Repotting Snake Plants: The Mix To Use & How To Do It

Snake plants are easy-care houseplants. Every once in a while, repotting Snake Plants is necessary for maintaining a healthy and thriving plant. This tutorial on repotting Snake Plants shows you the steps to take, the mix to use, and when you should repot your snake plant.

Snake Plants are some of my very favorite houseplants. I grow quite a few of them, both indoors and out, here at my home in the Arizona desert. Their spiky, patterned foliage is so interesting to me. Plus, you can ignore them most of the time, and they’re happy as can be!

I actually repotted 5 of my plants but you only see 2 of them here. I call this project the “Snake Plant switcheroo” because I swapped out containers and locations they were in.

What are Snake Plants?

Snake Plants are also known as Sansevierias, Mother In Law Tongues, and Snake’s Tongue Plant. They handle dry air and lower light conditions like champions. You can find a list of our snake plant care guides here.

a snake plant in a yellow pot, a snake plant in a green pot, a small snake plant in a red pot next to a decorate silver pot
A few of my Snake Plants. I have 10 in total because they’re easy to care for & can handle Tucson’s dry air just fine.

Helpful Houseplant Care Guides: Guide to Watering Indoor Plants, Beginner’s Guide to Repotting Plants, How to Fertilize Indoor Plants, How to Clean Houseplants, Winter Houseplant Care Guide, How to Increase Humidity in Houseplants, 14 Useful Tips for Buying Houseplants, and 11 Pet-Friendly Houseplants

Repotting my Snake Plants:

Best Soil for Snake Plants

Snake Plants prefer to be kept on the dry side so the mix they’re planted in must drain freely. You don’t want it to hold too much moisture because this will lead to root rot.

That’s why I add in the succulent and cactus mix because it’s chunky and well aerated.

I also toss in a few handfuls of organic compost as I’m planting (I go much lighter on both this and the worm compost when repotting houseplants as compared to container plants in my garden) and a 1/2″ layer topping of the worm compost.

Soil Mix “Recipe”

2/3 – 3/4 organic potting soil

I alternate between Happy Frog and Ocean Forest, and sometimes I combine them. Both are full of high-quality ingredients. Make sure whatever potting soil you use says it formulated for indoor plants on the bag.

1/3 – 1/4 organic succulent & cactus mix

I use this DIY succulent & cactus mix (this has coco chips in it) for added drainage. This one is an alternative as well as this one.

Few handfuls of organic compost

I use Tank’s local compost. Give Dr. Earth’s a try if you can’t find anywhere you live. Both enrich the soil naturally.

Worm Compost

Worm compost is my favorite amendment, but I use it sparingly because it’s rich. You can learn more about why I use worm compost here.

Soil Mix Alternatives

7 different small piles of soil mixtures on a plastic tray
The top four are what I used for my mix. Compost, potting soil, succulent & cactus mix, & worm compost. The bottom 3 are ingredients you can add to amend drainage & aeration to potting soil: perlite, clay pebbles, & pumice.

The pumice, perlite, and clay pebbles all up the ante on the drainage factor, enable aeration, and help to prevent the soil from staying too wet.

What Size Pot Should I Use?

They prefer to grow slightly tight in their pots. When I repot a Snake Plant, I go up 1 pot size.

For instance, if yours is in a 6″ grow pot, then an 8″ pot would be the size you’d want to use.

Because Sansevierias like to spread out as they grow, I’ve found that they don’t need a deep pot.

A deep pot has more soil mass at the bottom which could stay too wet which leads to root rot.

A Snake Plant on a work table with the rhizomes & roots exposed. a clay pot sits on 1 side & a yellow pot on the other side
Here’s the Sanseviera “Laurentii” out of the pot. You can see the thick rhizomes – they store water along with the roots & leaves.

Transplanting/Repotting Snake Plants

Gather your soil mix materials. (Sometimes I mix them up ahead, and other times in the pot as I go along.

Loosen the plants from their pots. For one plant I used a dull knife and for the other, I gently pressed on the grow pot. Both ways are clearly shown in the video.

Once the plant is out of the pot, measure how much soil mix you’ll need to raise the top of the root ball up to 1/2″ to 1″ below the top of the new pot. Add the mix in.

Place the plant in the pot and fill in around the sides with mix.

Top with a thin layer of worm compost.

Snake Plant Care After Repotting

I place them back in the spot they were growing in before the repotting.

Snake Plants are succulents. After repotting, I keep mine dry for about 7 days to let them settle in. Then, I’ll water.

How Often Should You Repot Snake Plants?

Snake Plants don’t mind being tight in their pots. They actually seem to do better if a bit pot bound. I’ve seen quite a few which have actually broken their grow pots and they look just fine.

I have a couple of Snake Plants that I haven’t repotted for over 5 years. Don’t rush to repot yours unless it’s looking stressed or it’s cracked the grow pot.

two grow pots, 1 taller than the other
These 2 grow pots are approximately the same diameter. The 1 on the right would be better for repotting a medium-sized Snake Plant because it’s shallower.

Snake Plant Repotting FAQs

What kind of soil do Snake Plants like?

Snake Plants like a chunky soil mix that drains freely & is well aerated. They store water in their rhizomes and thick leaves so you don’t want the soil to stay consistently wet.

Can I use regular potting soil for Snake Plants?

I wouldn’t recommend repotting one in straight potting soil because it could be too heavy. Add pumice, perlite or pebbles to up the ante on the drainage & aeration factors. See “Soil” for more details on these amendments.

When should you repot a Snake Plant?

If the grow pot is cracked, that’s 1 sign it needs repotting. As a general rule, I repot my Snake Plants every 4-6 years.

Do Snake Plants like to be crowded?

Snake Plants do fine growing tight in their pots.

Do Snake Plants need deep pots?

No. Their rhizomes spread out rather than grow deep. A deep pot means more soil mass which can lead to them staying too wet.

Do Snake Plants like small pots?

Yes, they do. As the taller species & varieties grow bigger, they need larger pots. The lower growing varieties do fine in smaller pots.

What size pot do I use when repotting Snake Plants?

I go up 1 pot size when repotting a Snake Plant to avoid an excess of the soil mass. I often use azalea pots because they have a lower profile & provide better drainage.

2 snake plants in yellow pots sit on a table in front of a garage door
Looking great in their cheery yellow pots side by side. They’ll add a nice pop of color to my living room. I  painted these pots using my very favorite spray paint in Sun Yellow Gloss. If you’re not into spray painting, this pot is very similar to the one you see on the right.

Happy gardening!

Signed by Nell Foster

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61 Comments

  1. Hi Dayna – I love Snake Plants too! Moss needs water to grow. It’s not going to hurt the plant but it does mean moisture is building up at the bottom. Nell

  2. I recently bought a snake plant and would like to repot it. However I have a clear glass container I’m thinking of using, would my plant be negatively effected in any way?

  3. Hi Tracy – I’ve never grown a Snake Plant in a glass container. I’ve seen it done but you’d have to use drainage materials (pebbles & charcoal) & be very careful not to overwater. Nell

  4. I inherited 2 snake plants that are both 4 feet tall. Do you have a recommendation for the size of pot I need? Thank you.

  5. Hi Anthony – My 4′ Sansevieria laurentii is in a 10″ grow pot & doing just fine. They like to grow a bit tight in their pots. Nell

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