Are you looking for a resilient Snake Plant in short to medium height? We get you covered by introducing another cultivar of the famous Trifasciata, the Sansevieria Whitney plant. It makes a compact rosette of 4 to 6 dark-green sculptured leaves with white-spotted borders. This native of Africa and Madagascar shows a good tolerance for different light levels including shade to direct sun.
Moreover, the thick succulent leaves stay happy without demanding frequent watering. As a result, it becomes a nice option for everyone including beginners, travelers, busy, and lazy peeps. You can grow them in pots and containers for both indoor and outdoor plantation in moderate temperatures. Want to know more? Please keep reading to learn more about the care and propagation of the Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Whitney’ Plant.
Sansevieria Whitney Classification
Family: Asparagaceae
Genus: Sansevieria (Genus Dracaena according to latest classification.)
Species: S. trifasciata
Cultivar: Witney
Genus Sansevieria:
It consists of about 70 flowering plant species which were later included in the genus Dracaena. This is a diverse genus with totally different habitats including succulents and tropical plants.
The stiff, sharp-edged, and sculptured leaves are the main feature of these plants. This specific leaf structure associates several common names with all the plants of the genus. The popular ones include the monster’s tongue, mother-in-law’s tongue, bowstring hemp, and the Snake Plant.
Features of the Sansevieria Whitney Plant
Size:
- This small Snake plant is all its leaves. There are different records about the size of this plant. The most-reported opinion states that it can grow up to half or a full meter.
- Each rosette contains about 4 to 6 leaves on average. Moreover, it gets about 6 to 8 inches wide.
- On the other hand, some people report them as dwarf cultivars, not growing above 6 to 10 inches.
Toxicity:
Kids and pets need your attention if you have this plant around. It contains higher levels of calcium oxalate crystals making it toxic for us and animals. Handling and ingestion can cause issues like allergy, nausea, and dhiroha. Thus, be vigilant and place your Whitney Snake Plant at a safe spot.
Air-purification:
Just like all other Sansevierias, this cultivar is also known for air-purifying abilities. It removes the toxins like formaldehyde, giving you fresher air.
Sansevieria Whitney Care
It would not be wrong to call them hard-to-kill plants. The only enemies are over-watering and strong direct sun. The basic Sansevieria Care is suitable enough to keep the plant happy and healthy.
Quick Guide:
Water: Moderate (After the soil gets dry)
Sun: Shade to the full indirect sun.
Humidity: Average.
Fertilizer: Mild concentration in spring and summer.
Let us get to know the details about the question, “How to grow and care for the Snake Plant Whitney”.
Water Requirement
This plant proudly owns Sansevieria resilience. The thick succulent leaves continue to remain healthy even with your minor neglects in the watering routine.
The ‘soak and dry the soil’ is the basic principle for watering. Water the soil completely and wait for it to dry out before watering again. As far as watering frequency is concerned, it depends upon the temperature and weather. Water the soil weekly or every ten days in spring and summer. On the other hand, once every fifteen to twenty days is enough for the colder days.
Over-watering is seriously problematic for Sansevierias. It can cause fungus and root rot which if goes unnoticed, may eventually kill the plant. Thus, don’t water before seeing the soil dried out. Also, do not let the plant dry out completely. Instead, water right after the soil gets dry.
Secondly, water the soil and not the leaves. The reason being leaves staying wet for a longer duration may invite serious issues. These include pest attacks, fungus, and rotting.
Light Requirement
Medium to the bright indirect sun is ideal. However, they have a wide range of tolerance for a variety of light levels including shade. The best place in your yard is a shaded area with plenty of bright (indirect) light. While a well-lit tabletop or a window in your home or office is suitable for indoor plantation.
Temperature Requirement
Keep them at an ideal temperature range of 45 to 85 °F. This is the normal room temperature at which we feel comfortable.
These plants love the warmth and do not tolerate frost. Dwellers of colder regions should prefer growing them indoors. However, if growing outdoors, just transfer them to some warm indoor spot before it gets cold in fall.
Humidity Requirement
Your Whitney Sansevieria is not much fussy about humidity. Just the average moisture level of around 60% is enough to keep the plant happy.
Soil Requirement
Well-draining and loose soils/potting mixtures are ideal. Prefer sandy soils and potting mixtures with lower levels of peat. Also, you can simply use a common cactus potting mix/soil.
Fertilizer Requirements
Use a balanced houseplant fertilizer to supply adequate nutrition. Mild doses one a month in spring and summer is the ideal schedule. Experts always recommend using mild concentration, almost half of the stated dose. This helps to avoid over-fertilization which can scorch out or even kill the plant.
All the Sansevierias show slower growth in the colder days. This reduces the nutritional requirement. Thus, never fertilize the plant between the end of summer till the upcoming spring.
Pot Requirements
Choose a medium-sized pot according to the size of the plant. Make sure you check for the drainage holes at the base.
Pruning Requirement
These plants don’t need frequent cutting. However, you can remove the damaged leaves and this will be a favour for your plant’s health.
Sansevieria Whitney Propagation
Thinking about making some new Whitey Rosettes? This one too is an easy-to-propagate plant, just like other Sansevierias.
The common methods of Sansevieria Propagation include;
- Plant-division.
- Leaf-cuttings.
Season:
The pleasant days between the middle of the spring and the middle of the summer are ideal to get successful results.
Propagation by Plant-division:
This method is followed to get the exact clones of the cultivars. Unlike other propagation methods, you get the exact pattern and not the plane green leaves.
Method:
Sansevierias expand by producing pups or clumps. These are baby plants growing as the extensions of the mother plant. You can simply cut separate these pups and replant them into individual plants.
- You need a well-drown plant that has produced at least one pup. Lose the soil around the base. Now, take out the whole rooting system. Don’t forget to be gentle to avoid damaging the roots.
- Look closely and spot the place where the rhizomes of the mother plant and the clump are attached. Take a sterilized gardening knife and cut the rhizome. Now, very gently, separate the pup along with the attached lower roots.
- Separate all the pups/clumps in the same way.
- Plant each of them in their prepared pots/places. Use moist and quick-draining soil for these plants.
Initial Care:
- Place them in the indirect sun, the same as that of the parent plant. Moreover, water the soil mildly to avoid loosening the soil.
- Two to three weeks and each baby plant will be settled as an individual Snake Plant Whitney.
Propagation by Leaf-cuttings:
- Take a sterilized pair of gardening shears. Cut a leaf of about 10 inches. You can further divide this into about pieces.
- Simply, plant each cutting about an inch deep in a moist quick-draining growing mix. Make sure you keep the lower side of the leaf-cutting in the lower direction under the potting mixture. Cuttings planted in opposite direction never root!
- Just place the setup in indirect light. Also, keep the soil moist by spraying water once it gets about 90% dry.
- These cuttings will take about 4 to 6 weeks to root. Apply a little pressure on the head of the cutting to check the growth. A resistant cutting shows the growth of a small rooting system.
- You can replant them along with the soil/potting mix to your desired pot. Just a few weeks of mild watering until this new plantlet gets the Sansevieria Whitney Care, as explained previously.
Propagation in water:
“Can I propagate Whitney Snake Plant in the water?” Yes!
- You can dip the leaf-cuttings in water as well. Just change the water every week to avoid fungal growths and mucky water.
- The roots will take 4 to 6 weeks to develop. After that, you can simply plant them in your desired medium.
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Summary
Sansevieria Whitney is one of the many cultivars of the popular Trifasciata Snake Plant. The dark-green elongated and sculptured leaves with white-spotted borders grow in form of rosettes. Moreover, they grow up to a medium-size, making them suitable for less spacious places. This peep stays happy in a variety of light forms including shade to partial shade. Additionally, just like other Sansevierias, the succulent moisture-retaining leaves stay healthy without frequent watering.
Feel free to get these beautiful air-purifying plants for your indoor and outdoor plantation. They stay happy in pots, containers, patios, and the soil of your yard. Meanwhile, just keep your kids and pets away from the plant. This will help you to avoid toxicity. Besides, consider taking emergency medical help in case of ingestion.
