With their upright, sword-like leaves and easy care nature, snake plants are popular, resilient houseplants. But even hardy snake plants can occasionally sustain damaged leaves or grow leggy over time. Trimming your snake plant properly is key to keeping it looking lush and healthy.
Follow this step-by-step guide to trimming a damaged snake plant, both preventing future issues and helping it thrive.
Signs Your Snake Plant Needs Trimming
Watch for these signs that your snake plant would benefit from a trim
- Yellow, brown, or broken leaves
- Leaves lying flat or drooping
- Overgrown, crowded clumps of leaves
- Damaged tips exposing the soft inner leaf
- Leggy growth with large gaps between leaves
Trimming off damaged leaves encourages new healthy growth And thinning overgrown plants allows light to reach all leaves
What You’ll Need
Before trimming, gather:
- Clean, sharp pruning shears or scissors
- Small garden spade (for division)
- Potting soil
- Container(s) for divided plants
Sterilize tools with diluted bleach to prevent spreading disease Work on a tarp to simplify clean up
When to Trim Snake Plants
For ideal results, trim snake plants in early spring before the growing period. But trimming can be done year-round as needed for:
- Removing dead, dying, or damaged leaves
- Controlling leggy, overgrown plants
- Dividing root-bound plants
Avoid trimming in the fall to prevent shock before winter dormancy.
Trimming Damaged Leaves
Use these steps to properly trim and care for damaged snake plant leaves:
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Identify unhealthy leaves. Look for yellowing, browning, broken tips, or limpness.
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Snip damaged leaves off at the base, near the soil line, using sharp shears.
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Trim any remaining leaf tip if it’s brown or torn to prevent further damage.
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Place removed leaves in yard waste, not compost. Disinfect tools after trimming diseased plants.
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Allow the plant time to recover before resuming fertilization.
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Monitor for signs of underlying issues like rot, pests, or improper watering. Address any causes found.
Trimming off damaged leaves improves the plant’s appearance and encourages healthy new growth.
Caring for Leggy Snake Plants
Here’s how to trim and care for leggy snake plants with sparse, stretched out leaves:
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Identify leggy plants by large gaps between leaves and excessive height.
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Trim the tallest leaves back halfway using clean shears. Make an angled cut.
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Propagate the cut top pieces or use as decorative fillers in arrangements.
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Remove lower leaves and trim the remaining stems back to 6 inches tall.
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Repot the trimmed plant in fresh potting mix, burying some of the stem. Water well.
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Give the plant plenty of sun to encourage compact new growth.
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Stake taller plants for support if needed while they re-establish.
Regular trimming of leggy growth can rejuvenate overgrown snake plants.
Dividing Congested Snake Plants
Follow these key steps to divide and trim root-bound snake plants:
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Carefully remove the plant and loosen the root ball with your hands or a garden spade.
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Use a sharp, sterilized knife to slice through the roots and divide the plant into smaller sections.
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Each division should have 3-5 healthy leaves and plenty of healthy roots.
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Trim any damaged leaves or roots. Let divisions rest for 2-3 days before repotting.
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Repot divisions in containers with drainage holes, using fresh potting mix.
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Water well and grow in partial sun. Stake tall divisions for support if needed.
Dividing congested plants every 2-3 years encourages vigorous growth.
Ongoing Snake Plant Care
Once trimmed, support recovery with proper care:
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Place in bright, indirect light to prevent future stretching.
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Water thoroughly only when the top inch of soil is dry. Don’t overwater.
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Wipe leaves with a damp cloth to remove dust buildup.
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Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly during the growing season.
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Repot every 2-3 years in spring using well-draining potting soil.
With attentive trimming and care, your snake plant will thrive for years to come.
Properly trimming dead, damaged, or overgrown areas keeps snake plants looking tidy and healthy while encouraging fresh growth. By identifying issues early and using proper technique, you can maintain your snake plant’s striking structure. Give your newly trimmed plant attentive care, and enjoy its renewed vibrancy.
How to Propagate Snake Plants
Continue reading to learn how to propagate your sansevieria easily step-by-step. In our case: from a leaf cutting.
Make sure the leaf section you are going to use for propagation is healthy before you start. I. e. no pests, fungal or bacterial spots. Wrinkled leaves are ok, as long as they don’t carry disease.
Step 1: Chopping Time
Grab your garden shears and disinfect them.
Try to cut a portion of a leaf of your snake plant diagonally. This way of cutting (compared to a straight line) gives a better surface area for roots to form.
Step 2: Air dry the wound
Allow the cutting to callus by letting it air dry. Depending on the weather, this might take an hour or 12 hours. After the cut end has been calloused, apply rooting hormone if desired.
Step 3: Propagation Method
All of the ways to grow your snake plant are pretty simple: in water, soil, or an inorganic substrate.
To grow more snake plants in water, put the cutting in a tall, dark container and make sure the bottom is at least 1-2 inches (2–4 cm) deep in water. Change the water every couple of days with a fresh one.
To propagate your sansevieria in soil, simply plant the cutting (cut place downwards) in sterile soil. Keep the media moist but not drenched.
You can use the same method to grow new sansevieria in an inorganic substrate: plant the bottoms of the cuttings down and keep the soil moist.
Alternatively, you can use sphagnum moss as well to propagate your snake plant. Make sure to keep the moss moist but not drenched to avoid rotting issues.
Broken leaves on a snake plant? The recovery
Do you want to know what will happen to your sansevieria and its growth after a leaf seems to be broken? Will a snake plant get better and grow new leaves after a leaf breaks?
You should be able to get your sansevieria plant back to normal pretty quickly if the leaf loss wasn’t caused by bad plant care, pests, or diseases.
To remind you, your snake plant goes into semi-dormancy in the winter. During the growing season, you can usually expect to see new growth in about a month after a leaf breaks.
Will a leaf split heal on a snake plant?
Unfortunately, leaves that have been cracked, broken, or split will never grow back. The damage will always be there.
And while you can’t fix the damage that has already been done to your snake plant, you can stop it from happening again.
10 Common Snake Plant Problems & How To Fix Them
FAQ
Should I trim damaged snake plant leaves?
How to cut a dead part of a snake plant?
Can You trim a snake plant?
Yes, You can snip your snake plant’s tips, but it’s optional. Trimming can tidy it up or help new leaves grow. Just use sharp, clean tools, and leave a 1/4-inch gap above the healthy green part. How Much Of The Damaged Leaves Should I Remove During Trimming?
What to do if a snake plant leaves break?
In most cases, your best bet is to cut a broken leaf down to the soil and leave room for new growth to replace it. Snake Plant leaves get pretty thick, so you’ll probably need at least a hefty pair of pruners, or maybe a big garden knife. Sharper blades are better; you want a clean cut without ragged edges where bacteria can grow.
How do you cut a snake plant?
The most important question is where to cut. A Snake Plant’s leaf can only grow from the tiny cluster of cells at the tip. If you chop off the top of one, the bottom part will remain a flat-topped stub until it dies of old age. In most cases, your best bet is to cut a broken leaf down to the soil and leave room for new growth to replace it.
How do you know if a snake plant should be pruned?
Identify the leaves to be pruned: Inspect your snake plant for any dead, damaged, or yellowing leaves that need to be removed. Look for leaves that are discolored, wilted, or have brown tips. These are signs of unhealthy foliage that should be pruned.