Sansevieria

There are about 60 different species of the Genus Sansevieria, variously known as Snake Plant, Mother-In-Law's Tongue and many other names. Many are natives of Africa, but it can be found in Australia, China, Japan or Hawaii as well as other areas. These beautiful plants make for an excellent addition to the indoor garden and they're very easy to grow and care for properly.

Sansevieria do well in low-light conditions and can go two months between watering in the Winter. This makes them a great choice for an indoor plant. Their beauty is well-known and they grow leaves that have patterns which vary with every new growth. Leaves are often dark green, but can be yellow striped around the edge, or speckled or any of a dozen other variations.

Since the tips are very sharp some care should be taken about placement and maintenance. Trimming the sharp tips is not recommended, so you'll need to be careful when watering and trimming leaves.

Overwatering leads to dropping leaves and can readily produce root rot in this drought-tolerant plant. Underwatering will produce leaves that look wrinkled and can result in permanent root damage. If the long leaves fall over, don't stake them for support. Just trim the leaves at the base and wait for the next ones to sprout up. It won't take long!

Allowing the soil to dry out between waterings is a good idea in the case of Sansevieria. You can use a hygrometer to test the soil under the surface, or just rely on a tongue depressor. Insert the wood into the soil a few inches down, then withdraw and visually monitor the amount of moisture.

As natives of the tropics, they love heat. Give them ample sunlight and a warm room and they'll reward you by growing profusely. Take care to provide an adequate pot, though. These prolific plants have been known to split a clay pot because of their healthy root growth. Providing a very large pot, though, will lead to an overwhelming amount of growth to trim.

Sansevieria also don't require much fertilizer. They do well in fairly low nitrogen-level soil and can easily get overwhelmed in earth that is too rich. Treat them almost as you would a cactus. That will help produce a healthy plant and generate lots of interesting patterns in the leaves.

White or greenish flowers will appear along the stalks of some species. Others are grown because of their great fibrous leaves that were historically used for bow strings, another name for one species of Sansevieria.

If you want a houseplant that is attractive and easy to tend, these delightful species will make a great part of your indoor garden.