Snake plants are one of the most recommended beginner plants. And that is because they are stunning and durable! However, like every house plant they are not indestructible and light can make the biggest difference on whether they thrive, barely survive, or even RIP. And that is why today we are going to dive into everything you need to know about your snake plant and light.
We chat about the most obvious factor, how many hours of light your snake plant should get. Then we go over the placement in regards to windows and other factors in your home. And then how to tell if it’s enough or too much light.
So let’s get into it so you can grow your snake plant to its full potential with the help of getting the right amount of light exposure!
How Much Light Does A Snake Plant Really Need?
Let’s breakdown how much light your snake plant wants:
How many hours of light-
So in an ideal world your beautiful snake plant would get the perfect 7-8 hours of bright, but still indirect light every day. But let’s be honest, the weather alone doesn’t cooperate with that usually.
The good news is that a snake plant can survive off of just 5ish hours a day of mediocre natural light!
In general I recommend aiming for that 6 hour mark, so for a few days keep an eye out on the sun that spills into the room that your snake plant is in. Does it get 6 full hours? Or does a nearby building block it down to 4 hours? (You will want to move the snake plant into another room or add a growing lamp a few days a week) Or is the window placement too good and it’s getting 10 hours of light? (just try adding covering to the windows like a shear curtain or move the snake plant far enough from the window!).
Placement-
The placement of your snake plant will largely determine how much light it gets but it’s more than just proximity to the window.
What else matters for placement?
Well for starters, the type of curtains, blinds, or lack of window coverings. Closed black out curtains? A death wish for all house plants. Sheer curtains? A house plant dream! shear curtains help to filter out the extreme brightness of the sun when it’s bright enough it could scorch and burn the leaves of your snake plant (and any other house plants you have).
Blinds depend largely on how open they are and generally the shape and style of them. We have blinds all over our home and I have found that tilting them about 40% open is the perfect amount of light for majority of house plants including snake plants.
If you have nothing blocking the light then keep in mind that your snake plant may actually end up getting exposed to too much sun which can cause it to be burnt and needing more water and nutrients to thrive. The best solution is just to move the snake plant further away from the window. Even a couple of inches further can really make a difference in keeping your snake plant from burning.
Another placement note- don’t place the snake plant by an air vent. That temperature and air exposure can do so much harm that window and light placement won’t even matter!
How to tell if the light is right-
Thankfully snake plants like most house plants will communicate their needs before it is too late!
If your snake plant is getting too much light (either too long which is less likely, or more likely it is just too direct) you will see the edges of the leaves starting to crisp and turn a light brown. This is a telltale sign you need to move it away from the current window or add some sort of window covering to help filter the light to help your snake plant not get burnt.
Also, you may experience that your snake plant is needing to be watered more frequently. In general I have found that snake plants thrive on being watered every 10-15 days depending on season and sun exposure. So if you are needing to water it every 5-7 days your snake plant may be fighting against the light exposure way too hard. Which also will limit the plants growth!
If your snake plant isn’t getting enough light a few things will happen:
1: leaves will start to droop. They will sag at the top and the texture of the leaves will also feel droopy and softer than they should normally feel.
2: root rot can happen! This is my worst nightmare as a plant parent. Root rot can occur when you are watering the plant the “correct” amount but if it isn’t getting enough light then all that water will just sit around the roots and can cause them to rot away eventually killing the whole plant. You will see the root rot when the leaves start to get mushy and turn a darker brown starting at the tip of the leaves.
3: No or very slow growth. If your snake plant isn’t providing any signs of growth it could definitely be a lack of enough light. So keep that in mind if your snake plant isn’t growing!
Also before we say goodbye for now- let’s admire my 6+ year old snake plant on the left there!
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