Do Snake Plants Need Sunlight? (Lighting Guide）

Does my snake plant need to be in the sun?

Although to you this question seems simple, the answer is still yes.

Some individuals think that snake plants are low-light, indoor plants. And for this reason, some people have the incorrect idea and keep their snake plants indoors, away from sunlight. That is not the case, though. Believe me, even when I first had that thought, I kept my plants in low light without sunlight until they started to wilt and change color. It was then that I understood snake plants also required sunlight!

In light of this, I will discuss whether or not natural light is necessary for snake plants in this article, as well as the benefits of doing so and the telltale signs that indicate whether or not your plants are getting enough sunlight.

Also read: Do Cactus Need Sunlight-How Much Light Do Cacti Need – New Planting

What is a Snake Plant?

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. Asia and Africa are their native continents.

This plant was categorized as Sansevieria Trifasciata in botany up until 2017. But there were just too many parallels to the Dracaena species for anyone to ignore. Snake plants have stiff, dark green leaves that resemble swords that are six to eight feet tall.

Snake plants come in a range of hues. However, many have leaves with green bands and usually have a yellow border. Growing them is simple. Additionally, they are typically practically unbreakable.

Snake plants can grow well in areas of the house that are almost completely dark or in areas with strong light. They typically grow slowly in artificial light. But if they get a few hours of direct sunlight, increasing their exposure to light will encourage growth more effectively.

Although Dracaena Trifasciata is regarded as being relatively safe, ingesting it can result in mild poisoning. The toxin present in its leaves can cause tongue swelling and numbness if consumed in high enough doses. Because they might eat the plant, you should keep it away from children and pets.

Do Snake Plants Need Sunlight?

Even though they are extremely hardy, snake plants still require light to encourage growth and produce better leaves. More important, though, is the fact that photosynthesis depends on sunlight. It is crucial to understand how plants convert light, water, and oxygen into energy in the form of carbohydrates.

Although they can thrive in low indoor light, snake plants will become sickly and leggy. If the situation persists, they might eventually come off as wilted and defeated.

What Are the Snake Plant Lighting Requirements?

Although it can survive in dim light, bright indirect light is preferred. Snake plants can live in a variety of environments, but it’s still important to create the ideal lighting conditions for their growth. Low to high-light conditions are all suitable for snake plant survival. But for these plants, medium brightness is best.

Do you understand what kind of lighting snake plants need? If not, you are exactly where you need to be. Because I will now go over everything you need to know about the lighting needs of snake plants! Why do you still hold out for it then? Check it out below!

1. Low Light Levels

Shaded, dimly lit areas are ideal for snake plant growth. They are adaptable plants that can endure dim lighting. Low light, on the other hand, will cause their rate of development to be a little bit slower. Therefore, if you want your snake plant to grow as well as it can, avoid placing it in rooms without windows or natural light.

2. Medium-light Levels

For snaky plant growth, medium light levels are best. Planting them where there is some indirect sunlight is a good idea because they prefer natural light. The vicinity of a window that faces the west or south would be ideal because it will receive a lot of morning sunlight. Snake plants can also be grown in the center of a dimly lit room away from the sun.

3. High Light Levels

High light levels are not an issue for these plants. They can endure bright light. However, if your snake plant has been grown indoors, exposing it to direct sunlight could harm the leaves. As a result, your plant might get a little weaker. Generally speaking, it’s always best to give your plant indirect sunlight.

4. Direct Versus Indirect Lighting

Even though snake plants thrive in low light, strong lighting will bring out the vivid colors in your plant’s leaves.

Direct sunlight should be avoided because it will burn the leaves and turn the edges of the snake plant’s leaves yellow. As much as possible, keep your plant out of the direct sun. The best type of lighting you can give our snake plant is bright, indirect sunlight, so always provide it with that.

Best Location

The best windows are those with a view to the west, east, or south. Keep the plant between 6 and 10 feet from the window to prevent burning it.

To avoid stressing your plant, don’t move it too quickly from a dark area to direct sunlight. Move a plant gradually over the course of a week, gradually exposing it to an area that is brighter and brighter.

Keep the plant in a warm environment with temperatures above 50°F (10°C). Make sure the windows aren’t drafty during the winter.

Signs That Your Snake Plant Isn’t Getting Enough Light!

Now that you are aware of how important lights are for snake plants, let’s take a look at the signs that your plants need more or less light. Let’s make things easier for you.

1. Strange Leaf Color

When the growing environment is favorable, snake plants have strong, thick, upright foliage with streaks of silvery-grey color. They are known as “Snake Plants” for this reason. The leaf’s stunning green hues demonstrate the abundance of chlorophyll in it.

In light of the aforementioned, unusual leaf color or color loss indicate a problem with low light. Some leaves may start to fade while others may get washed away. Occasionally, snake plants lose their lovely creamed or streaked edges.

Another obvious indicator of extreme light deficiency is brown or yellowed leaves. If this issue is neglected for a long time, the entire leaf might turn yellow, droop, and die.

2. Browning Tips & Leaves

Strong indirect light will be significantly better for snake plants if it is provided. They can adjust to low light, but they will grow more slowly. Even if the area where you place your snake plant only receives a very small amount of light, it will still make the most of its resources to survive. This could result in the tips of the leaf browning.

The oldest and lowest leaves are those that turn yellow and develop brown tips. Don’t forget that your snake plant’s leaf edges will turn brown if you have too much light. Think about relocating your plant near a west-facing window.

3. Dropping Or Collapsing Leaves

In general, snake plants detest significant changes. Snake plants can lose leaves even though they can withstand drought if they are under constant stress. Snake plants naturally lighten their load by dropping leaves, which results in fewer leaves available for consumption.

Usually, the oldest and lowest leaves are the first to fall. They’ll start to wilt, turn yellow, and eventually fall off. Before the leaves drop off, root rot could develop if the potting soil doesn’t dry out quickly enough.
Watch out for any additional ailments that might affect your snake plants and cause them to lose leaves. You must eliminate diseases, chilly winds, high humidity, and overwatering.

4. Not Drying Out the Soil for Weeks

Sunlight speeds up the potting soil’s extra water evaporation. If your plant is in a low-light environment, it might take the potting soil several weeks to completely dry out. The roots might suffocate and rot if this isn’t fixed right away.

To check if this is the case, plant your Ginger in the potting soil. If the top layer of soil is wet or wet after rain, your snake plant may be at risk of developing root rot. Its roots will be mushy and rusty brown or black if it has been sitting in wet soil for a number of weeks. The roots’ rotting caused this.

5. Leggy Development

If you don’t give your snake plant enough light, it will naturally respond to grow and maintain its health. It will make an effort to expand as though it were looking for any available light. Your snake plant may start to look unsightly because the space between the leaves may noticeably widen. The spaces between the leaves are called internodes. The obvious conclusion is that if they are longer than they should be, your plant is not receiving enough light.

The growth that is lanky, droopy, and narrow is another sign of insufficient light. This is typically present in taller snake plant varieties.

6. Zero New Growth

As we’ve already mentioned, photosynthesis is the process by which all green plants grow. Thus, when light is insufficient or unavailable, new roots, leaves, and even owners grow slowly. You won’t see any new growth if your snake plant isn’t given enough light for a few weeks or months.

Also, keep in mind that snake plants either hibernate or grow slowly during the winter. If, however, your snake plant doesn’t produce flowers in the spring and summer. As soon as possible, your plant needs to be relocated to a suitable area where it can receive plenty of brilliant indirect sunlight.

7. the Growth That is Overly Compact and Crippled

The thin, slender foliage on your snake plant could also be a sign that there isn’t enough light. Light is essential for the development and well-being of your snake plant because it facilitates photosynthesis. Without enough nutrients and energy, your snake plant won’t be able to support its new roots, branches, and leaves.

Small foliage frequently coexists with other symptoms like prolonged internodes. The truth is that these delicate leaves frequently wilt and wash away. They’re not only tiny, but they frequently have a lifeless, sickly appearance.

Signs That Your Plant is Getting Too Much Light

When subjected to direct sunlight, snake plants are prone to leaf burn. Move your snake plant’s leaves away from the light source if they begin to change color to strange hues like yellow, brown, or pale.

Can a Snake Plant Survive Without Sunlight If I Leave the Snake Plant Inside?

It can survive for a brief period of time without sunlight. As stated earlier, all plants need sunlight to produce their food through the process of photosynthesis. On the other hand, snake plants, but only with the help of grow lights, can continue to grow for a very long time even without any sunlight.

If you place your snake plant in a room with low lighting and no direct sunlight, it won’t die. But it won’t grow as vibrantly as another specimen of the same plant that is placed in direct, hot sunlight. Therefore, if you want your snake plant to grow as big as it can, stay away from placing it in areas without access to natural sunlight.

Can a Snake Plant Thrive in a Dimly Lit Space?

Snake plants require at least a little light to thrive, though they can exist in total darkness. Although artificial or grow lights will work, a snake plant doesn’t require much light. The issue is that snake plants require light for photosynthesis to take place. But even if the lack of light doesn’t kill them, they won’t be able to grow as quickly or as healthily as they could.

If you have your snake plants in a completely dark room and would like them to grow a little faster, move them to a location with more light for a few hours. This technique also stops your plant from growing in a specific direction. Similarly, if your room is dark and you don’t want to move your plant, you can use artificial lighting. Depending on the kind of artificial lighting you have, this might not be very useful. But you have to admit that it’s still better than the dark.

Despite not being particularly necessary, you can buy an artificial light for your snake plant. This guarantees that your plant will receive adequate lighting. Other indoor houseplants that can thrive in low-light conditions include ferns, spider plants, and Sansevieria cylindrical. In moist areas like bathrooms, these plants also thrive.

Should I Grow My Snake Plant under Artificial Light?

If there isn’t much natural light where you live, you should use artificial light for your snake plant. Although these plants can endure low lighting, they need adequate lighting to stay healthy.

Various lighting situations are tolerated by snake plants. Consequently, it is easy to prevent leaf burn by using artificial lighting. The fact that you can use these LED lights during those brief winter days with little sunlight exposure is the best feature. LED grow lights will provide both red and blue light spectrums to your snake plants.

These grow lights are durable and economical to operate. They may be very expensive, which is the only drawback. Use LED grows lights for 12 to 14 hours each day for the best development of the leaves. If you want your snake plants to bloom, extend their daily exposure to light to more than 16 hours.

However, you can also use a 1:2 ratio of incandescent and fluorescent grow lights. You can also put snake plants anywhere if you use grow lights.

How Do You Know When Your Snake Plant Needs Water?

The most reliable way to determine whether your plant needs water is to stick your finger about an inch into the soil. Does the ground feel moist? If your snake plant feels extremely dry, wait to water; otherwise, do so. Snake plants probably require more water if their tips turn brown. Since snake plants can go for several weeks without water, it is best to err on the side of caution.

Although snake plants are native to hot, humid climates, there is some debate over whether or not you should mist them. Generally speaking, you shouldn’t mist your snake plants if you tend to overwater them. Snake plants and other succulents frequently suffer from overwatering. In reality, it’s likely that overwatering is what snake plants die from the most frequently. Therefore, be sure to check the soil before watering your snake plant.

Snake plants may be more likely to have compact soil because they prefer to be slightly root-bound. Simply aerate the soil to increase the roots’ access to air and water to combat this. It can be a major issue when soil is compacted because it prevents plants from getting enough water or air. The best time to aerate your plants is usually once or twice a year.

Similar to other plants, snake plants require loose, free-flowing soil to avoid root rot. Look for sandy soils similar to those for succulents or palms when buying soil for your snake plant.

FAQs

Conclusion

Excellently resilient plants, snake plants can thrive in a variety of environments, with low light levels among them. They can survive in a variety of lighting situations, but they thrive best with at least 5 hours of indirect light per day. Have fun with your tough plant!