Ultimate Snake Plant Fertilizer Guide For Lush, Healthy Houseplants

If you are caring for one of these vertically appealing succulents, you may be curious about snake plant fertilizer. Do snake plants need fertilizer? In their native range, tropical West and West Central Africa, they thrive in dry, rocky areas.

These environments are generally almost devoid of nutrients, which means the plant is adapted to relatively low nutrient availability. And growing snake plants is generally considered to be an easy, low-maintenance houseplant endeavor.

But like any plant, especially those in the captivity of a container, snake plants do have nutritional needs that must be supplemented. Their long, pointed leaves require nitrogen, chiefly, for health and growth.

Do Snake Plants Need Fertilizer?

Snake plants are unique foliage, grown for their erect, slightly rigid, but occasionally arching, thick, succulent leaves. These are variegated with lighter shades of green, gray green, and some yellow.

As with any plant, snake plants require a supply of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These are the macronutrients listed as a ratio on fertilizer packets as NPK. Nitrogen is good for foliar growth, color, and health. Phosphorus helps with root, fruit, and seed production. Potassium is important to photosynthesis and reproduction.

Snake plants do flower but it is rare in the home setting. They will not need a fertilizer high in phosphorus, but they do need a little bit to help with root establishment.

Best Fertilizer For Snake Plants

Snake plants are super stoic in regards to site, soil, water, and nutrient density. They are well adapted to harsh conditions and rarely need feeding. But when they do, applications of a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10, will provide all the nutrients the plant requires.

A standard houseplant fertilizer diluted by half will fulfill the plant’s needs. You could also invest in a succulent formula, especially made for this group of plants. These types of fertilizers have low rations of the macronutrients. A succulent formula will usually have a lower 1 number which is nitrogen.

A good homemade succulent fertilizer is a mixture of pulverized egg shells, dried and crushed banana peels, coffee grounds, and well diluted fish emulsion. The plant also responds well to a top dress of compost.

How Often To Fertilize Snake Plants

Succulents go into a dormant state starting fall and lasting through winter. The lower daylight hours signal to the plant that it is time to take a break from growing. During this dormant stage, snake plants should not be fertilized.

Once the days begin to get longer, the plant will come out of its hibernation and start new cell activity. This is generally in late winter and early spring and is when you should start fertilizer for snake plants.

How often to fertilize snake plant? The frequency depends upon the dilution of the formula you use and the type. If you are using a time release granular formula, feed the plant once in spring. Similarly, feed once in the spring if you use plant spikes. These will both break down gradually and slowly release nutrients over the growing months.

On average, a liquid food should be diluted by half and applied once per month in the growing season.

How To Fertilize Snake Plants

Liquid foods should be watered directly into the root zone. Take care not to get the leaves wet. Fertilizer plant spikes are pushed into the soil near the root zone and should be followed by water. Granular foods are scratched lightly into the soil and followed by water.

If you are making a homemade liquid fertilizer mixture such as the one above, suspend the dry ingredients in water and add a small amount of the emulsion. Water this into the root zone.

Compost may be spread over the top 1 inch (2.54 cm.) of the soil and will gradually break down and release nutrients. Try to keep the compost off the bases of the leaves.

Frequently Asked Questions

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