Hi all.
I'm new to the forum and I need some advise.

My snake plant is slowly dying (I think). Some leaves are going mussy from the base and with hardly little force can be pulled right out.
I have no idea how to resolve the issue. What do you think could be causing this problem?

I have attached photos which hopefully explains the problem better.

Something is wrong there, I agree.
Tell us a little more- what is the tan colored stuff in the pot? Is this just purchased that way? How long have you had the plant?

The plant seems too deep in the material in the pot.

Hi thank you for your reply.

No it wasn't purchased that way. I had small black flies so I purchased Garden Magic "No-GNAT" and added it to my indoor plants in March this year.

The colour of the "no-Gnat" is white but for some reason it has become tanned on the snake plant, could this potentially be an issue?
I have had the plant for over 2 years.

I am familiar with gnats
but not familiar with that product.
Still it looks to me the crowns of the plants are pretty deep and I think that is a problem- or part of it.
Gnats can be a sign that plants are being kept too wet.

Welcome to the forum!
There is most likely a problem with the plant's roots.
Can you share some more information with us? I see that it is double potted.
What sort of soil is it in?
How do you water?
How often do you water?
Also, did you follow the anti-gnat pot topper instructions to remove 1/2 inch of soil before adding the product?
It is normal for it to take on the brown/tan coloring of the underlying soil, that is not the problem.
https://themosquitocompany.co....

The pot topper looks granular/airy, maybe it is not causing the problem I thought it might.

I am thinking maybe too much water. The presence of gnats might indicate that since they like moist soil. And I agree it is planted too deep. If it were me, I would gently dump out all the soil and inspect the roots for rotting. Remove any rotted roots, and then re-pot it. I assume that inner pot has drain holes. I would lift it out and check to make sure there is no standing water in the outside pot.

Richtj
If the bases of the leaves are rotting below the soil surface, you've got rot: too wet, not enough oxygen. Any possibility of saving the plant will require removing the plant from the soil, cutting out all rotten roots and doing a complete repot in faster draining soil with a lower peat content. Agree that it looks too deep, so after repotting you might need to stake it upright until the new roots take hold. It might benefit from brighter light too.

Great advice.

This thread makes me want snake plants.

@Humboldt - just bought two. One was a regular one, for a pot here at work that needed something more, and then a braided one as a gift for a friend. It was awesome, and she loved it.

She set it out on her patio the first night, and a squirrel came along and chewed the ribbon off, stealing the ribbon. Mr. Squirrel left an acorn in return.
The braiding sprung apart, so she now has an UNBRAIDED snake plant! Which she also loves. No intention of braiding it back up.


My very first plant was a regular snake plant, which was given to me when I was 8. I loved it!

Cool!

Thank you all for your replies and help. Much appreciated.

MsDoe said: Welcome to the forum!
There is most likely a problem with the plant's roots.
Can you share some more information with us? I see that it is double potted.
What sort of soil is it in?
How do you water?
How often do you water?
Also, did you follow the anti-gnat pot topper instructions to remove 1/2 inch of soil before adding the product?
It is normal for it to take on the brown/tan coloring of the underlying soil, that is not the problem.

The double pot is only for aesthetic purposes (so it could go on the pot stand), there isn't actually any soil in the second pot.
The pot that it is in has drainage holes.
It is in the same soil it came in from B&Q when I bought it.
I was giving a small amount of water, roughly 1 every two weeks. I haven't been watering regularly due to problem I have been facing as I thought maybe I had been watering too much.
I didn't remove 1/2inch of soil when adding the anti-gnat.

cwhitt said: I am thinking maybe too much water. The presence of gnats might indicate that since they like moist soil. And I agree it is planted too deep. If it were me, I would gently dump out all the soil and inspect the roots for rotting. Remove any rotted roots, and then re-pot it. I assume that inner pot has drain holes. I would lift it out and check to make sure there is no standing water in the outside pot.

The pot isn't sitting in water. I will do what you said and inspect the roots.

NMoasis said: Richtj
If the bases of the leaves are rotting below the soil surface, you've got rot: too wet, not enough oxygen. Any possibility of saving the plant will require removing the plant from the soil, cutting out all rotten roots and doing a complete repot in faster draining soil with a lower peat content. Agree that it looks too deep, so after repotting you might need to stake it upright until the new roots take hold. It might benefit from brighter light too.

Understood thank you, is there any specific soil you would recommend?

Thanks again all.

A coarse, readily-drained potting medium. I see that Amazon actually has a couple of Snake plant potting mixes. I never knew that. Looks like Walmart carries one also. Might be worth a try, but probably any succulent mix would work. Just make sure you use something that drains well.

OK, apologies if I over-explain, but I think this will help.
Make sure the pot has lots of drainage. If the roots are really bad, get a smaller pot, with lots of drainage holes. Plastic nursery pots work well and help keep the plant healthy. It can go inside the cache pot, but never leave it sitting in water.
Get a cactus/succulent soil mix. If possible, add extra grit, up to 50% of the soil. I've had success with pumice, pea gravel, and chipped granite poultry grit. Screen and wash to remove fine dust, which plugs up the air spaces in the soil. Roots need air!
Repot. If you plan on using the anti-gnat layer, leave space for that. The plants look like they're potted too deep now.
If necessary, prop it up with sticks, or rocks at the base. This should only be needed until the roots re-establish.
With a fast-draining pot and soil, you can now water correctly. Water thoroughly until the soil is wet and water runs out the bottom. Let it get quite dry before watering again. This may be two weeks or so, check carefully until you know what works for your situation.
Locate the Sanseviera section of the forum, and enjoy the enthusiasm others share! (OK, they're kind of nutty, but in a fun way.)
The thread "Sansevieria, greatest house plants alive!!" in Houseplants forum

Late getting back here, I concur with above advice. I often use a cactus mix with added grit as MsDoe described. It might seem like the water is just running through, but perlite and pumice in particular actually store water in their little air pockets and retain enough to sustain the plant while still allowing plenty of oxygen into the soil.

If your media is adequately low peat and free draining, it's virtually impossible to overwater. I can fully saturate these two plants weekly with no risk of rot...or leave them 2-3 weeks.

Walmart ... I wonder if they'll deliver to the UK

I will keep an eye out at my local garden centre.
Thank you.

cwhitt said: A coarse, readily-drained potting medium. I see that Amazon actually has a couple of Snake plant potting mixes. I never knew that. Looks like Walmart carries one also. Might be worth a try, but probably any succulent mix would work. Just make sure you use something that drains well.

Walmart ... I wonder if they'll deliver to the UK

I will keep an eye out at my local garden centre.
Thank you.

MsDoe said: OK, apologies if I over-explain, but I think this will help.
Make sure the pot has lots of drainage. If the roots are really bad, get a smaller pot, with lots of drainage holes. Plastic nursery pots work well and help keep the plant healthy. It can go inside the cache pot, but never leave it sitting in water.
Get a cactus/succulent soil mix. If possible, add extra grit, up to 50% of the soil. I've had success with pumice, pea gravel, and chipped granite poultry grit. Screen and wash to remove fine dust, which plugs up the air spaces in the soil. Roots need air!
Repot. If you plan on using the anti-gnat layer, leave space for that. The plants look like they're potted too deep now.
If necessary, prop it up with sticks, or rocks at the base. This should only be needed until the roots re-establish.
With a fast-draining pot and soil, you can now water correctly. Water thoroughly until the soil is wet and water runs out the bottom. Let it get quite dry before watering again. This may be two weeks or so, check carefully until you know what works for your situation.
Locate the Sanseviera section of the forum, and enjoy the enthusiasm others share! (OK, they're kind of nutty, but in a fun way.)
The thread "Sansevieria, greatest house plants alive!!" in Houseplants forum

Thank you

Richtj said: Walmart ... I wonder if they'll deliver to the UK

I will keep an eye out at my local garden centre.
Thank you.

If not it should be pretty easy to replicate.

I live in Central Florida and my snake plants live outside. In Florida it's easy to tell where homesites were because there will be snake plants everywhere!
Mine are either in the ground( mostly sand and years of oak leaves) or in large pots I have switched to Kellogg potting soil that has mulch in it and find my plants are happy One even bloomed!
Picture posted in error
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