I finally figured out why my snake plant was dying after 6 months

I kept it in my bathroom in Portland for that whole time and it started turning yellow at the tips... turns out I was watering it way too much cause the humidity kept the soil wet. Anyone else kill a plant by being too nice to it?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewmartin3d ago

You mentioned "I was watering it way too much cause the humidity kept the soil wet." So my question is: did you actually check the soil before watering, or were you just sticking to a schedule? Because that was my BIGGEST mistake when I started out with houseplants. I had this beautiful peace lily and I was like "I'll just give it a little drink every Sunday" and it got root rot SO fast. Portland humidity is no joke either, that's like a constant damp blanket on everything. How often were you actually watering it before you figured it out?

rubysingh3d ago

Oh @matthewmartin, you just described my EXACT same mistake with a snake plant two years ago, lol. I was on a strict every Saturday watering schedule like it was a pet, not a plant. Did not check the soil at all. Now I always stick my finger in there before even thinking about watering. The Portland humidity is honestly wild, I left a towel on the rack for two days and it still felt damp. So yeah, I was probably watering every 7 to 10 days before I finally learned my lesson.

patricialee3d ago

The first time I heard someone say "just stick your finger in the soil" I rolled my eyes honestly. Like yeah okay, I'm supposed to pull out a ruler and check moisture levels for a plant that costs twelve bucks. But then my aloe started turning brown and mushy and I finally tried it. Now I'm that person who walks around poking dirt every few days like some kind of plant detective. It feels stupid but it works way better than my old system of "water it when I remember, which is never.