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Snake Plant Humidity [For Better Growth]

The prized printed leaves of the Snake plant require optimum maintenance and care to flourish, with humidity being on the top.

Generally, the Snake plant prefers a room humidity of 30-50%. Also, they may thrive in high humidity, similar to their native tropical of West and Central Africa. Still, constant humidity, over 60% and below 30%, stresses the plant.

Continue reading to determine the ideal humidity for your green buddy so that you can maintain it accordingly.

How Much Humidity Does Snake Plant Need?

A Snake plant can thrive in moist to dry settings thanks to its tropical roots, making it stand out among indoor plants for being easygoing.

However, provide it with average room humid conditions (30-50%), allowing the plant to adapt to any surroundings quickly.

Also, warmer air has more humidity, so maintaining a temperature of 60 – 75ºF would be ideal for your Snake plant.

Remember to protect it from fluctuating temperatures as the Snake plant struggles in extreme cold, leading to humidity imbalance.

So better to take several location readings using the digital hygrometer to choose an ideal location for your plant.

How Does Humidity Impact Snake Plants?

Although Snake plants can tolerate almost any humidity, they should be tested only until their limit.

An imbalance in the humidity damages the Snake plant’s printed leaves. Some of the impacts are listed below.

1. Spots on the Leaves

High humidity is always the culprit for fungal and bacterial infection in the Snake plant, with the most common being the red leaf spots.

Another on the list, invited by the hot and humid conditions in Snake plant, is Rust fungi and Southern blight.

The fungal infections show their presence by causing squishy reddish-brown lesions with brown wet spots on the leaves.

So correct the situation by balancing the humidity and bringing the temperature to the optimum level.

In minor cases, you can remove the foliage while keeping the rest of the plant dry. However, fungicides can be used in extreme cases.

2. Extremely Slow or No Growth

Initially, you may not be able to notice the stunted growth of the Snake plant as they are characterized by a slow to moderate growth rate.

However, if the plant has not shown any growth in its actively growing season, doubt issues with humidity.

Too much humidity slows normal physiological activities, which disables the Snake plant from transpiring enough water.

Some other symptoms introduced by slow or lack of growth include leaves turning yellow to black (characterized by root rot) and drooping.

So better to bring back your Snake plant’s growth pace by maintaining the average room humidity with fortnightly watering.

3. Infestation of Pests

The humidity imbalance makes your Snake plant prone to pests like mealybugs, spider mites, and fungus gnats, which can take your plant to grave danger.

Although Snake plants can survive the attack initially, a continuous infestation will weaken the plant as pests suck on the plant’s sap.

Unlike other plants, water must be avoided as the cure for Snake plants, as their leaves must be kept dry.

Lowering humidity or using miticides might help to prevent pests. You can also spray neem oil to prevent future spread.

Help Your Snake Plant Deal With High Humidity

Sometimes the humidity level might go beyond the level of control, but that is nothing to worry about.

You can correct the high humidity condition by taking precautions with other care requirements of the Snake plant.

  • Avoid Watering: Keep watering to a minimum (once fortnightly) in summer when the humidity is high to prevent overwatering, as air moisture can work as an alternative for the Snake plant.
  • Place Your Plant Near Windows: Balance the high heat and air moisture by letting a cool breeze of morning and late night enter the room occasionally, as it can somewhat lower the humidity.
  • Use the Right Soil Type: High humidity decreases the plant’s water uptake. So use an excellent draining mix of garden soil, sand, and peat in a 1:2:1 ratio. Use crushed corals to increase drainage.
  • Do Not Overlap Plants: Grouping the plants always boost the humidity around the plant but try to provide them with comfortable space by avoiding overlapping.
  • Use a Fan: Use a floor model or ceiling fan to circulate fresh air throughout the room and decrease the humidity around the Snake plant.
  • Use Dehumidifier: If you are not overwatering the plant, keeping the enclosure dry and still with high humidity, you can always use a dehumidifier.

Signs Your Plants Need More Humidity

While the Snake plant suffers from high humidity, they also summon some issues if the humidity is below average.

Here are some of the noticeable signs indicating the requirement for more humidity.

  • Wrinkling of leaves: If the leaves of your snake plant wrinkle out of nowhere, you might consider increasing the humidity level.
  • Drying of Soil: Generally, Snake plants require low water, but that doesn’t mean the soil must be dry. If the soil is bone-dry, you might want to water it and increase the humidity.
  • Leaves Turning Yellow: Due to the lack of moisture, the Snake plant leaves start to dry out and turn yellow.
  • Leaves Falling Over: When the leaves lack moisture, the joint section of the Snake plant to the roots starts to weaken and droop down, ultimately falling over.
  • Browning of Tips: Arid air leads to higher water loss from the leaves, causing the tips to turn brown and bristle.
  • Curling of Leaves: The curling of Snake plant leaves upward indicates that your plant demands fixing the humidity level.

Ways to Improve Humidity Levels

Having low humidity doesn’t mean you can’t parent a Snake plant. Find a way to improve humidity levels, and you’re good to go.

Here are a few ideas you can use to make your house plant-friendly.

A template containing the tips to maintain the optimal humidity for your plant
Maintain the humidity on the level by using the required ways.

You can also put your Snake plant in the bathroom as they have around 40-50% of air moisture, the highest among all the indoor spaces.

Another idea could be a two-pot method. Use an extra pot 1-2 inches wider than the plant pot.

Place the plant pot inside the bigger one, fill the gap with sphagnum moss, and pour some water over the moss.

Now, let the water dry out slowly by increasing the humidity around the plant, but ensure that both pots have drainage holes to prevent any risks of fungus and molds. 

From Editorial Team

Conclusion!

If you watch for your Snake plant now and then, it can thrive in its full glory for about 5 to 10 years and be with you for up to 25 years or more.

Keep up with maintaining the optimum growing condition for your Snake plant and enjoy the fresh purified air it provides even at night when it releases oxygen.

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