How to Save Snake Plant from Fungus

Does your Snake plant has yellowing leaves with irregular leaf spots? Then, your Snake plant might be suffering from fungus which you save via prompt and proper treatment.

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As mentioned above, most of the following points are out of my own experience too. So, let us look into the causes behind these fungi creeping up in our Snake plants. It might be something that you might be unaware of.

I have learned it from many of my research, trial and error, and experiences.

Hence, keep on reading to save your Snake plant from fungus with the following solutions and precautionary measures.

Symptoms of Fungus in Snake Plants

Here are some of the major signs that Snake plant shows under fungus infection.

1. Unhealthy Leaves and Roots

Brown-spotted leaves and mushy roots of the plant are distinct traits, which later worsen to droopy yellow leaves and ultimately become soppy.

Regarding the appearance of brown spotted leaves, underwatering could also be a possible cause for its vulnerability.

It is generally caused due to the concept of similarity with cactus plants, containing high water conservation properties.

Hence, you might be conceptualizing it as overwatering without observing other symptoms. This is a declining stage of their state, leading to bad leaves.

2. Unable to Transport Nutrients

In addition, the roots are already exhausted with rot at this stage, making them unable to transport the nutrients and moisture in the leaves.

This totally hinders its growth. Therefore, you might be wondering about the techniques related to unwatering or keeping the plant in a warmer area. This actually does not work.

3. Falling Leaves

The fungus finally leads to leaves falling off the Snake plant which requires immediate treatment to save them from getting severe. It is a way of preserving itself from improper care and nutrition.

It works similarly to the common universal phenomena of other plants and trees since the unwanted leaves could be an extra mouth to feed, which the plant decides to let off.

4. Death of The Plant

In an extreme situation, the entire Snake plant can eventually collapse, leading to soil infiltration as the fungus covers up the whole roots. This ultimately causes death.

5. Red Leaf spot

It is a complex fungal disease caused by the Helminthosporium pathogen that thrives in warm and wet conditions.

The fungi causing this is known as Drechslera Erythrospila. As the name describes itself, the leaves will have brownish-red or only red patches.

6. Southern Blight

It is instigated by a parasitic fungus called Sclerotium rolfsii. It attacks various kinds of plant species, including the Snake Plant.

In Southern Blight, a layer of fungus accumulates underneath the soil line of the plant. They are commonly known as Yellow Fungus too.

7. Rust

When you experience rust on your Snake plants, you will see white marks near the stem area and underneath the leaves, which soon turn orangish-brown in color. As the condition worsens, the rust becomes black, and the plant dies out eventually.

Other Causes of Fungus

There might be some reasons your Snake plant might have fungus. Let us see what they are.

1. Non-Drainage Pot Issues

Caring for your Snake plants starts with potting. A drainage pot is vital as the pot maintains its condition to remain healthy and green.

Preventive Measures

To prevent your Snake Plant from drowning, buy a pot with good drainage. You can drill small holes yourself if you cannot find a pot with drainage holes.

A good drainage pot prevents the soil from getting damped, limiting exposure to fungus growth. Without these drainage holes, the plant may die out in approximately 10 – 12 days.

Solution

In this case, a plate placed underneath the well-drained pot helps in collecting the excess water. Be mindful of the accumulated water on the plate.

Also, it needs to be removed immediately as the soil inside the pot can again soak up the water from the plate. Hence, the soil can act like a dirty sponge.

If a drainage pot is not available, other household items can also be used, such as plastic bottles, wood chips, or rocks, like a pot to grow the Snake plant.

2. Overwatering the Snake Plant

Overwatering is a rookie error in the Snake plant-caring business and is a major cause of fungal infections.

Preventive Measures

You can prevent root rotting by performing consistent watering with a very controlled amount of water. However, too much water within short time interval is not suitable.

Also, it is essential to water only the soil of a Snake plant and not the leaves. Moreover, trickling the water on its leaves might open a door for fungal infections.

Solution

Even if you have overwatered Snake plants, you can fix and save them from potential fungus infection.

Prevention is Better Than Cure

While looking for Snake plants for your home, be vigilant to inspect any kind of infection in the plant. These infections can occur year-round. It breeds more in warm temperatures with optimal moisture in the air.

Apart from these causes, other factors could be excessive fertilizer injection, superfluous sunlight exposure, lack of humidity, cold stress, chlorine in water, underwatering, or insect invasion.

Tips to Prevent Fungus

The environment and surroundings of the Snake Plant play a great role as a catalyst. Follow the below simple tip to save Snake plants from fungus and grow faster.

• First, place your Snake plant in a good air circulation area with an indirect warmth of sunlight. It is one of the best ways to grow faster, stronger, and fewer disease attacks.
• Also, you can spray milk once every week. It helps to maintain the pH level of the leaves and prevents fungal diseases.
• Every once a month, you can apply insecticides or fungicides to prevent fungus.
• Repot your plant once in a while every 3-4 years.
• Do not spray mists on the Snake Plants since they keep their leaves already moist.

So, let us move ahead with some of the remedies that can help improve the condition of fungal Snake plants.

Treatment for Fungal Snake Plants

As easy as it is to nourish your Snake plants into sturdy, tall oxygen generators, some obstacles prevent them from flourishing if not taken care of properly.

A keen desire to take care of one’s plants with correct techniques and favorable conditions is essential. However, just because Snake Plants are low maintenance doesn’t mean they can’t die out or have fewer problems.

We might be misguided in having correct knowledge about its proper growth properties. This can rupture the plant with an infusion of nasty fungus around its roots, creeping toward the leaves and the whole plant.

Besides, people’s busy life can also negatively affect nurturing the plant. For example, forgetting about – “When was the last time I watered my plants?”. It can be one of the causes of fungus attacks too.

Trust me, I experienced a similar issue whilst I was so busy with work and forgot to keep track of the watering schedule. This can happen to any one of you too.

You might get worried about having various signs of abnormal patches in your Snake plants. It’s more terrifying once you figure out the fungus eating up the plants alive. Nevertheless, it is never too late.

Prevention is definitely better, but there are ways of treating fungal disease problems too. Let me show you some below.

1. Applying Neem Oil to Eliminate Fungus

Spraying neem oil is a good alternative for bringing back the Snake plant to a healthy condition.

After some time, the fragile mushy leaves get replenished into their strong, tough leaves.

You can spray neem oil at intervals of 7 days. Slowly, the effect starts getting visible.

You can find neem spray on Amazon.

2. Natural Method

A natural way is always recommended before jumping into other infused treatments. Hence, obliterating the diseased tissue for a single plant rather than inducing chemical treatments is suggested.

You can cut off the infected reddish-brown leaf spots, as this averts the infection from spreading to other plant areas.

Similarly, the application goes for the rust treatment in removing the fragments from the leaves and isolating water from the plant completely to stop the spread of rust.

Some other natural ways to treat fungus infusion on your Snake plants are given below.

• Spray or pour Chamomile Tea on the plant or seedling.
• Mix 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar with a gallon of water. Spray it on the affected area of the plant.
• Put together 1 tsp Baking Soda with a gallon of water and 2 and a half tsp of vegetable oil. Spray it evenly.
• Sprinkle Cinnamon Powder on the plant or seedling.
• Sprinkle Sulfur Dust on the fungus-infected area.

3. Use of Fungicides

You can use chemical treatments such as copper-containing fungicide or sulfur spray in case of slight plaque formation. This is a useful remedy for Red Leaf Spots.

In comparison, the Southern Blights are treated with fungicides called methyl bromide. The mentioned fungicides also contain Sulphur and Copper properties which can be sprayed in the plant for its treatment.

Fungicides Recommended for Fungus in Snake Plants

Rescuing Snake Plants from Fungus

You can apply simple steps to save Snake plant from fungus through the following list.

• Stop watering the Snake plant.
• Place the plant outside in the sun.
• Pull off the plant along with its roots from the pot and remove the dirt.
• Look out for any signs of root rot.
• Cut off the yellowish-brown part of the leaves with scissors.
• You can use Fungicides (mentioned in the above table) for the infected roots.
• Refill the pot with fresh soil to put back the Snake plant.

Rescue Snake Plant from Root Rot

Similarly, you can address the issues of root rot through the following points.

• First of all, separate the root from the damp soil.
• Trim all the brown rotted portions of each root. Trim it until healthy white flesh is visible.
• After removing all brown traces in the root, a slight trim can help the plant recover and grow faster.
• At this point, you should apply appropriate fungicides to prevent further root infection.
• Dry the roots in the sun for a while or by placing them in the newspaper for a few hours. Desiccated roots will not create any harm due to their adaptability in dry situations.
• It is now ready to be replanted in a well-drained clean pot. Also, this helps in the protection of root ball formation.