How to Braid a Snake Plant – Step-by-Step Instructions

Snake plants are gorgeous houseplants. But braided snake plants take plants to another level. They produce beautiful eye-catching centerpieces in any space they occupy.

Is There Any Benefit to Braiding a Snake Plant?

The practice of braiding snake plants is purely for superficial purposes. It is simple. They look great!

A braided snake plant can add an element of intrigue to what would be an otherwise vanilla indoor plant. We can guarantee you that if you added a braided snake plant to your indoor plant collection, you would receive plenty of comments of admiration and wonderment.

Besides looking great, braided snake plants deliver other benefits when grown indoors. For example, they are known as living air purifiers by extracting toxins from the air and producing pure oxygen as a by-product of their internal processes.

You can read more about the purification benefits of snake plants HERE.

According to Feng Shui principles, braided snake plants can also help optimize energy flow in your home and assist in mental health and clarity. Check out the other benefits of snake plants in our article.

If you are reading this article, you are likely already convinced about owning a braided snake plant, so that’s enough about why you should get one. Let’s turn our attention to how to braid a snake plant.

How to Braid a Snake Plant

Okay – let’s get into the fun stuff.

You’ll learn how to braid a Sansevieria Cylindrica snake plant in the following steps.

To succeed, you will need the following:

• Mature Cylindrica with foliage at least 14 inches in length (ideally in multiples of three)
• string or ties (we like to use organic materials like twine or straw)
• sharp scissors
• rubber band

IMPORTANT – Before you start, it is probably best to do this activity outside where you do not mind making a mess.

1. Prepare your Cylindrica Snake Plant(s)

On a Garden Bench Top (see what we did there😛), lay your Cylindrica on its side with the foliage pointing towards you. The pot and roots should be further away from you.

We like to take this opportunity to quickly inspect your snake plant’s health and clean the leaves. After all, the leaves will be pressed up against one another. And any excess dirt may attract unwanted issues, such as disease and bacteria growth.

Repeat this process with any other Cylindrica snake plants you intend to incorporate into the finished braided product.

Make sure to completely dry your Cylindrica with some kitchen paper towel or allow it to air dry.

2. Secure Plant(s) Together

Take your string or twine and secure your Cylindrica plants together at the base of the foliage.

To clarify, it is the section that sits just above the soil line (between the roots and where the color of the snake plant foliage begins).

We identify the approximate position to secure in the image below.

3. Plan Out The Braid

Now it is time to do a quick mental plan of how you will achieve your braid. Remember the age-old carpenter’s rule of “Measure twice, cut once.”

Take a look at which leaves are going to form each string of the braid. We divide them into three groups (or strings as we will refer to them from now on)

Each string should have leaves next to each other to make it easier to follow the braided pattern.

4. Begin the Braid

Starting on the left-hand side, bring the left string across the center string. A word of warning – it will feel awkward, and you will feel the foliage fighting to return to its original position.

However, continue to hold firm. Snake plants are tough houseplants and can handle a bit of force.

The left-hand string should now become the NEW center string, with the FORMER center string becoming the NEW left string.

Now bring the right-hand string across the NEW center string.

5. Repeat the Pattern

Now repeat the above pattern until you reach the end of the foliage.

Here is a video that demonstrates the pattern you should be following.

6. Tie Off the Braid

While holding the finished braid with one hand, use the other hand to wrap the rubber band around the top of the braid.

Once secured, use the string or twine to tie the braided snake plant further. Rubber bands can easily slip off, and all your hard work will unravel.

And there you have it – you have just braided your snake plant!

Braided Snake Plant – Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Untie a Braided Snake Plant?

If you are unhappy with the look of a braided snake plant, feel free to unravel and undo the braid.

The leaves may have marks along the lengths depending on how tight the braid was. However, over time they should disappear.

How Big Do Braided Snake Plants Get?

Because mostly all braided snake plants are the Cylindrical variety, you can expect them to grow in line with the typical growth rates of that specific variety, which is 3-5 feet (60-121 cm).

What are Ways to Encourage Snake Plant Growth?

As with other snake plant varieties, caring for and placing your snake plant in optimal conditions is the best way to encourage growth. This includes plenty of indirect bright light, watering when the soil has dried out, and ensuring the soil drains well.

We have written a guide on our favorite tips for making snake plants grow tall HERE.