Sansevierias: Where to Keep Them – Inside or Outside?

Untitled by *n*o*o*r*
Untitled by *n*o*o*r*

TheGardenLady received this question on her post “Taking Care of Your Mother-In-Law’s Tongue Plant“.

I’ve had the Mother-In-Law plant for about 3 yrs, and kept it outdoors. I’ve been told its good to have these types of plants indoor, say, the office, as they give out plenty of oxygen.  Please advise whether it’s a good idea to put this plant in the office and what care should be given to it.

Green plants give off oxygen. That is why they are so important. Any and all green plants give off oxygen both indoors and outdoors. So plants would be good to have in your office environment as well as in your home.

If you decide to dig up your Sansevieria and bring it indoors, whether you bring it into your office or into your home, treat it with benign neglect. Don’t over water it. Keep it out of direct sun.

But most people bring the plants indoors that don’t grow outdoors or that only grow outdoors part of the year. Since you live in a zone where Sansevieria grows outdoors, let it give off oxygen outdoors and bring a plant to your office that is more exotic. Hopefully you have a window in your office that is near your desk. Check your local nursery stores to see which plants they would recommend for an indoor office space. Let them know what direction the window faces where you will put your plant – noth, south, east or west. Is it a sunny window sunny or is it shaded by something like a big tree outdoors or another building? How cold is the temperature kept in the office? Some plants don’t like it too cold or too hot. Will someone water the plant if needed when the office is closed or you are on vacation? And be sure that no other office worker has any allergies to plants. Though TheGardenLady does not know of any allergic reaction to plants that just sit on a windowsill, today so many people have allergies, it is best to check.

Let TheGardenLady readers know about your choice of plant for the office. A photo would be nice.

Mini Sansevieria – aka – Dwarf Mother-In-Law Plant

Sansevieria mini Collection by Arzamitra
Sansevieria mini Collection by Arzamitra

TheGardenLady received this question from Segunda.

I want to know if there is a mother-in-law (mini or bond) plant? If so, please let me know were I can get it?

There are numerous different Sansevieria plants aka Snake plant or Mother-in-Law Tongue and some of them are dwarf.  A good website that talks about Sansevieria trifasciata is this.   Also check out S.trifasciata ‘hahnii jade dwarf’ or S. trifasciata ‘hahnii swirls’ or S.trifasciata ‘jade dwarf Marginated’ or sansevieria ‘dwarf laurentii’. Look at this more complete list of Sanseviereas where you might find other Sansevierias that meet your requirements of a mini plant.

eBay advertises that they sell dwarf sansevieria as does this site.

Taking Care of Your Mother-In-Law’s Tongue Plant

”]Sansevieria - Mother-in-law tongue or Snake Plant [Photo by Green Acres Nursery and Supply]TheGardenLady received this question from Donna:

I have a  that is turning yellow. I have had it for over ten years and it’s been in the same pot since. It has always done well, but here recently it is becoming sick. There hasn’t been any change to it to cause it. Any suggestions?

Since you say that you have had your Sansevieria Trifasciata plant, commonly called Mother-In-Laws Tongue or Snake plant, for over 10 years, I doubt that you have a gold variety like`Vandal Gold`, a Sansevieria that I have read about but do not know where to buy.

And I am amazed that you have a plant or anything that hasn’t had any change in all that time. There is nothing in TheGardenLady’s house that hasn’t changed in 10 years- including TheGardenLady.

Continue reading “Taking Care of Your Mother-In-Law’s Tongue Plant”

How to Deal with a Sick Mother-In-Law Plant

 

TheGardenLady received this question from Dawn:

Someone gave me a mother inlaw plant and said it lives outside and that I couldnt kill it, but it looks like its dying now…will it die in the winter and rebloom in the summer?

Plants that will grow outdoors all year long come from a place that has a similar climate to the one that you live in.  Sansevieria comes from Tropical Africa.

Zone 6, where I live, is too cold for the Sansevieria trifasciata (Latin name) or mother-in-law’s tongue plant (one of the common names for this plant) to leave outdoors in the late fall, winter and spring.  As tough as the plant is, it cannot tolerate very cold or freezing weather and in colder zones is used primarily as an indoor plant.

Since you do not tell me what temperature zone or area of the country/world you live in, I cannot tell you if the plant can be outdoors over winter in your area. Do you live in a tropical zone?

Besides not being able to live outdoors in cold weather where it will die, Sanseviera cannot tolerate overwatering or it will get root rot and also die. See TheGardenLady.org column Mother-in -Law Plant here.