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stella1751_gw

Sansevieria newbie, maybe

Stella1751
19 years ago

Two years ago, I purchased my daughter a small, 4" tall, houseplant at a local garden club sale. (She's into houseplants; I garden.) I was told at the time that this was a plant that could not be killed and so thought it would be ideal for my daughter.

My daughter moved in with me in February, bringing all her houseplants with her. True to the garden club member's word, the little plant was still alive. It was choking in its 6" pot, so, after eyeing it for a couple of weeks, I decided to help it out by repotting it and giving it some water and a little food. Turns out there were three plants in the same pot, so I gave each its own pot.

Question: What is it? The mature plant kind of looks like the photo at the top of this forum. Not as pretty, of course, nor as luxuriant. However, the leaves are the same shape and size, and they are variegated. They also spread out like those in the photo. The two young plants have upright leaves, four on the youngest, which is about 4" tall, and six on the next, which is about 6" tall. Someone said it is a Snake plant, but I can't imagine these leaves getting that tall, and they are not bordered in yellow.

Question: If it is a Sansevieria, what are the tenets of basic care for these? My daughter has graciously given me the old mother plant, which is pretty beaten up, and it has already given me a new baby plant. As a gardener, I have a pretty decent set-up for caring for plants indoors: lots of southern window exposure, a fluorescent light table, three different kinds of potting soil (Miracle Grow, African Violet Mix, and Pro Plus Potting Mix), and three different kinds of plant food (Fish/Kelp, Miracle Grow, and AV food).

I have become attached to this plant. It is obviously a tough customer to have survived this long, being all rootbound and dry like it was. Plus, knowing my daughter, I'm willing to bet it hasn't been fertilized in all that time. I would appreciate any advice. I'm not much of a houseplant grower.

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