Snake Plant Root Rot: How I Saved a $35 Sansevieria After 3 Weeks of Neglect

I came back from a 10-day trip to visit my parents in Austin and found my snake plant's leaves were soft at the base. Not dry-crispy — mushy. The soil was still damp from the watering I'd done right before leaving.

Snake plants are supposed to be indestructible. I'd killed mine with kindness: watered it, then left it in a humid apartment with no airflow for 10 days. Classic root rot setup.

Here's what I did:

1. Pulled the plant out — roots were black and smelled sour (healthy roots are white/firm)
2. Cut off all mushy roots with sterilized scissors (dipped in 70% isopropyl between cuts)
3. Removed any yellow/mushy leaves at the base
4. Let the rhizome air-dry on a paper towel for 4 hours
5. Repotted in fresh cactus/succulent mix (Miracle-Gro Cactus, Palm & Citrus — $7 at Lowe's)
6. Did NOT water for 7 days after repotting

Three weeks later (today), the plant has pushed two new pups and the remaining leaves are firm again. I lost one leaf to the rot, but the plant survived.

What I changed: I now water my snake plant only when the top 2 inches of soil are bone dry. In summer that's every 3 weeks. In winter it's every 5-6 weeks. I stick a wooden chopstick in the soil to check — if it comes out damp, I wait.

— Elena