Title

How Much Light Does Snake Plant Need

Written by Ivy

Dec 16 2022

How Much Light Does Snake Plant Need
The most unique thing about snake plant is the stripes and spots on the leaves, but some friends' snake plants have Phnom Penh or the patterns are not obvious, and they don't seem to have that unique beauty anymore. What's the reason? The gold edge and pattern of snake plant are closely related to the light. After finding that the gold edge or pattern of snake plant becomes lighter, we should pay attention to adjusting the light of snake plant. Both strong and weak light have an impact on the Phnom Penh and pattern of snake plant.

Importance of light for snake plant

The reason why the Phnom Penh and pattern of snake plant are closely related to light is mainly due to the effect of photosynthesis. When the light is strong, the photosynthesis is sufficient and a small amount of green can meet the demand. When the leaf background color of snake plant becomes light, the Phnom Penh and pattern become obvious. When the leaf background color becomes too light, the Phnom Penh and pattern are not obvious. When the light is weak, the photosynthesis of snake plant is insufficient, and more chlorophyll is required to meet the requirements. The leaf background color becomes darker, and the Phnom Penh and pattern area will be reduced accordingly. In serious cases, the Phnom Penh pattern will disappear, and the whole leaf of snake plant will turn green to serve photosynthesis. So if we want to make snake plant beautiful, we can keep it beautiful by observing the changes of snake plant Phnom Penh and patterns and adjusting the light in time.

Signs Your Snake Plant Needs More or Less Light

  • Leggy Growth
If snake plant is short of light, the leaves of snake plant will grow very high and thin. Snake plant without light is prone to collapse, so we should give sufficient light during the maintenance life of snake plant.
  • Curly Leaves
Snake plant likes to grow in a humid environment. It doesn't need to receive enough sunshine with many plants. It's OK to bask in the sun properly. However, if we let snake plant grow in the sun for a long time, the water in the leaves will evaporate rapidly, and the water in the roots is difficult to supplement in time, resulting in insufficient water in the leaves of snake plant.
How Much Light Does Snake Plant Need
Snake plant is one of the best trees for pots
  • No New Growth
Although snake plant has strong negative resistance, it does not have strict requirements for light. But it doesn't mean it grows and doesn't need light. If the environment where we maintain snake plant is closed and dark for a long time and lack of light, snake plant naturally does not grow well and is prone to plant failure. The photosynthesis of leaves was affected, the synthesis of chlorophyll decreased and the leaves lost their function.
  • Abnormal Leaf Color
If we place snake plant in a place with strong light for a long time, the width of Phnom Penh will increase and the size of pattern will also increase, but the color of Phnom Penh and pattern will become lighter, the leaf color will become gray white and not emerald green, it seems that Phnom Penh and pattern are not obvious, the overall leaves are white green, the sense of oiliness is not strong, the leaves are not thick enough, rough but tough to touch, and it is not easy to fall down. In this case, we should move the snake plant to a place with darker light, and the Phnom Penh and pattern will gradually deepen in about a week. Although snake plant has strong adaptability, it's best to shade properly when the light is too strong, so as to keep the leaves green and plump.
Especially in summer, we can keep snake plant in astigmatism or semi shade and bright light, instead of direct sunlight. Where the weather is too hot, we maintain snake plant on the North terrace in summer, which is obviously much better than the balcony facing south.
On the contrary, if we place snake plant where the light is too weak for a long time, the width of Phnom Penh will decrease and the size of the pattern will become smaller. In serious cases, the pattern and Phnom Penh will completely disappear, and the leaves will turn dark green, fat but poor toughness. It is possible to break and fall down when the wind blows or accidentally touches them. The leaves feel smooth but a little soft, and the sense of oiliness is not strong.
The worse the light at the place where snake plant is placed, the greener the leaves and the less obvious the pattern. In this case, we should timely move snake plant to a well lit place for maintenance, and Phnom Penh and patterns will gradually appear. We'd better not keep snake plant where the light is too dark. Phnom Penh and patterns are easy to fade or disappear, and it's also easy to Rett roots. Especially in winter, proper exposure to the sun is very beneficial to the growth of snake plant.
How Much Light Does Snake Plant Need
Snake Plant is one of the most common house plants

What type of light does a snake plant need?

The sunlight through the window is non scattered light, because it is blocked by glass. After the sunlight shines in from the window, it will diffuse and reflect, so as to reduce the intensity of the sunlight. Compared with the branches and leaves of trees, curtains, etc., the sunlight intensity through the glass is larger, which is the strongest scattered light. The intensity is relatively high, which will be about 50% lower than the direct sunlight intensity outdoors.
When maintaining the potted snake plant, we should avoid placing the branches and leaves of the potted snake plant next to the glass, let alone sticking them on the glass, otherwise the temperature will be too high and the leaves and branches will be easily burned.
Of course, the light intensity from different windows is different. For example, on the window sill facing north, two or three meters away from the window, the sunlight from the window may be only about 1% of the outdoor light intensity. Snake plant needs bright and indirect light.
How Much Light Does Snake Plant Need

How many hours of sunlight do snake plants need?

During the breeding process of snake plant, we should ensure that the snake plant has 6 ~ 8 hours of non direct light every day. When the light is too strong, we should conduct shading treatment, and then control the temperature at about 20 ℃ ~ 28 ℃.

Can snake plant survive without sunlight?

Snake plant is one of the most nutritious indoor plants. If you don't water it for a long time, snake plant can live tenaciously. It needs polar water and is extremely shade resistant. Pay attention to cold protection in winter. However, snake plant is also a plant native to the desert. Snake plant likes sunshine very much. Snake plant's requirements for light are no less than those succulent plants we take care of!

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