Plant Library

Other Names:  Mother-In-Law's Tongue, Viper's Bowstring Hemp

Description:

This popular, easy care plant will form dense stands of vertical leaves, arranged in a rosette, spreading by rhizomes to fill an area; very dark green leaves are contrasted with brilliant yellow margins; a beautiful indoor accent plant

Features & Attributes

Black Gold Snake Plant's attractive large twisted narrow leaves remain dark green in color with distinctive yellow edges and tinges of black throughout the year on a plant with a towering habit of growth.

This is an herbaceous evergreen houseplant with a rigidly upright and towering form. Its relatively coarse texture stands it apart from other indoor plants with finer foliage. This plant should never be pruned unless absolutely necessary, as it tends not to take pruning well.

Planting & Growing

When grown indoors, Black Gold Snake Plant can be expected to grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 inches. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. This houseplant performs well in both bright or indirect sunlight and strong artificial light, and can therefore be situated in almost any well-lit room or location. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist soil, but will not tolerate any standing water. The surface of the soil shouldn't be allowed to dry out completely, and so you should expect to water this plant once and possibly even twice each week. Be aware that your particular watering schedule may vary depending on its location in the room, the pot size, plant size and other conditions; if in doubt, ask one of our experts in the store for advice. It will benefit from a regular feeding with a general-purpose fertilizer with every second or third watering. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soil. Contact the store for specific recommendations on pre-mixed potting soil for this plant.

There are many factors that will affect the ultimate height, spread and overall performance of a plant when grown indoors; among them, the size of the pot it's growing in, the amount of light it receives, watering frequency, the pruning regimen and repotting schedule. Use the information described here as a guideline only; individual performance can and will vary. Please contact the store to speak with one of our experts if you are interested in further details concerning recommendations on pot size, watering, pruning, repotting, etc.

-- THIS IS A HOUSEPLANT AND IS NOT MEANT TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --