Like Spider-Man’s costumes aren’t really known for their armpit webbing, snake plants aren’t really known for their flowers.
But when they are both on display—one as a houseplant and the other in comic book panels—they are, to say the least, interesting to look at.
Even though we can’t change what the Marvel staff thinks about Peter Parker’s armpits, we can make mother-in-law’s tongue stand out.
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By changing how we grow snake plants and making some simple changes to their growing environment, we gardeners can get these popular houseplants to make some cool-looking flowers.
How can we get snake plants to flower? What should gardeners do with the flowers after they bloom?
Seeing a snake plant (also known as mother-in-law’s tongue) bloom is an uncommon event that takes most plant owners by surprise. You can care for one of these hardy houseplants for years without ever knowing it’s capable of flowering. Then suddenly one day you spot a tall flower stalk emerging from the leaves
What causes this dramatic floral display? And what can you do to encourage your snake plant to bloom? Let’s take a closer look at why when and how mother-in-law’s tongue plants produce flowers.
Do Snake Plants Bloom?
Snake plants are not especially known for their flowers. But these popular and resilient houseplants, formerly classified under the genus Sansevieria and now categorized as Dracaena, can occasionally produce blooms when conditions are right.
Most varieties generate flowers on tall stalks reaching up to 3 feet in height. The stalks bear dozens of small, tubular flowers in white, green, yellow or pink hues. Some types produce clusters of flowers near the base of the plant that open at night, emitting a sweet fragrance.
So while it’s uncommon, flowering is definitely possible for these plants. But why don’t we see it more often with indoor specimens?
Natural Habitat for Blooming
To understand how to coax snake plants into blooming as houseplants, it helps to consider their native growing conditions where flowering occurs more readily.
Native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia, snake plants thrive outdoors in full sun and well-draining soil with minimal watering. These conditions allow the plants to carry out rapid photosynthesis and growth.
Quickly reaching maturity and becoming root-bound signals the plant to shift resources toward flowering and seed production. This ensures propagation and spread to new areas nearby.
Meanwhile, indoor snake plants are often kept in low light with frequent watering and ample container space. While this keeps them alive, it doesn’t provide the right cues for flowering.
Best Snake Plant Varieties for Flowers
While all snake plants are capable of blooming given the right circumstances, some varieties are more likely to flower than others. Here are a few top choices if your goal is to enjoy some botanical drama:
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African bowstring hemp (Dracaena hyacinthoides, formerly Sansevieria hyacinthoides): Produces pale greenish-white blooms on tall stalks that complement the sword-shaped, mottled foliage.
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Black coral snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata ‘Black Coral’): Known for olive green leaves with gray banding. Flower stalks bear elegant white blooms.
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Laurentii snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata ‘Laurentii’): Yellow leaf margins surround bands of green and gray. White flowers emerge on long stalks.
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Canaliculata snake plant (Dracaena canaliculata, formerly Sansevieria canaliculata): Gray-green narrow leaves spread fan-like. Stalks of lavender buds open to fine white flowers.
How to Get Snake Plants to Bloom Indoors
With a mature snake plant variety suited to flowering, use these tips to recreate their ideal blooming conditions indoors:
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Increase light exposure – Place the plant near a bright, south-facing window or use grow lights to simulate the bright tropical sun.
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Allow roots to become bound – Avoid repotting and pruning to encourage a packed root system.
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Water minimally – Let the soil dry out between waterings to mimic drought-like tropical conditions.
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Maintain warmer temperatures – Keep the plant above 60°F/15°C for best growth and flowering.
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Use fast-draining soil – A cactus/succulent mix provides the quick drainage snake plants prefer.
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Add organic fertilizer – Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly during spring and summer.
With consistent care tailored to its natural flowering habits, your snake plant may surprise you with a gorgeous floral display within a year or two!
Caring for Snake Plants After Flowering
Once your snake plant finishes flowering, you can cut off the spent flower stalks at the base to restore a tidy appearance. The blooms are unlikely to damage the plant.
In fact, flowering is a sign your snake plant reached full maturity in optimal conditions. Continue caring for it the same way post-blooming to encourage potential repeat flowering in the future.
While mother-in-law’s tongue blooms rarely indoors, adjusting your care to mimic the sunny and arid tropical climate can dramatically increase the odds. With the right variety and conditions, you may get to witness one of these resilient plants showing off its beautiful blooms.
The Elusive Indoor Flower
Mother-in-law’s tongue is a common houseplant, but when it is grown indoors, its flowers aren’t seen very often.
Some types have flower stalks with a raceme of small flowers that are creamy white, yellow, pink, or green when they do appear.
Other varieties produce clusters of flowers at the base of the plant. During the day, these flowers are closed, but at night, they open and give off a sweet scent that smells like vanilla or jasmine.
We gardeners have to ask ourselves, “In what conditions would the specimen naturally behave in this way? And how can I best mimic those conditions?” whenever we want to get a plant to flower out of season or develop in a certain way.
Mother-in-law’s tongue plants come from parts of Africa and southern Asia. They used to be called Sansevieria but are now in the genus Dracaena. You can grow them outside all year as perennials in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 through 12.
Anything below 50°F will kill them, and any that are grown outside in colder areas will need to be brought inside for the winter.
They can grow in shade, which is why they’re so popular as low-light houseplants, but they actually like a lot of light because it helps them do photosynthesis at the right level for flower production.
This explains why most snake plant parents don’t see much in the way of blossoms.
This plant also uses crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), a method by which some plants only open their stomata at night to exchange gases.
Because of this, the plant uses less water and doesn’t need extra watering like most other plants do.
But full sun paired with minimal moisture is ideal for growth.
A snake plant that grows quickly gets root-bound quickly. This tells the plant that it can’t grow any further and that it needs to focus on making seeds to spread to other places.
Best Cultivars for Blooming
People who like snake plants probably have favorite types. But have you ever thought about which ones have the most beautiful flowers?
We’ll go over some top-tier options below, most of which are available from our trusted affiliates online.
If delivery isn’t quick enough for you to get an established plant, though, garden centers or nurseries near you should also have a good selection.
African bowstring hemp grows to be a foot tall and has a narrow shape. Its light and dark green, strap-like leaves get wider in the middle, making them look like an ancient Greek xiphos sword.
When they blossom, the flowers of D. hyacinthoides (syn. S. hyacinthoides) have wispy, pale green to white flowers that grow all along a tall central stem. The flowers look great with the leaves.
D. trifasciata (syn. S. This plant, Trifasciata nigra, has leaves that aren’t usually green. If it gets really shaded, the leaves can be gray, olive green, or even black.
This cultivar can grow up to three feet tall, and its creamy white flowers are shown on long, thin racemes. The flowers are the yang to the leaves’ yin.
‘Black Coral’ is offered in six- or 10-inch pots from Perfect Plants Nursery.
The most narrow-leafed cultivar on this list, D. canaliculata (syn. S. canaliculata) has leaves that, if I asked a cool dude or dudette from the 1980s, they might say are “totally tubular,” both figuratively and literally.
The leaves are a soft green-gray color and can grow up to three feet long. They also spread out like a fan, which is different from the usual tight, upright growth and flat, strap-like leaves that people usually think of.
When the lavender to pink buds open, they show off small white flowers on a long raceme that will look nice against the spreading leaves.
An oldie but a goodie, D. trifasciata ‘Laurentii’ (syn. S. trifasciata var. laurentii) rocks yellow leaf margins that surround horizontal bands of green and gray on thin, slightly curved foliage.
A long stem with white buds will grow among the closely packed, upright leaves. These buds will later open into white-petaled flowers.
When it comes to houseplants, the basics are tried and true… and ‘Laurentii’ is proof. For those interested, it’s available from Perfect Plants Nursery in a six-inch pot.
How To Care For A Snake Plant | Mother In Laws Tongue Plant Care
FAQ
How often does Mother-in-law’s tongue bloom?
What does it mean when a snake plant flowers?
Can mother in law’s tongue plant go outside?
Can a mother-in-law’s tongue produce flowers?
You can own a mother-in-law’s tongue (also known as snake plant) for decades and never know that the plant can produce flowers. Then one day, seemingly out of the blue, you find that your plant has produced a flower stalk. Is this possible? Do Sansevierias produce flowers? If they do, why now? Why not more than once a year?
Why does my mother-in-law’s tongue plant have a flower stalk?
A mother-in-law’s tongue plant will produce a flower stalk when it is mildly and continually stressed. This normally happens when the plant becomes root bound. The flowers will not hurt your plant, so enjoy the show. It may be several decades again before you see one again.
What does a mother in law’s tongue flower look like?
When the mother in law’s tongue plants bloom, the flowers grow along tall and erect flower stalks or spikes. These flower stalks can grow as high as 3 feet (app. 1 meter) tall and are strewn with small flowers. Each stalk can produce dozens of tubular flower buds that resemble honeysuckle or lily flowers.
What is a mother-in-law’s tongue?
The mother-in-law’s tongue, also called snake plant or Sansevieria Trifasciata, is a popular houseplant. This hardy indoor succulent plant can survive low light conditions, drought, and some neglect. The snake plant is identified by its long, upright sword-shaped green leaves with yellow margins.
Do mother-in-law tongue plants need light?
Mother-in-law’s tongue plants aren’t fussy about light requirements. They thrive in bright light but protected from direct sunlight. Keeping the plant in a bright spot helps keep the variegation vibrant. Sansevieria plants also grow well in shade, partial shade, or dark corners of your house.
Does mother-in-law tongue flower bloom in India?
Mother-in-law’s tongue flower blooms abundantly outdoors in tropical India. We’ll respect your privacy and unsubscribe at any time. Snake Plant Flower (Mother-In-Law Tongue Flower) bllomsitous houseplant flowers annually, withstands neglect, neglect leads to flowering.