Does my snake plant require sun exposure?
I know this question appears like a straightforward question for you, but the answer is still yes.
Some people believe that snake plants are indoor plants that don’t need much sunlight. And this is why people get the wrong thought in their minds and keep their snake plants without sunlight in a dark room. But that is not the case. Believe me, even when I first thought it like that, I kept my plants in low light without sunlight, until my plants began to change color and wilt away. And then, I realized that snake plants need sunlight too!
That is why, in this article, with my personal experience for so many years with these houseplants, I will discuss whether snake plants require natural light or not, the advantages of giving natural light, and the signs you should know whether your plants are receiving enough sunlight or not!
How do snake plants work?
One of the most resilient and well-known types of indoor houseplants is the Dracaena trifasciata, also known as the Snake Plant or Sansevieria Plant. This plant got its origins in Asia and Africa.
Snake plants have stiff, dark green leaves that resemble swords that are six to eight feet tall. Snake plants come in a variety of hues. However, many have leaves with green bands and often have a yellow border. It is simple to grow them. Additionally, they are generally impervious to damage.
In virtually complete darkness or areas of the house with intense light, snake plants can flourish. In general, they develop slowly in artificial light. But if they get a few hours of direct sunlight, increasing their exposure to light will promote growth more effectively.
Although the Dracaena trifasciata is thought to be rather safe, consuming it can cause minor poisoning. If taken in sufficient dosages, the toxin found in its leaves can result in tongue numbness and swelling. For this reason, you should keep it away from children and pets who might eat the plant.
Do snake plants require light?
Yes, snake plants need light to produce food, just like every other type of green plant. Photosynthesis is the name of this process. A south-facing window or in front of a sunny window with a translucent curtain are the best places to install a snake plant around your home.
What are the snake plant lighting requirements?
Although it can survive in low light, bright indirect light is preferable. Even though snake plants may survive in a variety of environments, it is crucial to produce the right lighting conditions for their growth. Snake plants can survive under many levels of light, from low to high. But medium bright light is best for these plants.
Do you know the right lighting requirements for snake plants? No? Then you are perfectly in the right place. Because now, I will discuss everything you need to know about the lighting requirements of snake plants! Then why are you waiting for it? Check it out below!
1. Low light levels
Snake plants can grow well in dimly lit areas with shade. They are adaptable plants that can survive in low-light conditions. However, if you give them low light, their development rate will be a little bit slower. Therefore, avoid placing your snake plant in spaces without windows or natural light if you want it to thrive as well as possible.
2. Medium-light levels
Medium-light levels are optimal for snaky plant growth. Because they prefer natural light, planting them in indirect sunlight is a good idea. An excellent location would be close to the west or south-facing window, where plenty of early sunshine will penetrate. Snake plants can also be grown in the middle of a dark corner of a room without direct sunlight.
3. High light levels
These plants can endure high light levels. They can survive in direct light. However, if your snake plant has been growing indoors, placing it in full sunlight directly could damage the leaves. Your plant may become a little weak as a result. In general, providing indirect sunlight for your plant is always the best choice.
4. Direct versus indirect lighting
Despite the fact that snake plants do well in low-light conditions, using strong lighting will enhance the vivid hues of your plant’s leaves.
A snake plant should not be exposed to direct sunlight as it will burn the leaves and cause the edges to turn yellow. Avoid exposing your plant to direct sunlight as much as possible. Always offer our snake plant bright indirect sunshine; it’s the greatest kind of lighting you can give it.
Can a snake plant survive without sunlight if I leave my snake plant inside?
It can live without sunshine, but only for a short time. All green plants, as was previously said, require sunshine to manufacture their nourishment through photosynthesis. On the flip side, snake plants can continue to thrive for a very long time even without any sunshine, but only with the aid of grow lights.
Your snake plant won’t perish if you put it in a dimly lit area of your home that doesn’t receive any direct sunshine. It won’t, however, develop as vibrantly as a different specimen of the same plant that is exposed to direct, strong sunshine. So, avoid placing your snake plant in locations lacking natural sunshine if you want it to grow to its greatest potential.
Do snake plants need sunlight?
Despite their extreme hardiness, snake plants still need light to promote growth and develop better leaves. However, the fact that they need sunlight for the process of photosynthesis is more crucial. The process through which plants turn light, water, and oxygen into energy in the form of carbohydrates is essential.
Snake plants can survive in low indoor light, but they will grow sickly, and leggy. They might eventually seem wilted and washed out if the situation is extended.
Can snake plants tolerate direct light?
Snake plants are so tough that they can endure droughts and a variety of other issues. So these hardy plants won’t be affected by direct sunshine. Snake plants can flourish in direct sunshine. But they favor direct, strong sunlight. Also, be aware that snake plants may be vulnerable to leaf burn from strong direct sunlight.
Your snake plant will let you know if it is getting a lot of sunshine. You should relocate your snake plant a few feet away from its current location if you see that the foliage is changing to weird hues, usually brown, yellow, or pale.
Can a snake plant thrive in a dimly lit space?
Although they may survive in complete darkness, snake plants need at least some light to flourish. A snake plant doesn’t need a lot of light, grow lights or artificial lights will work. The problem is that snake plants can’t perform photosynthesis without light. They won’t be able to grow as quickly or healthily as a result, even though the lack of light might not kill them.
Move your snake plants to an area with more light for a few hours if you have them in a completely dark room and want them to develop a little faster. Additionally, this method prevents your plant from expanding in a particular direction. Similarly, you can use artificial lighting if your room lacks sunshine and you don’t want to move your plant. This might not be very useful, depending on the kind of artificial lighting you have. But it’s still preferable to the dark, right?
For your snake plant, you can purchase an artificial light, though it is not very necessary. This ensures that your plant will get enough light. Sansevieria cylindrica, ferns, and spider plants are additional indoor houseplants that can survive in dimly lit areas. These plants also do well in moist environments, such as restrooms.
Should I grow my snake plant under artificial light?
You should use artificial light for your snake plant if there isn’t much natural light available where you live. Even though these plants can survive in low light, they require good lighting to stay healthy.
Snake plants can tolerate a variety of illumination conditions. Therefore, using artificial lighting to prevent leaf burn is simple. The best aspect is that you may use these LED lights during those brief winter days when there is little sunlight exposure. Your snake plants will receive both blue and red light spectrum from LED grow lights.
These grow lights are strong and cost-effective to run. The only problem is that they can come at a high cost. For the best development of the leaves, use LED grow lights for 12 to 14 hours per day. Increase the amount of light your snake plants receive to over 16 hours each day if you want them to blossom.
However, you can also use a 1:2 combination of fluorescent and incandescent grow lights. Furthermore, while using grow lights, you can place snake plants anywhere.
Signs that your snake plant isn’t getting enough light!
Now that you are aware of how crucial lights are for snake plants, let’s look at the indications that your plants require more or less light. Let’s simplify things for you.
1. Strange Leaf Color
Snake plants have strong, thick, erect foliage with streaks of greyish silver when the growing conditions are favorable. They are known as “Snake Plants” for this reason. The leaf exhibits magnificent colors of green, proving that it is abundant in chlorophyll.
In light of the foregoing, anomalous leaf color or color loss point to a low light issue. Some leaves might get washed away while others could start fading. Snake plants occasionally lose their lovely creamed or streaked edges.
Brown or yellowed leaves are yet another blatant sign of a severe lack of light. The entire leaf may turn yellow, droop, and die if this problem is ignored for an extended period.
2. Browning Tips & Leaves
If snake plants are exposed to strong indirect light, they will fare significantly better. Although they can adjust to low light levels, they will develop more slowly. Your snake plant will make the most of its resources to survive if the location where you put it only receives a very small amount of light. Browning of the leaf’s tips is possible for this reason.
The leaves that turn yellow and form brown tips will be the oldest and lowest leaves. Keep in mind that too much light will also cause the leaf edges of your snake plant to turn brown. Consider moving your plant closer to a window that faces west.
3. Dropping or collapsing Leaves
Snake plants generally dislike significant changes. Even though they can withstand drought, snake plants can lose leaves when they are constantly stressed. Snake plants naturally lighten their load by losing leaves, which leaves them with fewer leaves to eat.
Typically, the oldest and lowest leaves are the first to fall. They’ll wilt, become yellow, and eventually fall off. If the potting mix doesn’t dry up quickly enough, root rot may also occur before the leaves fall off.
Keep an eye out for any more illnesses that can cause your snake plants to lose leaves. You must rule out infections, chilly winds, high humidity, and overwatering.
4. Not Drying Out the Soil for Weeks
The evaporation of extra water from the potting soil is accelerated by sunlight. The potting soil could take weeks to fully dry out if your plant is in a low-light environment. If this isn’t fixed right away, the roots could become suffocated and decay.
Put your Ginger into the potting soil to see whether this is the case. Your snake plant may be at risk of root rot if the top layer of soil is moist or rainy. You can notice rusty brown or black, mushy roots if it has been sitting in wet soil for several weeks. This is the result of the roots rotting.
5. Leggy development
Your snake plant will respond organically to grow and stay healthy if it does not receive enough light. It will make an effort to expand as though it were seeking any available light. The distance between the leaves may noticeably increase, giving your snake plant an unsightly appearance. Internodes are the voids between the leaves. Of course, your plant is not getting enough light if they are longer than it should be.
Another indicator of inadequate light is growth that is narrow, drooping, and lanky. Usually, taller snake plant variants exhibit this.
6. Zero new growth
All green plants grow by photosynthesis, as we have previously stated. As a result, new roots, leaves, and even owners grow slowly when light is scarce or unavailable. If your snake plant doesn’t get enough light for several weeks or months, you won’t notice any new growth.
Additionally, bear in mind that throughout the winter, snake plants go into hibernation or develop slowly. However, if your snake plant doesn’t bloom in the spring and summer. Your plant has to be moved straight away to a suitable location where it will get plenty of brilliant indirect sunlight.
7. The growth that is Overly Compact and Crippled
Your snake plant’s thin, slender foliage may also be a sign that there isn’t enough light. Through photosynthesis, light is crucial for the growth and health of your snake plant. Your snake plant won’t be able to support its new branches, leaves, and roots without enough food and energy.
Small foliage frequently coexists with other symptoms like prolonged internodes. In reality, these fragile leaves are frequently wilted and washed out. They are not only little, but they also frequently appear dead and sickly.
Signs that your snake plants getting too much light?
Not all of us put our snake plants in the dark corner of our house, some put them outdoors as well, so here are the signs you can look out for to determine if your plant getting too much sunlight.
Burn spots on leaves:
Small brown crisp, burn spots on the leaves are one of the earliest signs of excessive sunlight exposure. The spots usually appear as tiny and if left ignored it will grow in size. In some cases, the brown spots dry and fall from the leaf.
Brown or white foliage:
Just like when you leave a piece of furniture outside under the sun for days, it starts to lose its color, the same incident happens with snake plants as well. Harsh constant light causes the leaves to lose their color.
Brown leaf tips:
If the sleek leaves of your snake plant form crisp rims, particularly at the tips of the leaves, your plant is in danger. Its leaves are incapable of staying hydrated, baking gradually in the sun’s strong light. If ignored or untreated, it will outspread and slowly parch out the leaf from the tip down.
Bleached leaves:
Harsh exposure to the sun will break down the pigment of the leaves through ultraviolet rays and that exposure ends up bleaching out the leaves. Bleached-out leaves fail to produce food and eventually die.
Bone dry soil:
If you put a potted snake plant directly under the sun, the depletion of the soil will occur quickly. In a struggle to hold their leaves cool, they’ll consume every single drop from the pot. Moisture is also depleted during transpiration as the warmth of the sun parches them out. Always look out for dry, loose soil. If your snake plant is consistently dry, no matter how much water you are providing, the light levels are likely too high for it to bear.
Slowed Growth:
Snake plants are sluggish but persistent growers. Your indoor snake plant should make steadfast, undramatic development, with new sprouts arising from time to time. If your snake plant’s development has slowed down or stalled completely, it may be that your plant is accepting too much light. In stressful situations, it will concentrate on keeping itself alive rather than growth.
FAQs
Q1. Can snake plants grow in the absence of sunlight?
Ans. Yes, With the use of artificial lights or grow lights, snake plants can be grown without access to natural light.
Q2. How Much Sunlight Do Snake Plants Need Each Day?
Ans. For a snake plant to thrive, it needs more than five hours of indirect sunshine. Your snake plant can produce enough energy to encourage new development if it receives more than five hours of indirect sunshine each day.
Q3. What Is Killing My Snake Plant?
Ans. The most frequent causes of snake plant death include fungal issues, insect difficulties, exposure to high-temperature changes, and root rot. Additionally, if you take proper care of your snake plant, you should be fine.
Q4. Signs Your Snake Plant Needs Less Light
Ans. A few indicators that your snake plant needs less light include new growth that has yellowed and thickened, brown patches and edges on the leaves, curving of the foliage, and wilting during the hottest times of the day.
Conclusion
One of the most adaptable and controllable indoor plants is the snake plant. Your environment will remain fresh for many more days and nights if you let your snake plant dry out before watering it again, replenish the soil as needed, and keep kids and dogs away.
I hope my article is informative to you and helps to know everything about the lighting requirements needed for your beloved snake plants. If you have further questions revolving in your mind, feel free to comment down below, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family!
