Flowers - Garden Girl USA

Are you wondering if a snake plant flower can bloom? I was also wondering that very same thing and I did a lot of research and it turns out that a snake plant can bloom if the right conditions are met! Did you also know that a snake plant can also sometimes be called a mother in law’s tongue? When they bloom a flower stalk with beautiful white flowers can appear and produce a sharp, yet pleasant fragrance at night. So, if you own a snake plant, and are curious about the flowering process, conditions, and varieties that can bloom, stay tuned for the details! Snake Plants That Bloom Not all the snake plant varieties can produce flowers and the first step in getting yours to bloom is to choose the proper species. These are the flowering snake plants that can enrich your house or garden with extremely rare white flowers in the summer: Sansevieria trifasciata Sansevieria cylindrica Bird’s Nest snake plant Sansevieria gracilis Getting one of these snake plants will get you started on the road towards flowering. If you love your snake plant, there’s no need to worry - they don’t die after flowering. That’s why it’s even better to get to see your snake plant bloom with a strong aroma of flowers. Why Do Snake Plants Flower? You might be surprised if you see your snake plant flowering unexpectedly. It’s a normal thing for these plants, and there are several reasons behind the process. First, it can be a sign of stress that the plant is going through due to becoming root-bound. In this case, your plant could outgrow its container or pot, and the roots could start spreading around. The flowering could occur because of this, but it’s not something that you should do on purpose to make the plant bloom. It’s always better to place it in a larger container and enable steady growth. With optimal growing conditions, your snake plant could start flowering annually. With proper care and lighting, snake plant blooms will become easier to achieve. So, it’s best to avoid letting the plant become root-bound and instead try making it bloom by providing the right conditions. Conditions For Snake Plant To Bloom Logically, you can’t expect your snake plant to flower if you leave it inside in a dark corner with low sunlight access. Although it’s still extremely uncommon for snake plants to bloom, you can consider these conditions for having a higher chance of blooming: Access to sunlight Avoiding overwatering Dry soil Protect snake plants from the winter Older snake plants flower more frequently Sunlight Access Although snake plants can grow at a bit slower rate in partial shade, it’s best to place them in a sunny spot to help with blooming. They don’t need much direct light, though, so you can place them on your patio in a spot that receives an hour or two of direct sunlight per day. They don’t need full sun to bloom, so placing them in an indirect light spot within your home can do wonders for the flowers. While sunlight isn’t crucial for the flowers to emerge, leaving the plant in dark corners for too long can drastically lower the chances of blooming. Watering Needs Other than leaving your snake plant in a partly sunny location, you also need to watch out for its watering needs. Overwatering snake plants might cause root rot, so you’ll want to avoid this and maintain dry soil for their growth. The best time for watering snake plants is once the soil has completely dried out between irrigation cycles. This watering method can also help with producing flowers. Since blooming is associated with the optimal growth conditions for the plant, you can also try watering channels to water the bottom of the pot first. Doing so can entice the roots to grow towards the bottom of the pot and avoid them becoming pot bound like we discussed earlier. Snake Plants Love Dry Soil Well, not that these plants can truly grow in completely dry soil without occasional watering, but they do tend to grow better in dry than in soggy soil. In the growing season, try to reach down the pot to see if the soil has completely dried before watering again. In the winter, on the other hand, you can reduce the irrigation cycles even further, since the plant doesn’t grow that much during this period of the year. Keep Your Snake Plants Out Of Frost’s Reach Your snake plant just won’t survive freezing winter temperatures in some zones. If the outside temperature in your area is below 50F, you should consider moving the snake plant inside for the winter. Frost will eliminate any chance of your snake plant to bloom, so this is an important aspect to bear in mind. An Older Snake Plant Flowers More Often While this doesn’t necessarily mean a younger plant can’t bloom, older plants do tend to bloom more often. Younger snake plants induce flowering much more rarely, so it’s normal that you’ll have to care for the plants and wait at least a few years before you see the first flower appearing. Snake plants can live up to 10 years, with some known instances of the plants living up to 25 years. So, you shouldn’t expect a plant to bloom within the first few years of planting it. About The Snake Plant Flower Stalk Recognizing snake plant flowers is fairly easy - you’ll simply find that your plant has produced a stalk with beautiful white flowers. Based on the variety of your snake plant, the flower colors can range from white to slightly greenish. Flower stalks can grow to be up to three feet tall, and they usually appear as just one flower stalk per plant. The flowers are richly fragrant and growers that have had the pleasure to experience this beautiful process will note that it slightly resembles the smell of vanilla. Other than the strong fragrance, the flowers often produce sticky nectar and might attract bees if your snake plant is placed outside. Also, sansevieria plants can produce orange berries, so this shouldn’t surprise you if you initially thought that they just produce flowers. When Do Snake Plants Flower? There’s a specific period of the year for your snake plant to bloom, and it’s usually in the spring. Once your snake plant flowers bloom for the first time, you can expect the blooming to occur once per year in this period. Also, the time of the day makes a real difference here, since you will see the flowers open up at night. The buds will be closed during the day, especially if placed outdoors in direct sun. One unfortunate thing about a snake plant flower is that it doesn’t last for long. Namely, you will have about a few weeks in the late spring to enjoy this process, before your snake plant flower develops orange berries and dies. Of course, this is after the flower fully develops, as the process can last about a month from when the stalk first appears. It’s still a unique experience to observe the flower stalks develop and produce the unique fragrance that many growers find to be captivating. Final Thoughts Overall, there’s no secret for getting snake plant flowers to bloom, as even sticking with the listed advice doesn’t guarantee that your plant will bloom. It’s a rare occasion, and you should enjoy it as much as possible due to the beautiful small flowers and their powerful fragrance. Whether you have a sansevieria trifasciata or another species of mother in law’s tongue, blooming is a rarely unique and pleasurable process. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): What’s the secret to snake plant blooming? Some of the tips for making your snake plant flower include placing it in a spot with partial sun access, not overwatering it, and keeping it safe from the frost. However, it still doesn’t guarantee that your plant will bloom. Is it good for snake plants or mother in law’s tongue to flower? If your mother in law’s tongue plant develops flowers, it doesn’t do any damage to the plant. However, this beautiful sight might be caused by the stress that the plant suffers from bound roots or insufficient care. Do snake plants die after flowering? Your snake plant won’t die after flowering, and you don’t have to worry about this as it will probably keep blooming in the years to come. Even after repotting the plant, you can still expect annual flowers appearing in late spring. Do snake plants flower frequently? Many snake plants never develop flowers in their life cycle. However, if you provide your plants with enough light, or they get mildly stressed, it’s possible that one of your snake plants will develop flowers.