{"id":515,"date":"2021-10-29T14:49:49","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T14:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plantdegree.com\/?p=515"},"modified":"2022-08-07T03:54:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-07T03:54:08","slug":"do-snake-plants-need-drainage-holes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plantdegree.com\/do-snake-plants-need-drainage-holes\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Snake Plants Need Drainage Holes? (Explained)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you thinking about how to care for your snake plant?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s essential that you keep your plant happy and healthy, but sometimes it can be challenging to know the best way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One question I see people asking a lot is, “do snake plants need drainage holes?” <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a nutshell, snake plants do need drainage holes and will do better in a pot with drainage holes. <\/strong>Adding them to your pot will make caring for them more manageable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your snake plants will also thrive better in a pot with good drainage holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blog post will discuss why your snake plants need drainage holes in their planter and what you can do if you don’t have any holes already in your planter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why do snake plants need good drainage holes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Snake plants are great houseplants. They are easy to care for and easy to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also beautiful and can be found in many different shapes and colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, like other plants, they need to drink some water. Snake plants, however, require less water than other plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, some varieties can go up to three weeks without water. This means that your snake plants will not need a lot of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snake plants are sensitive to water and tend to grow better when there is good drainage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having good drainage holes on the bottom of your pot allows excess water to drain out of your plant’s pot, which helps to prevent the potting soil from becoming soggy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These drainage holes help your potting soil to dry out more quickly and reduce the likelihood of getting root rot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s good news for your snake plants because if you don’t give your snake plants good drainage holes, you may end up with soggy potting soil, which can make your snake plants miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many other problems can occur when you have soggy and wet soil, and these problems can be very frustrating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will talk about those problems later, but the bottom line is this:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next time you are thinking about buying a pot or planter for your snake plants, make sure that the bottom of the pot has good drainage holes. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do snake plants need pots with holes?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, your snake plants do need drainage holes in their pot. <\/strong>Your snake plants will thrive better in pots with holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t have any holes in your pots, you can still add them yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although your snake plants can grow just fine in a pot without a hole, I strongly suggest you get a pot with holes for your snake plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your pots don’t have holes in the bottom, you must be particularly cautious while watering <\/strong>your snake plants since you don’t want any water to sit on the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will need plenty of tools just to make sure you don’t overwater the plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But by using a pot with holes, you can just let the excess water go through the holes and not have to worry about it sitting on the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that you will be able to give your snake plants the best care possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since snake plants are well-known for being low-maintenance, why make things more complicated by selecting a pot without holes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drainage holes help your snake plants to thrive.<\/strong> When you have good drainage holes in your pot, you will notice that your snake plants grow better and that your plant is happier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, when buying your snake plant pots, make sure that the holes are already in the pots. That way, you won’t have to drill holes in your pots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you don’t have any holes in your pots, you can still add them yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also read:<\/strong> Are Eggshells Good for Plants? (Explained)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the effect of not having a drainage hole for a pot?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Several different problems can occur if you don’t have drainage holes in your snake plant pots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t utilize a pot with a drainage hole, the following three things may happen to your snake plants:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Root rot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We know that a snake plant is a highly resilient plant, and it can survive neglect and severe conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when there is a lot of water in their soil, the snake plant becomes particularly vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snake plants, as well as all other succulents, hate spending days in moist soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is because the plant’s roots are extremely prone to fungus infections<\/a> and can quickly develop root rot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For your information, root rot is the most common cause of snake plant death, accounting for more than 90 percent of all deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oxygen deficiency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition, your snake plant won’t get enough oxygen if it doesn’t have a drainage hole in its pot. This makes the roots weak and sickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we know, snake plants absorb carbon dioxide and oxygen through pores in their leaves, known as stomata<\/a>. But not many people know; they also absorb oxygen through their roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if your snake plant’s roots are completely submerged in water, as they are in wet soil, they will be unable to absorb enough oxygen and will begin to suffocate as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to plants, lack of oxygen and root rot are often associated with one another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, if you have a snake plant that is suffering from one of these problems, it is likely to be suffering from the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salt and mineral buildup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, without a drainage hole at the bottom of the pot, your snake plant will be more susceptible to salt and fertilizer buildup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to snake plants, many people are unaware of the dangers of salt and chemical buildup in the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is, it’s a quiet killer that deteriorates the health of your snake plant over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially true if you water your snake plant with tap water instead of rainfall, distilled water, or filtered water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tap water may contain<\/a> chlorine, fluoride, and a range of minerals that are absolutely unneeded for your snake plant’s growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having drainage holes will help you mitigate this problem to some extent since surplus water is drained via these holes, and the salts are washed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To sum everything up, here are some of the destructive effects of not having drainage holes in your snake plant pot: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n