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mrjoss

HELP!!! My snake plant is dying

mrjoss
10 years ago

Hi

I have a big problem with my snake plants. Please see the picture and let me know what is it and how I can treat it.

Thanks

Comments (26)

  • mrjoss
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    My other Snake plant has the brown spot. I am not sure if it is the same disease but some leaves have already died.
    I really appreciate your help!!

  • pirate_girl
    10 years ago

    I wouldn't assume that it's dying, but it does appear to be injured.

    Have you been moving them recently or moving furniture around them? Looks like mechanical injury to me; are there pets nearby?

    Pls. provide more pix of the 2nd plant, showing the whole pot & showing the mix.

    Not trying to to give you a hard time, but we need to see the whole plant, what kind of the mix you're using (too far a shot to tell), what type of pot, how long since the mix has been changed, how often you've been watering, etc.

    All of these factors influence the plant & its growth. We can't just guess necessarily by looking at just the damaged portions of the plants alone.

    Bottom line is you MAY have to turn them out of the pot to check for root rot. That's the only way I know to be sure if the roots look OK.

  • Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
    10 years ago

    When did you noticed this first?
    How long have you owned this plant?
    Is there any thing different than last year?
    You can always cut the dead porting out or entire leaf.
    So far, I agree with PG. Need more.
    Stush

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    10 years ago

    I've had a couple of Sans with leaf damage similar to what you show in your second set of pictures (started out looking like the second picture in that group and proceeded quickly - within days - to look like the first picture of that second group). Both times, I removed the entire leaf and had no further problems. I do not really suspect root rot in my case, but I'm not sure what caused the damage. I do know it definitely wasn't from pet/mechanical damage to the leaves.

    One thing I have wondered about is whether it has anything to do with oil from the kitchen getting on the leaves. Both plants that had the issue were in my kitchen window and, when I looked closely, had traces of grease from cooking on the leaves. We keep the kitchen pretty clean, but there's no way to really keep some residue from getting on plants leaves in that room.

  • mrjoss
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi Thanks for your quick answers

    pirate_girl: Yes, it's dying. I have had to take out a several leaves. it starts like a small spot and start growing. I do not have pets or kids so mechanical damage, I dont think so. I will take the roots pictures tomorrow.

    Stush2049: I bought the sans at Lowes about 8 months ago and re-poted it to the pot you see in the first picture. about 4 months ago started with one leave and the leave died in about 1 month. Later it appears in others leaves. I have attached a soil's picture . I used miracle-gro " Cactus, palm and citrus soil". I water the sans every 3 weeks. If I cut the damage part , I will lose several leaves because most of the leaves already have the spots.

    I found out online this... http://homeguides.sfgate.com/snake-plant-wilt-old-leaves-30197.html I am not sure if that could be the reason, anyway I have not found a fungicide to treat it.

  • mrjoss
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    brandon7 : yes, it started like a small brown spot ( second set of pictures) and grew. I have that plant in the bathroom and the other one at dining room far away from the kitchen.

    Please see the attached URL,

    Here is a link that might be useful: snake plant fungus

  • plantomaniac08
    10 years ago

    Mrjoss,
    I've seen something similar on a Sans I purchased at Lowes last year. It had a couple brown spots that almost had a soggy feeling to them. It wasn't cold damage or rot, as this was purchased during the warm months of the year and the spots were present on the upper portions of the leaves. I looked up Sans fungus and stumbled across some pictures that looked like my plant. The website talked about some sort of fungus found in Sans that does spread. It wouldn't suprise me if the suppliers to these BBS have certain issues with their plants but they don't appear early on... or maybe they're aware that they're selling subpar plants and just don't care.

    Anywho, I returned the plant after being pretty sure it had a fungus. The gross part about mine was I saw what looked like a brown blister on another section of leaf. I poked it and it popped, squirting something on my face.

    Planto

    This post was edited by plantomaniac08 on Wed, Jan 29, 14 at 9:34

  • Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
    10 years ago

    I had those puss spots on my 'Moon Shine' plant. Caused by being in direct sun. I did loose the plant and don't know it from those brown puss spots or some thing else. I haven't had that problem again.
    The dead spots are something different. Dry, brown and not a fast spreader. You may loose some leaves but new ones should grow back. Could be sun burn from a few months ago, or the plant is going into shock and sheading leaves, this is very rare in Sanseveria. Don't think this is fungus. Fungus usually starts at the base and kills the whole plant.
    Need some more experts to chime in please.

  • norma_2006
    10 years ago

    Are you watering it in the wrong months, is there a change of climate, they also need good air circulation. I am not an expert. I jusst have been growing them longer then most of you, and have more species as well. Perhaps it needs faster draining mix with moore pumice or volcanic rocks, small rocks, any thing better, they DO NOT LIKE MOSS, OR TOO MUCH ORGANIC MATTER IN THE MIX. If you live in a eastern state this may be the matter, ask Pirate Girl how she grows hers, she comes from New York I have NO PEAT MOSS IN MY SOIL MIX. You showed your soil mix, that is definitly your problem. only 10% or organic matter please. Now if you don't want that response don't ask the question. I am getting very touchy in my old age. ;o]

  • Laura Robichaud
    10 years ago

    I had those on a Golden Hahnii, I "rescued" last April. I repotted in a gritty mix, kept it outside all summer, it seemed to do fine. Then it went on slow decline. First the main plant succumbed to the brown/dry spot fungus. I thought I could save the pup, so I separated the pup and repotted in fresh mix and discarded the mother plant. The pup just rotted. I hope it goes better for you. Golden Hahnii does tend to be a touchier Sans than your, though.

    I thought for sure I could save this plant. I think next time I'll start with a healthier one!

  • Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
    10 years ago

    Laura,
    Next time try a warmer environment. And yes I agree these are the most fussy ones to survive our winter months. I am keeping mine in a large fish tank with shop lights on top. As long as I can keep them about 75 degrees they stay alive. At 80 degrees they start to thrive. The other one I am having trouble with is S. t. Forescate. It is growing but not thriving.

  • mrjoss
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi Norma

    I repot the sans in the second picture (see attached a picture) with sand/ small rocks mix. I cut the leaves with the brown spots. I will change the soil for the bigger sans ( first picture). do you have any other advice?
    Thanks

  • pirate_girl
    10 years ago

    Am sorry to have to tell you this, but sand is one of the WORST things you could have used as mix for your plants. It's one of the few things most of us always advise against using. Will clog up the roots & get compacted, impeding the plant's ability to drink & breathe. Sorry, but this was a bad move.

    Please read up on mixes for Sans. before changing it again.

  • Blake Hutchison
    9 years ago

    Speaking as somebody who has a 6-foot sansevieria...and a room in my home that is full of them, Never EVER use Miracle-Gro with a Sansevieria. It seems to be the one thing that can kill them. Every time I have heard of anyone using Miracle-Gro on a Sansevieria, it died. No Miracle-Gro!


  • Carolina C. Parra
    8 years ago

    How is your plant doing? Did she made it?

  • floorwalker IN zone 5b/6
    8 years ago

    Beautiful 6 ft plant! I have used Miracle-Gro Moisture Control with good results. I'm learning not to overwater.

  • laticauda
    8 years ago

    It appears to be a case of over or underwatering. I know, because when my snake plants died, it started out like that and it was because I wasn't watering them.

    However, since you say you water every three weeks. Do you just dribble a little in or soak the whole rootball/soil/pot?

    Well, whatever happened with this?

  • Isabel
    8 years ago

    Hello I need help with my snake plant. Some of the stems from my snake plant are becoming yellow and they are culminating water inside of them. What am I doing wrong?

  • woodnative
    8 years ago

    Isamanzo you should start a new thread of your own to get better responses. That could be just an old and/or damaged leaf that is now dying. However, we do need to know how long you had this plant, how long you had it in its current location, when it was last responded, and how much light, water, and warmth it is in. The soil mixture looks rather peaty and fluffy, and the plant looks like it might be planted to deep. Did you recently repot it into a commercial potting soil? Did you plant it deeper (further below the soil) than it was growing previously? If deeper than before the leaves will rot off. If languishing in a dark, cold area leaves will also die. More information please for us to help.

  • Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
    8 years ago

    Just as Woodnative said. Also repot now. Use more perlite, like 60/40 and don't plant so deep. Cut off the bad leaf. Show us what it looks like unpotted. Showing bare roots. See if rot is going on. Also don't water it till we see pictures.

    Stush

  • PRO
    Plantscape Interiors
    7 years ago

    I have been dealing with indoor plants for over 25 years - Your problem is bacterial. The majority of issues with Sansaverias that are used indoors is that they are over watered. Isamanzo = too wet - beginning of root rot.

    Find some articles re below.

    bacterial soft rot (Pectobacterium carotovorum ) on sansevieria

  • Meagan
    7 years ago

    MRJoss, Mine is doing something similar. I brought it home from Calloways about a month ago and left it in a similar light setting to what they had (low) to acclamate to the house. It started as a small brown spot that expanded quickly. The same thing is starting to happen to multiple leaves. I haven't overwatered it or fertilized it. It is very ugly now and too many leaves are effected to remove them and have a substantial plant left. I'm going to try to return it. This bottom of this article refers to the problem: http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/sansevieria . All of the other plants purchased at the time are doing great - multiple succulents and cactus, a dracaenas, a pothos, and several ferns.

  • Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
    7 years ago

    I have heard of a Sans bacterial that killed a lot of plants. Sounds just like above. Some one managed to same one by spraying the plant with MouthWash. It has stuff in it to kill the bacterial. keep plant away from rest of collection till it recovers. This happens no matter what you might have though you did.

  • Chácara Phoenix 2
    last year

    Pectobacterium carotovorum