A note on names: In scientific circles, Snake Plants are now considered part of the Dracaena genus, and the name Sansevieria has been retired. However, many people still know these plants by their former name, so we’ll sometimes refer to them as Sansevierias. We have an article on the subject here.
It’s normal for the blades or spikes of your Snake Plant to have some minor ruffles – nothing in nature grows perfectly straight. However, when these plants get extremely wrinkled or crumpled, it’s a sign they’re having problems. We’ll help you identify the cause of your Sansevieria’s wrinkled leaves and tell you how to get it back to normal.
Snake Plant leaves get curly when they’re low on water, though underwatering is uncommon with these drought-resistant desert plants. It’s more likely that something is interfering with the roots, like soggy soil or excess fertilizer. Your Snake Plant could also be infested with pests that are draining the moisture from its foliage.
Each of these issues calls for a different solution, so it’s important to correctly diagnose what’s distressing your plant. This article will cover the various care problems or environmental stressors that can crinkle up your Snake Plant’s foliage. By the time you’ve finished reading, you should have a pretty good idea of what’s wrong with your plant and what you can do about it.
How Wavy Is Too Wavy?
Although a Snake Plant’s leaf is shaped a lot like the flat blade of a sword, the edges are almost never completely straight. It’s perfectly normal for these plants to twist and curl slightly as they grow. Some varieties, like the Twisted Sister or the Bird’s Nest, naturally form even more extreme bends.
So don’t get concerned about minor wobbles in your Snake Plant’s foliage. Only significant bends and waves are signs of trouble. Watch out for tips curling backward, leaves folding in along their length, or the surface of the plant getting saggy and wrinkled.
A Wavy Leaf is a Dry Leaf
Snake Plant leaves can turn wavy for a wide variety of reasons, but the common denominator is dehydration. By shriveling up and folding over, a Snake Plant’s leaf cuts down on the number of stomata (leaf pores) in contact with the air. This helps the plant reduce water loss from transpiration. In some cases, the leaves fold up lengthwise instead, creating a shape like a taco shell.
This behavior is just one of the many adaptations that Snake Plants use to survive the dry climates where they grow in the wild. It pairs well with their fleshy leaves and thick underground rhizomes, both of which can store moisture through prolonged droughts.
But just knowing that the leaves are dehydrated doesn’t necessarily tell you why. We’ll take a detailed look at the reasons your Snake Plant’s foliage might be running short of water.
Number 1: Underwatering
This isn’t the most likely culprit, but it is the simplest to identify and fix. As we’ve already mentioned, Snake Plants are quite well-adapted to long stretches without water. Their soil usually has to be bone-dry before showing signs of distress.
When you notice that your Sansevieria’s leaves turn wavy, inspect the potting mix in its container. If it’s hardened into a solid cake that’s shrinking away from the sides of the pot, your plant probably needs water. If the soil is still crumbly and soft, underwatering probably isn’t your issue.
To help a thirsty Snake Plant, simply satisfy its craving for water. Give it a good long soak that wets the soil all the way through so that there’s water draining from the holes in the pot. Within a day or two, your Sansevieria should be looking perky once again. But do be sure to always empty any standing water from the pot or saucer. Snake Plants can’t handle sitting in water for very long.
Number 2: Overwatering
It’s rare to underwater a Snake Plant, but it’s easy to give them more hydration than they can handle. Oddly enough, this also leads to dehydrated foliage. When the roots aren’t getting enough air to do their thing, they can’t send any water up to the rest of the plant. This can cause the same problems as underwatering, including crumpled leaves.
Another characteristic symptom of overwatering is severe yellowing that starts from the lowest parts of the leaves and spreads upward. Musty smells from the soil and leaves turning soft at the base are other clear warnings that you’ve let your plant stay too wet.
Think back to the last time you watered the plant. If it was more than 3-4 days ago and the soil is still wet and squishy, your Sansevieria is probably overwatered. Even if the top of the pot looks mostly dry, use a wooden chopstick or a soil moisture meter to check if there’s liquid trapped in the lower layers.
Once you confirm that you’ve been overwatering your Snake Plant, you need to pull it out of the pot, clean the soil from its roots, and check them for root rot. Afflicted roots look brown, gray, or black instead of a healthy white or orange. They also develop a mushy texture and give off a foul odor.
Cut off all the infected roots, disinfecting your pruning scissors between snips with a 10% bleach solution or some 3% rubbing alcohol. If you need to remove more than ⅓ of the root mass, cut back the foliage to match. Transplant your Sansevieria into a clean pot with all-new soil. It should recover within a month or two.
We have a lot more information on dealing with root rot in Snake Plants here. And we have an entire article dedicated to teaching you to properly water these plants here.
Number 3: Bugs
Pest infestation is another common cause of bending and twisting Snake Plant leaves. Their moisture-rich foliage makes a tempting target for several different kinds of critters that like to puncture the leaves and drink the juices inside.
Here are the pests most likely to attack your Sansevieria:
- Thrips. Tiny winged insects too small to see with the naked eye. You can recognize them by the small black spots and mottled patches of pale scars they leave on your Snake Plant’s leaves.
- Spider mites. The bites of these minuscule arachnids cover your Snake Plant in tiny white speckles that make the foliage appear dusty. The mites themselves are hard to see, but you can often spot them by tapping the leaves while holding a blank piece of paper underneath. In advanced infestations, you’ll see a gauzy webbing stretching between the leaves.
- Mealybugs. These nasty bugs look like blobs of white fuzz attached to your plant. Sometimes it’s hard to see them because they can hide in remarkably tiny crevices. They also excrete a sticky substance called honeydew which can serve as a breeding ground for soot-colored mold.
- Scale. Related to mealybugs, but less fuzzy and much less mobile. They anchor in place on your plant, looking like smooth brown bumps growing from the leaves. They can be quite hard to pry loose.
- Aphids. These insects come in many different colors, including bright green, brown, red, orange, and white. If you see clusters of tiny teardrop-shaped bubbles appearing on your Snake Plant, you’ve probably got aphids. You might also notice their wispy white exoskeletons. Like scale and mealybugs, aphids produce honeydew, so check for sticky patches on your plant.
If you find that you’ve got pests, wipe or spray down your Snake Plant’s leaves with water to dislodge as many bugs as you can, then give the plant a thorough spritzing with slightly soapy water or neem oil. High concentrations aren’t necessary; ⅓ of a teaspoon of gentle soap plus a teaspoon of neem oil, mixed in with a liter of warm water, should do the trick.
Repeat this process every few days until the pests are eliminated. For scale insects, which can be particularly stubborn, you may need to wipe down the foliage with rubbing alcohol as well. It’s often best to remove the most severely infested leaves if they look like they’re probably going to die anyway.
Number 4: Too Much Fertilizer
It’s good to give your Snake Plant some nutritional supplementation from time to time. If you overdo it, though, you’ll wind up with root issues due to excessive concentrations of mineral salts in the soil. As with overwatering, this prevents the roots from sending up enough moisture to keep your plant’s leaves growing straight and tall.
If you’re sure that you’re giving your Sansevieria the right amount of water, and you’ve confirmed that it’s free of pests, the waviness you’re seeing could be due to mild fertilizer burn. Crispy brown tips and edges are other common symptoms.
To correct this issue, flush the soil with enough water to fill up your Snake Plant’s pot 4-5 times. Pour slowly and steadily, drenching the soul and allowing the water to slowly drain through the container and out the drainage hole.
You can repeat this process every couple of months to prevent future mineral buildup. It’s also a good idea to avoid fertilizing your Snake Plant during the winter months, or any other time when it’s not getting enough light and moisture to grow.
Number 5: Temperature Stress
Snake Plants come from equatorial deserts, but there’s still a limit to the amount of heat they can tolerate. When the air gets above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Sansevierias tend to shed water through transpiration faster than the roots can replace it. This causes the foliage to run low on moisture, creating crispy patches, wrinkled tissues, and curling leaves.
There’s an easy fix for this one: get your Snake Plant someplace where the temperature is more pleasant. Don’t try to compensate by putting ice in its pot or any other rapid cooling method. Just return the plant to its comfortable temperature range of 60-85 degrees, water the soil if it’s dry, and wait for your Sansevieria to recover.
Number 6: Close Quarters
Another thing that can throw your Snake Plant’s roots off their game is running out of space. When they expand enough to fill up the container, they can crowd each other out. They’ll wind around each other in tight loops, forming a knotted mass that squishes into the shape of the pot.
We call this getting root bound. As with other root problems, it cuts the leaves off from water and causes them to get twisted and wavy.
You’ll need to repot the plant in a bigger container. A slight increase in size is best – pick a pot that’s about 2 inches larger in diameter. Make sure you select a coarse potting soil with lots of inorganic ingredients to allow for good drainage. As you’re transferring the plant over, use your fingers to gently loosen up the root mass. Read more about the ideal soil for your Snake Plant here.
Final Thoughts
When your Snake Plant’s leaves are contorting into awkward shapes, it means that something is stopping them from getting enough water. Inspect your plant and think through your care regimen to see which of the above scenarios most resembles your problem. Once you restore your Snake Plant’s access to life-giving H2O, its leaves should straighten out in no time.