When and How to Repot Your Snake Plants (Sansevieria)

• Repot your snake plants every 3–5 years.
• Look for roots growing out of the drainage holes or cracks in the pot, which are signs that it’s time to repot your snake plant.
• Use a pot that’s 2 in (5.1 cm) bigger than the old one. Fill in around the roots with cactus potting mix.

How often should I repot a snake plant?

Repot your snake plant about once every 3–5 years. Snake plants prefer to be a little root-bound and fit tightly inside their pots, so you don’t have to repot them very often. As long as you take care of your snake plant, you can leave it in the same pot for a few years before it needs more room to grow. Repotting your snake plant too soon might cause the potting mix to hold too much moisture and make the roots rot.

Signs to Repot a Snake Plant

The roots are growing out of the pot’s drainage holes. Lift up your snake plant and check the holes in the bottom of the pot. When the roots grow so long that they start poking out from the bottom, your snake plant needs a bigger pot.

The pot is bulging or cracking. When your snake plant’s roots run out of room to grow, they start pushing on the sides of the pot. If you have a plastic pot, look for bulges coming out from the side. In a clay or ceramic pot, look for small cracks where the roots are applying pressure to the sides. You may also notice that the foliage has stopped growing or looks cramped inside of the pot.

Your plant is top-heavy. If your snake plant tips over, it’s a sign that it’s gotten too big for its current pot. The weight from the new pot and extra potting mix will help keep your snake plant upright as it continues to grow. Check for a lot of bright bright green new growths (also called “pups”) near the soil, which are also a sign your snake plant needs room to expand.

The potting mix drains without holding water. Watch out for soil drying out within a few days or a week, since it’s an early sign you should repot. When water goes straight through to the pot’s drainage holes, there isn’t enough potting mix for the roots to absorb moisture. To keep your plant alive, it’s time to repot and add more potting mix. Since the soil doesn’t hold moisture, you might notice the foliage turning yellow or withering.

Repotting

Use a pot with drainage holes that’s 2 in (5.1 cm) larger than the old pot. You can use any type of pot as long as it has holes for water to drain out of the soil. Pick one that’s at most 2 inches (5.1 cm) larger than your last pot since adding more soil than that could hold too much moisture for the roots. Snake plants grow snugly in their containers after a few years, so ceramic or clay containers may develop small cracks. As long as you repot your snake plant when it’s ready, your pots won’t break.

Fill the bottom of the pot with cactus potting mix. Use a well-draining potting mix made for cacti and succulents so it doesn’t hold water. Pour in about 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) of the potting mix into your pot so your snake plant’s roots have some room to grow in. If you don’t have cactus potting mix, make your own by combining 1 part standard potting mix and 2 parts perlite or orchid bark to help improve drainage. Avoid using soil from your garden or yard since it can contain bacteria or fungi that kill your plant.

Pull your snake plant gently out of its pot. Run a blunt butter knife or trowel around the edge of the pot to help loosen up the roots and soil. Hold the base of your snake plant and gently pull it up and out of the pot. Brush off any loose potting mix that’s stuck in the roots. If you want to propagate your snake plant, separate 1–2 of the plant’s rhizomes, which are the underground stems connecting to the leaves, and pot them separately. Otherwise, you can leave them attached to your snake plant so it grows larger.

Put your snake plant in the new pot with more soil. Set the snake plant’s root ball in the middle of the new pot so the bases of the leaves are just below the rim. Fill in around the snake plant with more potting mix, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space between the surface and the top of the pot.

Water your snake plant. After your snake plant is happy in its new pot, use a watering can to lightly wet the soil so it makes good contact with the roots. When you see the water coming out from the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, let it drain out completely. After that, keep your snake plant in bright indirect light during the day to help it thrive.