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Home » Indoor Plant Guides » Snake Plant » How To Make A Snake Plant Grow Tall

April 22, 2021

How To Make A Snake Plant Grow Tall

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Want to grow your Snake plant tall?

It’s the one feature that many people like to have in their indoor Snake plant variety. But somehow, they find it difficult to get a proper height for this plant.

So, how do you make it happen? Let’s find out in the following guide.

grow snake plant tall

Jump To:

  • Why Is My Snake Plant Not Growing Tall?
  • 6 Easy Ways To Make A Snake Plant Grow Tall
    • 1. Provide Indirect Sunlight To The Plant
    • 2. Place A Light Source On Top Of Your Snake Plant
    • 3. Water The Plant
    • 4. Add Fertilizers To The Plant
    • 5. Replace The Soil If Needed
    • 6. Check For The Pot Size
  • Things To Remember If You Want To Grow Snake Plant Tall
  • FAQs

Why Is My Snake Plant Not Growing Tall?

First, let’s try and understand the main cause of this problem, i.e., the Snake plant not growing tall.

If the plant doesn’t receive enough sunlight, it can have a significant impact on its growth. This may lead to shortened leaves issues.

This is a prominent reason for this issue in your Snake plant.

But there are some other reasons too that may hinder the growth of the plant. This includes lack of nutrients, irregular watering, soil condition, and pot size.

All these factors can prove detrimental if you don’t solve them immediately.

So, check out the following section, where I have shared a few tips to resolve this problem in your Snake plant.

6 Easy Ways To Make A Snake Plant Grow Tall

Here are the suggestions –

1. Provide Indirect Sunlight To The Plant

As I mentioned earlier, the lack of sunlight is the main reason for this problem.

When the leaves don’t get the right amount of sunlight, they grow less in shape and size. Hence, you will see several leaves on the plant not growing tall.

So, what’s the solution?

It’s simple! Just provide 3-4 hours of indirect sunlight to the plant.

You can even move the plant outside if you have space on your patio or balcony. You may keep it there for a few weeks to see the change in the growth of the new leaves.

2. Place A Light Source On Top Of Your Snake Plant

Don’t have enough space outside your window?

No problem! You just have to place a light source on top of the plant so that it can get light from the top.

Or simply place the plant where it can receive top-angle light from your lightbulb. This helps in directing the plant to fetch more light in this direction.

When that happens, you will automatically a significant increase in the height of leaves.

3. Water The Plant

The above two methods are crucial because they directly affect the height of the plant.

Similarly, water plays an important role here. If you provide less water or follow an irregular watering schedule, it’s going to affect the plant.

Due to this, the plant will not grow at a standard rate. And in turn, it will have an impact on the leaves as well.

So, to fix this issue, you must water your Snake plant every week or so. If the plant is small, wait for 15-20 days to do the same.

Watch the following video to learn more about Snake plant watering.

4. Add Fertilizers To The Plant

Along with the watering schedule, you should also focus on the fertilizers.

When there is a lack of nutrients in the soil, it won’t matter how often you water the plant. The plant needs nutrients to grow in size.

And if these elements are not available, it will turn into a survival mode. Once this mode is activated, you will see irregular growth in your Snake plant.

So, make use of all-purpose garden fertilizers for this plant. You can add such fertilizers every 2-3 months, depending on the size of the plant.

5. Replace The Soil If Needed

This is another option to rejuvenate the whole system of the plant.

If you have been growing your Snake plant in the same soil for too long, you should consider replacing it with a fresh potting mix.

During this process, you can also remove some of the dead and damaged roots from the plant. The root pruning method will allow the plant to grow more roots at the bottom.

But make sure you do it sparingly, as you don’t want to damage the root system of the plant.

Note: While replacing the soil, you may also mix some fertilizer into it. 

6. Check For The Pot Size

Lastly, check for the pot size of your plant! If the plant is root-bound and not growing tall, it could be because of the small size of the plant container.

To fix this problem, all you have to do is change the pot size.

You can go for a 1-2 size larger pot so that it can have enough room for the roots to grow in.

You should always choose a pot that can serve you for a couple of years at least. It will help in avoiding the repotting and transplanting of the plant frequently.

You may perform this task at the time of changing the soil, as it will save some precious time for you.

Important: The plant container should have a few drainage holes at the bottom. These holes will prevent the waterlogging problem in the plant.

So, these are some of the tips and suggestions you can use to grow the Snake plant tall. Also, if the leaves are not standing tall, you can either support them with stakes or strings.

Both these methods are helpful in shaping your plant upward.

Things To Remember If You Want To Grow Snake Plant Tall

Even though the Snake plant grows reasonably tall, you should never expect quick growth in the plant. It is not sustainable at all.

If you try to achieve growth with excess fertilization, the plant will not be able to maintain it for long. And ultimately, it will fall prey to a lot of issues.

So, let it grow at its own speed. If you feel it’s not doing well, you must address the issue quickly.

This will help the plant get back to its original growing pace.

Also, you need to keep an eye on the overwatering problem. It’s the most common issue in this plant.

Since the plant’s leaves pretty much look the same all the time, you don’t get the right idea if it requires water or not. This generally causes overwatering in the plant.

So, check the soil instead of the leaves before watering the plant.

Now, let’s look at the following section, where I have shared a few answers to the FAQs around this issue.

FAQs

1. Why Is My Snake Plant So Short?

It depends on many factors, including sunlight, water, and pot size. Besides, you may also have a different variety of plants that won’t grow too tall.

2. Will My Snake Plant Get Bigger?

Yes, it can get bigger if you provide a decent space in the pot.

Get a relatively larger pot for Snake plants, as it grows quickly and likes to take over available space. Also, if you want to make it bigger, you must add fertilizers to it regularly.

3. How Do I Keep My Snake Plant Upright?

Technically, the plant should keep itself straight up. But if it’s not standing tall, you should check for the root rot issue.

Remove the plant from the pot and see if there is anything wrong with the roots. The roots with the problem will look soft and mushy.

You will also see brown and black roots when you have root rot in the plant. If root rot is not the problem, you can think of some of the common problems in the plant.

If there is still no problem, support the plant with threads or stakes.

4. Can A Snake Plant Stay Small?

Yes, it can stay tiny for a long time if it doesn’t receive sunlight and space in the pot.

In fact, many gardeners prefer to have a tiny Snake plant in their indoor garden. This can only be achieved by providing a small pot to the plant.

But if you like the bigger and taller Snake plant, you can move the plant to a bigger pot accordingly.

5. How To Tell If A Snake Plant Needs Water?

It’s difficult to know when to water your Snake plant, especially if you are new to indoor gardening.

Often, we see the plant’s leaves drooping due to lack of water. If the tips of your Snake plant leaves start curling down, water the plant.


Related Posts:

  1. Snake Plant Fungus: 7 Effective Ways To Fix The Problem
  2. 6 Tips To Prevent Snake Plant Scarring
  3. How To Treat Snake Plant Sunburn
  4. Snake Plant Mushy Leaves: 5 Actionable Fixes

About Harshad Sawant

I'm Harshad Sawant, a houseplant gardener and the founder of Indoor Mint.

Join me as I distill my 15+ years of hands-on gardening experience into valuable guidance right here on this blog.

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Hey there!

I'm Harshad Sawant, a houseplant gardener and the founder of Indoor Mint.

Join me as I distill my 15+ years of hands-on gardening experience into valuable guidance right here on this blog.

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