although it makes sense to other plants, snake plants do not need extra care regarding water and nutrients. When they bloom, you don’t need to add something different other than their basic needs. As stated earlier, snake plants thrive on a bit of neglect, so ensure not to overwater or overcare.
Keep Away from Pets
Although the leaves of snake plants are harder to chew on, the flowers and fruits are another story. When snake plants bloom, they produce small yellow or orange berries along the buds as the flowers die.
The fruit can be ingested by cats and dogs, resulting in indigestion and stomach pain. The poison symptoms are due to the small doses of saponin, a substance commonly found on laxative drugs.
Although it does not cause death, eating it in large quantities can trigger diarrhea and dehydration in your pets. If it’s ingested and your pets start showing poisoning symptoms, bring them to the vet immediately.
Avoid Re-Potting while in Bloom
Snake plants can have their blooming abilities through the conditions they are in. If your plant already blooms in one pot, it has a higher chance of blooming again. Repotting your snake plants can eliminate the right conditions that triggered the flowers in the first place.
Do Snake Plants Die After Flowering?
No, your snake plants will not die after flowering. Snake plants are polycarpic, meaning they can set their flowers as often as they want. Although flowers are rare for snake plants, it doesn’t pose any harm to your plant.
As long as you keep on you put the snake plant with minimal care, it can continue to thrive and give you flowers annually.
Benefits of Snake Plant Flowers
Know that we know how to lead your snake plants to bloom; what are the benefits of keeping this plant? Well, as you can see, snake plants have many things to offer, such as:
Great for Ornamental Decoration
Since snake plant flowers are white, it offers a beautiful contrast to many places. Whether you use it as an indoor plant or an addition to your garden, it will provide an excellent stalk full of tubular flowers.
Excellent Beginner Plants
Snake plants require minimal care as they sustain themselves for an extended period. Limiting the nutrients and water can also make your flowers bloom more frequently. They are excellent beginner plants that can help any newbie pant owner to thrive.
Great for Apartments
Living in the city or an apartment means a minimum amount of plant life in your surroundings. However, the snake plant is perfect for an indoor apartment plant. It just needs small sunlight and watering every few weeks.
With its low maintenance, snake plants are not just for ornamental purposes. It can also filter the air, which is a significant benefit when living in a smaller space. Its unique fragrance can even provide a pleasant scent to your home.
In Summary
Snake plant flowers might only bloom once in a while. However, by knowing these caring tips and blooming patterns, you will have a more significant chance of seeing your plant bloom.