I desperately need help identifying a plant. It's been in my family for well over 2 decades and they suddenly all started dying en masse. I've been searching the internet, but I can't find any plant even relatively similar to mine. I don't have pictures of the full plant at the moment (will add once I gain access to the camera), but I scanned in pictured of the leaves. All I know about it is that it can go long periods without watering, and grows much like an aloe (new "leaves" coming from the center) and propagates by new plants growing from the base of a larger one, and the "new" plants are generally a darker green, but fade to a lighter later on. So far, all of the roots have been rotting. This plant used to grow like a weed and now they're all just dying on me. This was my great grandmother's plant and I need to save it somehow, but first I need to know what it is. Thank you for any help you can give. On another note, every aloe plant in the house has also died (roots turned red and rotted).
What you have there is a Sanseveria trifasicata, common name "Mother in Laws Tongue". As you say they are very hardy and are a succulent type plant. Any chance that they could be getting overwatered?? Ed
I have pictures from the camera. Although the leaves are similar, I don't think it's a Mother in Law's tongue. The leaves of the full grown plant never get more than 10 inches. I've attached photos of a mature plant (that's still alive), a small one, and a rotted root of one that just died. I'm not sure if it's over watering that is killing them, as ones that I watered very infrequently also seemed to turn to muck at the base. Someone suggested a fungus might be the problem, or possibly an insect, since two of the plants weren't affected until they were moved into the same room as the others.
The containers appear not to have drain holes. If so that is what's rotting the roots of your Sansevierias. HTH Chris
I currently use Miracle-Gro Moisture Control potting soil and it seems every plant I've used with it had died. Is there any other soil I could use for this plant that won't cause it's death? There is only one left, out of what used to be well over 20 plants. I'm still not sure this is a mother-in-law's tongue, although they are similar, because of the sheer size difference. Does anyone know if it's possible to propagate it through cuttings? Another one of them died, despite the soil not being too damp.
Looks like you have a Sanseviera trifasciata 'Hahnii' Birds-nest Sanseviera Liliaceae It's a more compact version of the taller mother-in-law Sans. Because it's semi succulent, I would use a cactus soil with a handful of Perlite added for even better drainage. The soil your plant is in looks like it has peat moss in it which holds water and can easily cause rot. Use a small pot with just enough room for the roots with maybe an inch to spare all the way around. Personally, I was never good at rooting this plant by leaves, but I have cut off the roots (if rotted) letting the end dry on the plant for a day and re-rooting it. You might have to take off some of the lower leaves to get a longer stem to place down into the soil, again, use a small pot. Keep it where it gets nice bright light but not direct sun.
I have a similar little guy (Yup, they're Hahnii sansevieras). Like Bluewing suggested, I have it in a small pot with about an inch from the pot to the outside rim. I only water mine about once a week for most of the year and closer to once a month in winter. Most of the water runs out of the base and I doubt that the plant actually takes up much of any of it. If you don't have drainage holes in your pots that could explain it. You have to be careful to keep these guys warm. That in and of itself can cause basal rot. Due to overwatering, they can get "basal rot disease". If the whoe of the base is affected, use the upper foliage as leaf cuttings and then discard the plant. If only part of the plant is affected, remove it from the pot and chop off the diseased section. Dust cut surface with sulfur and repot. Keep dry and move to a warmer spot. As for propagation, cut them cross-wise into 2-inch-long pieces, remembering which is top and which is bottom, because cuttings must, of course, be planted top end up. Push three or four leaf sections about 1/2 inch into a moistened mixture of peat moss and sand in a three-inch pot, place them in bright light in normally warm room temperatures and water sparingly, just enought to make the potting mixture barely moist. This is a slow process =/ (and I haven't had much luck myself with propagating them this way!). Good luck!
