ALSO known as 'mother-in-law's tongue', a snake plant is one of the easiest to propagate and care for.

They can go for long periods without water and thrive well in indirect sunlight but propagating your snake plant takes a little extra effort.

How do you propagate snake plants?

Because they're so hardy you can grow new snake plants many different ways.

Keep your cuttings warm and in indirect sunlight to give them the best chance of thriving.

In water

This is one of the simplest ways to propagate your mother-in-law's tongue.

Cut a healthy leaf from your main plant with clean, sharp shears or scissors.

Use the soil as a guide of where to cut, lower down gives you more leaf and more chance of success.

Place the leaf in a container tall enough that it will hold the leaf upright.

Fill this to about a quarter of the way up the leaf, change the water every few days.

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If the leaf is large you can cut this into halves and propagate both but keep the leaf the right way up if you do decide to section it.

Some people cut V shapes in the bottom of the leaf, this can help with propagation as it increases the surface area in the water.

In soil

Similar to the water method, cut your chosen leaf with clean, sharp scissors or shears.

Place the leaf out to dry for a few days until it becomes calloused over, this normally takes three or four days.

Doing this prevents bacteria in the soil damaging the plant.

You can dip the bottom edge in rooting powder to help encourage root growth.

Plant the leaf in some well-draining soil and wait about a month.

After four weeks your snake plant cutting will have roots and after another month it will begin to sprout new growths.

From rhizomes

Snake plants get their shape from rhizomes which are horizontal stems under the soil.

You can create new plants by dividing along these, leaving at least 3 rhizomes and a good healthy leaf in each section.

Make sure all sections have healthy roots on them before you cut, if they don't then your plant is not ready to be divided.

Plant each section in a fresh pot with succulent soil and they will continue to grow.

How long does it take to propagate snake plant?

Depending on which method you use it can take around a month to propagate your snake plant.

Soil and water methods require the plant to grow new roots which takes a lot of energy and time.

The rhizome method takes less time as the plant already has roots.

Once rooted and planted in soil water your snake plant then let it dry out completely before you water it again.

Does snake plant need sunlight?

Mother-in-law's tongues come from Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia, often found in hot climates and dry conditions.

This means they like sunlight and to be kept warm but make sure the sunlight is indirect for the best results.

Water once a month at the most, a good way to see if your plant needs watering is to check if the top layer of soil is damp.

Once the soil is completely dry then you can water it.

The easiest way to kill your plant is by overwatering it, treat it like a cactus.

What to do if your snake plant isn’t rooting

If your plant is in water and you cannot see any roots then don't panic.

Snake plants can enter dormant periods when transplanted into other pots or taken for cuttings.

If the leaf still looks healthy then leave the cutting it might begin to grow again.

Keep providing good conditions and changing the water every few days.

Look out for a completely yellow leaf that is mushy to the touch or roots that look or feel mushy, this means the plant has died.

It is harder to tell if a snake plant has rooted when you plant it in soil but keep an eye on the colour of the leaves and this will indicate the condition underneath the soil.

If your cutting hasn't rooted then you can always take another when your main plant has grown again.

Mother-in-law's tongues are slow growing plants so it may be a while until you see any payoff.

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