Are you looking for a resilient plant with tolerance for low light? Sansevierias are famous for their hard-to-kill nature and ability to adjust to different conditions. We are going to discuss another variety of the popular Sansevieria trifasciata, the Sansevieria Jaboa Plant.
Numerous stiff and paddle-like dark-green leaves with greyish or sage-green spotted strips form the plant body. These pointed leaves can get from 6 inches to 8 feet tall, depending upon the environment.
The tolerance for a range of light levels makes it suitable for both outdoor and indoor plantation. A nice option for your home, office, and yards, the plant further comes with air-purifying abilities. Sounds cool? right? Let us know more about the care and propagation of the evergreen perennial, the Jaboa Snake Plant.
Sansevieria Jaboa Classification
Family: Asparagaceae.
Genus: Dracaena (known as Sansevieria until 2017)
Species: D. trifasciata.
Cultivar: D. trifasciata ‘Jaboa’.
Genus Sansevieria:
This is an ancient genus sub-merged in the genus Dracaena according to the APG III classification in 2017. About 70 flowering species and a vast range of their hybrids belong to Africa, Madagascar, and the South Asian region.
The genus includes a wide range of plants. These include dessert succulents like Pinguicula and thin-leaf tropicals like the Trifasciata. Most of these forms thick clumps and grow from the rhizome or the stolons. The resilience of these plants makes the majority of them suitable for both indoor and outdoor plantations.
All the members of the genus have certain common names due to their long and pointed leaves. The common names include mother-in-law tongue, Snake Plant, Devil’s tongue, and many others.
Sansevieria Trifasciata:
The parent plant of Jaboa is one of the most common species in the genus. The dark-green elongated leaves with grey strips get around 4feet in height.
This plant has several cultivars with minor differences in appearance and size. However, the basic requirements and propagation methods are pretty similar to each other. Popular ones include Sansevieria Trifasciata Laurentii, Trifasciata Golden Hahnii, Trifasciata Cylindrica, and Trifasciata Twisted Sister plant.
Other Names
- Jaboa Snake Plant.
- Dracaena Jaboa Plant.
Sansevieria Jaboa Plant Features
Height:
- The height of these plants depends upon the availability of growing space and environment. An average mature indoor plant can get 3 to 6 feet tall. Howbeit, the outdoor peeps getting plenty of space and sun can get as tall as around 8 feet.
Leaves:
- The plant body above the ground consists of a large number of elongated leaves growing in an upward direction. These stiff leaves are joined at the base with an underground rhizome.
- Mature leaves are 3 to 4 inches in width with sharp edges and pointed tips.
Toxicity:
Just like other Sensevierias, the Jaboa Mother-in-law’s tongue is toxic for us and animals. Ingestion can lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. So, make sure kids and pets stay away from this plant. Additionally, don’t neglect to opt for emergency medical help in case of ingestion.
Air-purification:
What would be better than an attractive looking plant refreshing the air you breathe in? Jaboa and its parent plant are a part of NASA’s list of air-purifying plants. They remove the harmful toxins from the air like formaldehyde and benzene derivatives. This makes a nice choice for homes and offices where they clean your surrounding air.
Sansevieria Jaboa Care
Jaboa is one of the most resilient and hardy plants. If you are a beginner, busy, or a lazy folk, this long-leafed peep is ‘your plant’ for sure.
Quick Guide:
Water: Low water requirements.
Light: Bright to low indirect light.
Humidity: Average.
Temperature: 60 to 80 °F.
Fertilizer: Mild doses in spring and summer.
Let us have a detailed look at ‘How to grow a Jaboa Sansevieria Plant’:
Water Requirement
The Snake Plants come with their low-water requirements. Water the soil thoroughly and wait for it to dry out before you water again. They hate to stay in soggy soil. Moreover, over-watering can cause different issues and can even kill the plant. So, avoid it at all costs.
Talking about the water frequency, it depends upon the intensity of temperature and sunlight. About twice a month is enough in the spring and summer. On the other hand, the plant decreases the water requirement in cold temperatures. Moreover, the soil takes longer to dry up. So, just a monthly dose of water is enough to keep the plant alive in fall and winter.
Light Requirement
These hardy peeps can tolerate a range of light levels. However, bright indirect light is ideal for the plant’s health and results in quicker growth.
Grown-up plants can survive quite well in low lights. This makes them suitable enough for homes, offices, and under-lit basements. However, longer periods of very low light can slow down the growth and decreases the vigour of the foliage. So, if the plant is placed in low light and looks unhealthy, you need to shift it to a brighter place.
These peeps are even good to go with the artificial light. Just make sure the light is bright enough and at a decent distance from the plant. Longer hours of direct and fierce sun can scorch out the foliage. So, place them wisely.
Temperature Requirements
Sansevieria Jaboa Plant likes to stay in moderate temperatures. Ideal temperature ranges between 16 to 26 °C. Make sure you keep them away from intense temperatures especially in intense winters.
Humidity Requirements
These long hardy leaves would be fine with the average humidity level of the surroundings. A suitable range is about 40 to 50% moisture in the air.
Soil Requirements
Rich well-draining soil providing good aeration is suitable for this plant. Lack of oxygen for the roots can cause root rot. So, make sure the mixture is suitable.
Fertilizer Requirements
Use a common all-purpose fertilizer once a month in the warm season. Make sure you are using a mild concentration preferably half of the stated dose on the pack.
Excess fertilizer can scorch out the foliage and even kill the plant. Moreover, the plant does not need much nutrition in the cold temperature. So, never fertilize after the fall.
Pot Requirements
As explained above these pots can get as tall as 6 feet indoors. So, you need a strong spacious pot with drainage holes at the base.
Sansevieria Jaboa Pruning and de-weeding Requirements
Remove the damaged and unhealthy leaves with the help of a sterilized knife. This helps to maintain the appearance and health of your Snake Plant. Weeds are very common in the outdoor plantation. Keep an eye on the outdoor peeps to remove any. This ensures the healthy growth of the plant.
Sansevieria jaboa Propagation
These peeps love to grow. Buy just one and you can simply make a little army of Jaboas with it. The popular methods are as under:
- Propagation by Seeds.
- Propagation by stem cuttings.
- By Pups.
Propagation by Seeds:
This is an easy but time-taking method. So, if you are in a hurry, it is better to use the stem-cuttings.
Propagation by Stem-cuttings:
This is the easiest and quickest method.
- Take a sterilized instrument and cut a few healthy leaves.
- Plant these leaves about 3 inches deep in moist well-draining soil.
- Place the setup in indirect light. Water the soil right after it gets about 80% dry.
- Wait for about a month and you will soon see tiny shoots protruding out from the base of the leaf. This baby plant will take about 3 months to be a small decorative plant. After that, you just need to follow the Care as mentioned in the previous section.
- You can even chop the leaves into a few pieces and plant them in soil. Moreover, even placing them on moist growing medium-light sphagnum moss is enough. These pieces will develop tiny roots in 3 weeks followed by baby shoots. Once they develop the shoots, you can finally plant them properly (about 3 inches deep) in the soil to let them grow well.
Propagation in water:
- Instead of soil, the full leaves can root out in the water as well. Just place the leaves in a jar of water and change it weekly to avoid contamination.
- The roots and shoot will develop after about 3 weeks. This baby plant can stay in the water or you plant them in the soil after a few months.
Sansevieria Jaboa Problems
Let us have a look at the common problems which may arise due to improper care;
Fungus
Southern blight or red leaf spot are common fungal issues. Over-watering is the major culprit that can damage and even kill the plant.
Control:
Never water the soil unless it gets dry. Moreover, use a well-draining potting soil or potting mixture and a pot with drainage holes.
Pest Attacks:
Spider mites and mealybugs are the common enemies of your Jaboa Sansevieria. These insects feed on the cell-sap. Besides, they can even kill the plant if left uncontrolled.
Control:
- If the issue is on the initial level, you can clean the foliage by rubbing alcohol solution.
- Inadequate humidity is the basic cause of pest attacks. As a solution, you can wash the plant with a powerful water spray. Moreover, you can get suitable insecticidal sprays from the market or consult professional help to combat the attack.
- It is very important to separate the affected plant from healthy ones. This will combat the spread and save the other plants.
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Summary
Sansevieria Jaboa is a Chinese native plant. It belongs to the famous genus, named Dracaena according to the recent classification. The plant comprises of long and stiff dark-green leaves with spotted strips in grey. These erect leaves can get about 8 feet tall on maturity. You can get this exotic plant for both indoor and outdoor plantations.
Coming towards the care, these are hardy peeps, notorious for being hard-to-kill. Thorough watering for dry soil and medium to bright indirect light is what they love. However, they can tolerate a wide range of indirect light levels, which makes them suitable for under-lit places like offices and basements. On the final notes, it is important to mention the toxicity of this air-purifying plant. Keep an eye on kids and pets and don’t let them play with the Jaboa Snake Plant.
