Snake Plant Blooming – My Sansevieria Had 3 Bloom Stalks

Whether you call it Sansevieria trifasciata or its new name Dracaena trifasciata, I just know that I have a Snake Plant blooming! I certainly didn’t expect it to bloom, but there she was with three bloom stalks.

I was astonished to find bloom stalks right at the end of December as I was putting Christmas decorations away. It is just as I am writing this post in mid-February that the blooms have faded and dried.

I tried to get some good photos so I could monitor the progress of the blooms so that you can see how these blooms end up. They did have a slight scent to me but mostly what I would describe as “green cut grass.” I didn’t smell a sweet scent at all.

The blooms did ooze a nectar and you can see those drops in my video. Pop over and watch it and you can see what a still image can’t show.

Images of Snake Plant Blooming

The blooms of the Sansevieria trifasciata were like a tall thin candelabra with small tubes coming up. These tubes opened to sprays of “fireworks” and these oozed droplets of nectar that, in the wild, I am sure would attract pollinators.

Here is what the stalk looked like after several more days.

Snake Plant Blooming? What Made This Happen?

First of all, these Snake Plants or Sansevieria trifaciata or Dracaena trifaciata are known as easy plants to grow that can take dim light or low light. It is true they can, but won’t grow their best.

I feel like the contributing factor to my Snake Plant blooming was mostly getting lots of light. I have it located near a sliding glass door that faces east. Quite a lot of bright light comes in that window and it lights up the whole back half of the house. (On sunny days, at least.)

Previous to this location, I had her in a corner of this same room but it was somewhat darker over there. (see photo below) She did get sunlight in this room from the patio, but mostly in the evenings the setting sun shown through the front door.

Placed in the corner, she casts her shadows slightly less sharp and diffused. So less light was available for her. Moving her to brighter light may have stimulated blooms.

My Blooming Snake Plant is pretty pot bound and I think that makes a big difference too. The Sansevieria or Dracaena likes to be snug and rolled up as tight as a cat crawling into a basket.

So I am keeping her that way until she splits the container! Not looking forward to wrestling that tall plant into a new pot anyway!

Does watering have anything to do with a Snake Plant’s happiness and willingness to bloom? We know that we cannot over-water any succulent plant such as these. I have let my plant get so dry that it should be dead!

But when I water it, I have to carry it to the sink for a full spray-down. For the size of this plant, that is a two-person job. Mine is still in the nursery pot plus a white cache pot (a little too small) and it has to be pulled from the pot and carried to the sink.

I water it only about every 4-6 weeks and that seems to work very well for this plant. It has NOT reached a stage where its leaves are withered or limp, and since it is blooming, this must be working well for it.

Some feel that “stressing” the plant causes it to bloom and maybe letting it go so long between watering is stressful, but since this works, I am not changing at all. Hopefully I will have more blooms in the future.

Myths About Blooming Snake Plants

• It is not a prediction of death
• It does not mean your snake plant will die
• They don’t attract snakes (???)
• Snake Plants are not unlucky.

And now I am watching the new little pups coming up from the soil in the pot. Spring should bring a lot more, I hope!