Question
Mother in Law's Tongue
I have a Mother in Law's Tongue that I keep on my desk at work. It has been growing quite well, even throwing up new shoots despite lack of natural light. I water it sparingly (actually it is often not watered) Recently, however, it's stalks started to lean to the point that they popped right out of its pot. The leaves all appear to be healthy, no rotting or spotting, but they just came out of the pot. There doesn't seem to be much of a root ball. I am wondering if I can save it by re-potting it. If I can, what depth should I plant them? How deep can I put what's left of the root?
Looking forward to any advice you can offer.
Thank you,
Natasha
AnswerNatasha,
Usually sansevieria plants are connected to each other with their roots connected in a mesh of 1 to the other. First they must be in a pot with a drainage hole and a drain tray under it. That can be set in a decorativ basket or ceramic pot. The pot with the drain hole should be just big enough to hold the plants that you have and allow room for a few more to come up but they should not be planted in a large pot. From the looks of your picture a 6 inch diameter pot is plenty large enough. You can plant them so the white part is buried and the soil lin can be 1/2 inch above the white. Firm the soil around the plants with your hands so that it is very firm around the base of the plants and they should not have a problem with falling over.
Now, for watering. When you water give them enough water that all the soil in the pot is moist, not just a little moist on top. Then an hour later empty any excess water out of the drain tray. Then do not water the plant again until it is dry. Insert a bamboo shish kabob skewer into the soil and leave it there. After a week pull the skewer out and if it is dry down to the bottom 1 inch it is time to water it again. If it is still moist higher than 1 inch wait another day or 2 and check again. Watering deply and letting it go for 7-14 days between waterings will encourage the roots to grow deeper and stabilize the plants more. If you have more questions feel free to write again. Good luck.
Darlene
