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dannierose

30 year old Sansevieria is getting a little crazy...

dannierose
10 years ago

Hello c:
So I have a Sansevieria plant that has been in my family for about 30 years. My mom has basically just watered it for as long as she's had it. I've recently just gotten into gardening and decided to repot some plants including the Sansevieria. It has not been repotted in like 20 years so it might be a little bit overgrown lol So I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to make it smaller and not so crazy. It is about 4 feet tall and many of the leaves are bent and falling over and don't look the best. I don't even want to talk about the roots or base of the plant because it's just crazy lol So yeah, suggestions are appreciated~ thank you!

Comments (4)

  • hijole
    10 years ago

    Hi there, well for starters, how about using long splints, like bamboo shoots & tie them to it not tight just to support them.
    just a thought so I thought Id add apicture along with the thought.

    Welcome to the Sans. site, havent noticed you before here.

    Greg

  • Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
    10 years ago

    Greg,
    Those are some nice looking plants you got. Like all your plants, they look so nice.
    dannierose,
    Well, you got a choir on your hands. Wait a few months for the nice warmer weather and hack and whack. You will need to bust apart that mess and replant the nicest ones and start over in a new soil mix and pot. Rest can be given away or sell if possible. Also I use tomato cages to support my big sans. I have had mine together for some 30 plus years and then they grow faulty and bad.
    Stush

  • hijole
    10 years ago

    Stush thank you, Thats a pretty nice stand up up job you got going there, I'll have to try that soon, especially on the one's you asked if I used them as a ladder Lol...

    I replanted my bantel and placed a new pic on the bantel post, It is a little larger than the one she had previously been in but it was way to top heavy and would always tumble over, it was enough of that.

    Greg

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    Dannie, would love to see a pic of this plant if you would be interested and able to share one!

    Repotting gives an opportunity to return the plant to an appearance that's more pleasing, and give the roots room to grow again. It's actually a bunch of plants mushed together in the pot, not just one. So you can choose only the best looking parts to put back into the pot.

    The other parts probably have potential to look better if given more space and probably more light. They should grow new pups/sections that look great. (Then you could discard the leaning/curled/damaged older leaves, leaving only the great-looking new pups, or use them to start a 3rd crop of babies.) If you want multiple copies of this plant, sounds like you've got plenty of material for that.

    When you take it out of the pot, it should separate fairly easily into sections, making it easier to remove the old soil. If they snap apart, that's fine. Unless the soil is already quite dry when you do this, waiting overnight to repot can give any broken/cut roots a chance to seal so rot/bacteria doesn't have easy access.

    You may want a helper to hold the plant(s) in place while you refill new soil in the pot. Replant at the same depth as they were before, with as much fresh soil underneath as possible. Instead of staking or tying, a few rocks can help plants stay upright until the roots get a good grip in the soil again. If the new soil is moist, don't water more until dried. The first few times I water a newly-planted pot I try to make sure it's a gentle sprinkle so the soil doesn't compact before it 'fixes' into place. Packing/compacting the soil removes the tiny air pockets, which invites risk of rotting roots.