Snake plants (mother in law's tongue) are a great first time plant owner plant! They live forever and are pretty much indestructible...I'm sure people will chime in soon to answer YOUR questions wish i could be more helpful, goodluck

Mattdocs,

I was given a nice little sprig (12'', 3-4 leaves) by a friend almost a year ago, to have in my repertoire to sooth miner skin irritations. I laid it across the rim of a potted jade plant I have, never potted it, and only once (6-8 wks ago) put it in a jar of water to fatten it up again. I think you will do fine with 100% pumice, grit, stone...My sprig only sees bright west window light; no direct sun.

Dan

Thanks for the responses. I did read in here that people do well with cacti and pumice. But just how often to fertilize? I read somewhere that once per week but that seems quite often. I don't want to kill my new plants.

My aloe, as per above, has only had its' feet wet once since I've owned it; no soil, no fertilizer, and it looks great. It even has has new leaves! So...I would say less is more...

Hi Matt & Welcome,

It's likely you'll have to experiment. Best to start very dilute & go from there. Few folks (I'm guessing grow that way) so they're not likely to know.

If you're new to plants you may not know that many folks growing succulents use little if any fertilizer. Maybe try 1/2 or 1/4 of the recommended dose (per package directions) . I'd suggest you start w/ maybe once a month & go from there.

FYI: I'm someone who has succesfully grown Snake plants in water only. Not commonly done here, but I do it. Works just fine, I add a tiny bit of fertilizer to my water every couple of months.

This pic has Snake plants (botanical name Sansevieria, or we call them Sans for short) which are in only water, they have NEVER had a speck of dirt. I've grown the larger one for several years already, & started both from single leaves.

To others who have/haven't seen my Hydro Sans. before, our Uncle Jeff (Cactus McHarris) has nicknamed these Aqua Sans. Enjoy.

{{gwi:570820}}

Thank you for your post it was very informative. One last questions.
How do I know that Aloe is being under fertilized?

This post was edited by mattdocs12345 on Tue, Jun 3, 14 at 22:21

UFertilize with 3-1-2 with the N at 50ppm everytime you water. Every 4th time skip te fertilizer. Use a good 2 part hydroponic fert to ensure plenty of ca and mg.

If you want to use a CRF, add it at 1#/cuyd and adjust the liquid fert down to 25ppm.

This post was edited by nil13 on Tue, Jun 3, 14 at 22:37

I've never even thought about that for 15 yrs., it's just not an issue. I think you MAY be overestimating its importance. More important (to me anyway) is appropriate mix or medium & care/culture. There were years I didn't fertilize, no harm but I was growing in mix not pumice.

When it comes to succulents, when it comes to watering, when in doubt, we say don't. Similarly, here about fertilizer, I'd suggest when in doubt, don't.

Hmmm I can't seem to find 3-1-2 fertalizer.
But I found: Hydroponic Tomato Fertilizer 27-11-40.
Will try with this one once per month and hopefully my plant won't die from too much or too little.

That's (the nitrogen / 27) is too much for succulent plants. Better to use an all-purpose (10-15-10 or something similar) one and dilute it to quarter-strength.

Thank you so much. Little details like that help since I am completely new to this.

Just for the record, snake plants are not indestructible. They do thrive on neglect, but can definitely be under waterered or overwatered. They like a nice porous mix. Read up on them on the Sans forum. There are so many varieties! Growing them well can be very rewarding.

Miracle Grow offers a 3-1-2 ratio formula, several actually.

When it comes to fertilizing succulents, I would start with 1/8 strength and work up to 1/4 strength. Plants will grow and survive without additional nutrients, but the growth will be so much better (and usually better looking) if you keep your plants adequately supplied with nutrition.

Josh

Fertilization will depend a lot of whether you are growing Indoors or out. Outside during the growing season I usually use about a half mix of the recommended dose with an all-purpose fertilizer every 4 watering or so... If I remember to do so, that is. I have grown Sanseveria in a number of places and atm I have three doing well in a not too well lit southish window In my bedroom. Honestly, these really only seem to need watering maybe once a month. They look nicer with more neglect for some reason. The aloe you should judge based on how the leaves look and feel. A happy aloe will be plump and green, with its leaves standing up or out. Floppiness, turning red or yellow can be a sign of underwatering or too much light. Turning brown can be overwatering, frost or sun burn and should he approached with caution.

Both can and will grow back from healthy roots in case of a freeze.

If you're growing in a 100% inorganic mix, you need the correct fertilizer, which provides nutrients at the correct ratio of 3-1-2, as well as the micro nutrients, especially ca and mg. Look up "Foliage Pro 9-3-6", by DynaGro. I get mine from Amazon, at $23 a quart, and a quart goes a very long way. Miracle Grow does I indeed have a product with the correct ratio, but is missing the Ca and Mg. The Foliage Pro is better, easier to use, and gives you more bang for your buck.

As for the mix contents, there are a number of inorganic ingredients you can use, including, but not limited to, turface, grit, pumice, scoria, DE, and others. Various combinations can be concocted based on moisture needed and moisture holding properties of each ingredient.

Joe

"That's (the nitrogen / 27) is too much for succulent plants. Better to use an all-purpose (10-15-10 or something similar) one and dilute it to quarter-strength."

It's not the absolute numbers that are important, but the ratio. A 27-11-40 formula will be diluted more than a 10-15-10 formula. 27-11-40 is equivalent to 10-4-15 if you match the N levels. I'd say that's low in N. The FP 9-3-6 and MG 24-8-16 that were mentioned have perfect ratios. I use the latter on my inorganic mix. FP has Ca, Mg, and all the micros, but my tap water has plenty of Ca/Mg already, so MG works fine for me.

BTW, my inorganic mix is a 3:2 ratio of Turface or Floor Dry to granite. If you can find those products, it makes a great mix after sifting.

Alright. Getting the foliage 9-3-6 then.

All of my plants will be grown indoor. Due to mold allergies I can only pot in water or rock. So I wont be doing any mixing with any organic soil.
Do you suggest I do 1/8 normal ratio of 9-3-6 fertalizer? Or 1/4 since it already has smaller concetration. And I will start off with once a month. I would rather have a slow growing plant than over do it and kill it.

I also got Peace Lily in 100% water which I will fertalize with the same ratio.

The mixing instructions will account for the initial concentration of the fertilizer. I think most fertilizer brands base their full strength dose on a N level of about 100-150ppm. During the growing season I give my succulents about 80ppm N at every watering (except when they get rain). For your indoor plants I would use 1/4 to 1/2 strength at every watering if possible. Your pumice won't hold nutrients well, so it's more important to fertilize frequently. Many succulents can tolerate lower nutrient levels, but they certainly won't be killed by 1/2 or even full strength fertilizer. Just be sure you flush the pot when watering so nutrients don't accumulate.

Having said all that, Sansevieria are very tough plants and I think they'll do reasonably well under a very wide range of fertilizing regimens.

-Chris

I'm with Joe. I love Dyna-gro fertilizer and used it caring for some very very expensive trees in my professional work. I also agee that you should start with very low doses. My trees were grown in completely inorganic substrates- mixed pumice types and lava rock. This set up is sort of a manual hydroponic system . You must provide all the nutrients. My preference was 1/5 strength at every watering (which was nearly daily), no fertilizer on Sunday. You won't be watering as much and you should start with 1/10- 1/8 strength at almost every watering. Use plain water watering to flush out salts on a regular basis. Try to set a schedule for this- say every third or fourth watering and adjust as needed. Doesn't have to be exact, but do it.

Andrea

Just wanted to point out that this is very old thread - some ppl do not seem to be around anymore. Info could be used by ppl not aware - so I am not rying to discourage any postings.