Hello,

my Sansevieria has been showing signs of no growth for last year and I just checked the roots and they look undeveloped/small. I'm unsure of what might be causing these issues and how I can help my plant recover. Any suggestions or recommendations you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

As I understand I would need to replant in new soil? Does the plant I show in the picture need smaller pot? Before I get new soil, can/should I put the plant's roots in the water to encourage new roots growth?

(my plant has been growing straight for the whole time, in the last picture I just put it like this after seeing the roots)

Hi & welcome! That pot does not look big enough for the roots to grow rhizomes.


I would not put the roots in water.

I don't know why the feeder roots would be so short and small.

Welcome to the Forum!
First, I would not put the plant in water, that will just slow it down.
If the bottom part of the pot stays mushy soggy wet for any length of time, the plant will not send roots deep in the pot.
Also, if you water very sparingly, and never wet the bottom soil, the plant will not send roots into the very dry bottom of the pot.
So, to strike a balance, you have to have the proper pot and the proper potting mix.
The pot should have lots of drainage holes in the bottom. If it only has one, drill some extras.
The potting mix should be a fast-draining succulent mix, with 30 to 50% additional grit mixed in. Grit can be pumice, gravel, or chipped granite poultry grit. If you use perlite, rinse thoroughly or the fine dust will plug up the air spaces.
With this combination, when you water you can soak the whole pot, top to bottom, but the lower part of the pot will not stay soggy.
Let it dry out before watering again.
Think about the roots--they need water but they also need air, and they will rot if they stay too wet. Manage the plant for healthy roots and the top part will look great.
A pot that is too big also makes it difficult to manage drainage properly. The middle tends to stay too wet. I don't think I'd go for a bigger pot until you have healthy root growth. And don't keep digging it up to check the roots! You'll know when the top growth improves and new side growth appears.
I don't think a plastic pot will keep a healthy snake plant from sending out new rhizomes.

MsDoe said: Welcome to the Forum!
First, I would not put the plant in water, that will just slow it down.
If the bottom part of the pot stays mushy soggy wet for any length of time, the plant will not send roots deep in the pot.
Also, if you water very sparingly, and never wet the bottom soil, the plant will not send roots into the very dry bottom of the pot.
So, to strike a balance, you have to have the proper pot and the proper potting mix.
The pot should have lots of drainage holes in the bottom. If it only has one, drill some extras.
The potting mix should be a fast-draining succulent mix, with 30 to 50% additional grit mixed in. Grit can be pumice, gravel, or chipped granite poultry grit. If you use perlite, rinse thoroughly or the fine dust will plug up the air spaces.
With this combination, when you water you can soak the whole pot, top to bottom, but the lower part of the pot will not stay soggy.
Let it dry out before watering again.
Think about the roots--they need water but they also need air, and they will rot if they stay too wet. Manage the plant for healthy roots and the top part will look great.
A pot that is too big also makes it difficult to manage drainage properly. The middle tends to stay too wet. I don't think I'd go for a bigger pot until you have healthy root growth. And don't keep digging it up to check the roots! You'll know when the top growth improves and new side growth appears.
I don't think a plastic pot will keep a healthy snake plant from sending out new rhizomes.

Hi, thanks for the answer. What do you think of the soil mix 3:3:3:1 appropriately Coco Coir, Perlite, Orchid Bark and Hummus? Would this be suitable/perfect for Sansevieria? Thanks (:

Please feel free to experiment with making your own soil mixes! It's a good way to figure out what works for you.
What works for me is adding a large amount additional grit to a bagged cactus mix. Keeps it simple, and I've had good results.
I've never used coco coir.
I'm not a fan of perlite, it tends to be too small and contain lots of fine dust that plugs up the soil. Also, it floats up out of the pot when I water. I use pea gravel from a landscape supply yard, pumice, or poultry grit (chipped granite). Rinse well if it is dusty.
I use lots of orchid bark, for orchids. Haven't tried adding it to other mixes. It does break down over time.
I think you mean humus, not hummus? Humus tends to be very fine organic material. Again, this will tend to plug up the air spaces in the mix.
So, I really have no experience with the mix you're proposing. There are many gardeners who mix their own potting soil from scratch, I'm not one of them.
You might try checking out the "Soil for Cacti and Other Succulents" sticky:
The thread "Soil for cacti and other succulents" in Cactus and Succulents forum

I've had hundreds of these Sans and they are about the least picky plant I can think of. I wouldn't put chunks of bark in there but otherwise, it shouldn't matter much. I've had them in potting soil, cactus soil, in the ground, in pots with ground dirt, pots with ground dirt mixed with leaves, they don't care. The only thing that is a problem is if the rhizomes run out of room to roam. Then they could go down and curl around and rot with nowhere else to go. In the ground where there are no obstacles, the rhizomes creep indefinitely just under the soil surface, never downward unless there is such a crowded patch that there is nowhere else to go. Just like Cannas.