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Snake plants are a type of perennial groundcover that typically grows in sandy soils or heavy clay loams. They generally can survive under varying conditions.
They have tall, erect stems covered in small, thin leaves. The flowers are pollinated by bees or other insects, and the fruit is a drupes that can be eaten or stored as a dried flower.
The browning of leaves on a Snake Plant is likely due to a lack of water or light, over fertilization, over watering, and even pest infestations. This change can also occur as a result of changes in temperature, humidity, or wind.
When you see that your snake plant leaves are turning brown, it means that something is wrong and you need to correct it before you lose the entire plant.
This article will discuss 7 possible reasons why your snake plant leaves are turning brown. By knowing the cause of this, you can avoid doing these things or control it, thereby saving your plant.
Let’s have a look at them right now!
Your Snake Plant Leaves Are Turning Brown, Why?
1.Too Much Direct Sunlight
Snake plants enjoy the sun, but if yours is situated where it receives direct, strong sunshine for the majority of the day, it might be too much for the leaves.
Sunlight that is too bright or intense can dry up and brown the leaves of snake plants.
Move your snake plant farther from the window if its leaves are turning brown and it gets a lot of daily full sun. By doing this, fresh leaves won’t oxidize.
Snake plants thrive in indirect light, so you shouldn’t be too concerned that limiting the amount of light will cause your plant to die.
Your snake plant will thrive as long as it has access to at least 5 hours of indirect light each day.
read also: What is the Best Fertilizer for Rhubarb?
2. Overfertilization
Snake plants are accustomed to growing in a variety of environments, including nutrient-deficient soil. They can thrive without a lot of fertilizer or expensive plant food.
As a matter of fact, if you intend to fertilize your snake plant, make sure to do so no more frequently than once per month.
Consider diluting the fluid by at least 50% when fertilizing your snake plant. This will stop brown tips brought on by too much fertilizer.
Nitrogen burn is the main factor in excessive fertilization-related leaf browning.
Therefore, stop fertilizing for two to three months to give your plant time to recuperate if your snake plant’s leaves turn brown within a week of fertilizing.
3. Pest Infestation
On the leaves of snake plants, some pests, such as mealybugs and spider mites, produce brown marks. You might see evidence of spider mites’ fine, white webs on your plant if that is the case.
If mealybugs are the problem, you can observe them crawling on the leaves of your plant or in the soil. Place your plant in quarantine and get rid of the infestation as quickly as you can.
Neem oil can be sprayed on any bugs that are visible as a simple and effective way to treat resistance to insecticides on snake plants.
Neem seeds are the source of neem oil. This specific oil adheres to insects and renders them dead.
4. Overwatering Your Plants
Being succulents, snake plants are specialists at holding onto water and preserving it for a long period. For this reason, they don’t respond well to being overwatered.
When they begin to turn brown, they’ll let you know they’re getting too much. Allow the soil to totally dry out in between waterings to prevent this.
Check to see if your container has a sizable drainage hole in the bottom for optimal watering technique. This is required in order for extra water to drain from the pot of your snake plant.
If the container doesn’t have enough drainage holes, water will accumulate there and destroy the roots of your snake plant. You can improve drainage by repotting your snake plant or drilling new holes in the bottom of your pot.
Recommended: 7 Snake Plant Problems And Disadvantages
5. Underwatering Your Snake Plant
Your snake plant obviously needs water if you realize it has been a while since you last watered it and the leaves are beginning to turn brown.
After giving it a good soak, let it dry completely before watering it once more.
If you don’t water your snake plant for more than two weeks, it may begin to turn brown.
By inserting your finger an inch (2.5 cm) into the ground, examine the soil. If it’s dry, your plant is underwatered and needs watering.
Your plant is probably suffering from overwatering more than a lack of water if it is still moist.
6. Inconsistent Watering
Remember it was mentioned that if your snake plant is overwatered you should let it be for a few months, well this may cause you to abandon the snake plant for a while and lead to inconsistent watering.
Your snake plant’s leaves may turn brown under the strain of a sudden change in watering routine.
Create a watering schedule to stop this. The ideal watering schedule for a snake plant is usually once every 14 days.
7. Low Humidity
Snake plants may tolerate a range of humidity levels, but if you live in an area that is particularly dry, brown leaves may be a sign that your plant requires more moisture in the atmosphere.
You can use a humidity meter to measure the air quality if you are concerned that this might be a problem for your plants.
Any humidity level over 40% is excellent. Spray the leaves of your snake plant once daily with a spray bottle if the humidity is below this level.
You might spend money on a compact humidifier for your snake plant rather than misting it every day.
On days when the humidity is lower than 40%, just turn on the humidifier in the same room as your plant.
This will supply adequate moisture to maintain the green color of your plant’s leaves.
Should I Cut The Brown Leaves Off The Snake Plant?
This question has been a subject for debate for a while now. However, in my opinion it’s not a great idea to cut off brown leaves off your snake plant.
By chopping off these leaf segments and creating wounds on your snake plant, you could do more damage than repair.
If you cut a leaf, it will never recover its original shape since the leaf tip will never grow back.
The leaves of snake plants are exceedingly delicate. Trimming them could result in further harm.
Waiting for fresh, healthy leaves to emerge is safer than removing the brown leaves.
Why Are My Snake Plant Leaves Turning Brown?
Just as we have considered in this article, your snake plant leaves turning brown may be as a result of; overwatering, underwatering, over fertilization, too much exposure to sunlight, and low humidity.
How Do I Get Rid Of Brown Leaves On My Snake Plant?
There’s really nothing you can do physically to get rid of Brown leaves on your snake plants. Cutting off the brown leaves is not advised as it can cause more harm than good.
Instead, just allow the brown leaves to grow out and watch new fresh green leaves appear again.
What does Overwatered Snake Plant look like?
When a snake plant Is overwatered, it changes from its green fresh look to a brown and shrivelled looking plant.
When you notice this brownish look on your snake plant and confirm it is from overwatering, you need to recheck the drainage system of the pot it’s kept in.
To correct the effects of overwatering, you can refrain from watering your snake plant for about two to three months.
Conclusion
Every plant parent becomes worried when there’s a slight change in the look of their plant and would want to know the cause.
If you’re a plant parent to a snake plant and the leaves start to turn brown, from all that has been said in this article you know the possible causes.
Therefore, endeavour to avoid these things if you want your snake plant to continue to look green and healthy!
