Sansevieria Black Gold Care Guide: The Gold Standard!
It is hard to find a snake plant with a more contrasting pattern than the Sansevieria Black Gold. With its deep bottle green leaves with brilliant yellow trimming, it isn’t hard to see why they consider this variation the gold standard of mother-in-law’s tongue plants.
Sansevieria Black Gold Is an EASY-LEVEL care plant that doesn’t require much maintenance. They are hardy plants that generally thrive on neglect, particularly in the winter when they become dormant and only need watering once a month. As a succulent, they are particular about the type of soil they live in. If you want them to thrive, they should be in a position that receives plenty of indirect light. We’ll elaborate on tips and tricks to get your Sansevieria Black Gold happy and thriving later in this guide – so stick around.
Images of Sansevieria Black Gold
Here is a gallery of pictures of the beautiful Sansevieria Trifasciata Black Gold from other snake plant owners worldwide. We’ve even added snaps of our beautiful Sansevieria Black Gold into the mix.
Sansevieria Black Gold: The Facts
Okay, that’s enough picture love. Let’s get up close and personal with this stunning specimen.
What is a Sansevieria Black Gold Plant?
The Black Gold variety of sansevieria is a beautiful plant popular amongst indoor plant enthusiasts due to its unique and colorful foliage designs. As a member of the snake plant family, it is celebrated for its low maintenance requirements yet stunning appearance.
Name Guide
Sansevieria Black Gold is the common name used by nurseries and wholesalers (sometimes they refer to it as Sansevieria Black and Gold). But the botanical name is Sansevieria’ Black Gold Superba’ – and it is superb.
It also goes by other names, such as snake plant, mother-in-law’s tongue, African spear, and magic sword. However, these are just general names that refer to snake plants, not specifically the Black Gold variety.
Origin
Sansevieria black gold Superba originates from West Africa. The Black Gold Sansevieria belongs to the hard-leafed variety, which indicates they grow naturally in arid climates with minimal water. The thick skins on their leaves help them to survive the dry conditions, with thick leaf cuticles to prevent too much water from evaporation.
Understanding where the Black Gold Sanseveria naturally thrives helps us to appreciate the level of care and conditions they require. Replicating a plant’s natural environment is the best way to ensure a happy and thriving houseplant.
Appearance & Flowers
If you cannot tell already, we are enamored with the look of the Black Gold snake plant.
Its unique look stands apart from all the other varieties of snake plants, except for one. The Sansevieria Laurentii has similar patterns to the Black Gold. The primary way to distinguish between the two is the green section in the center of the leaf. The Laurentii has variegated feint patterns traveling perpendicular to the leaf, while the Black Gold is solid dark green.
Sansevieria Black Gold does produce flowers. However, like other snake plants, they only show when the conditions are perfect. Snake plant flowers do not necessarily develop annually. It can be many years between each bloom.
You can read more on snake plant flowers (including pictures) HERE.
Sansevieria Black Gold Care Guide
For the benefit of those who are after a quick summary of the care instructions for Black Gold Sansevieria, here is a visual image.
Watering
The most significant concern for the Sansevieria Black and Gold is maintaining the correct moisture levels in the soil.
The general rule for watering Black Gold is when the soil has completely dried.
Only add more water when the soil is dry.
Using the soil moisture finger test, you can tell when the soil is dry. Insert your index finger into the top few inches of soil and feel for moisture. If moist soil is stuck to your finger as you remove it, you can check back in a few days. Alternatively, for those who don’t want to get their hands dirty, you can use a soil moisture meter available at your nursery or online.
For a seasonal watering guide for snake plants, check out our article on HOW TO WATER A SNAKE PLANT.
Light Conditions
If you are growing Sansevieria Black Gold as a houseplant, place it in a position that receives plenty of indirect sunlight (6-8 hours). Read more HERE for tips on lighting conditions for snake plants.
Your Black and Gold will tolerate brief periods of direct sunlight in the early morning or late evening. However, try to keep it away from midday and afternoon sun.
Even though they are resilient plants that endure sunny, dry conditions in their natural environment in Africa, the Black Gold in our homes has adapted to become indoor plants. It will not cope well in direct sunlight, only in bright light.
Temperature Range
The ideal temperature range for a Sansevieria Black Gold is between 65-90° Fahrenheit (18-32° Celsius).
As a succulent plant, Sansevieria Black Gold can cope with high temperatures, up to 100° Fahrenheit (37° Celsius). They have water reserves in their leaves that they can draw upon when necessary.
However, the Achilles heel of the Black and Gold is cold temperatures. Correction – freezing temperatures. Keep your plant away from frost and temperatures below 50° Fahrenheit. When the water reserves in the leaves freeze, it expands. This causes irreparable damage to the cellular structure and will lead to complications.
Humidity Range
To keep your Black Gold happy, keep the relative humidity levels at 30-50%.
They don’t particularly love humidity like other indoor plants such as philodendrons and pothos. However, the ranging humidity levels can impact your Sansevieria’s ability to regulate its internal processes, such as transpiration.
You can find out more about how humidity affects snake plants HERE.
Soil Requirements
If you are serious about providing your Black Gold with the ultimate care, then using suitable soil is fundamental. Your Sansevieria’s soil must be:
- well-draining,
- a loamy consistency (light and airy), and
- Contain some organic materials with water absorption properties to provide enough water for your Black Gold to utilize.
We have devised our recipe for the perfect snake plant potting mix. You can watch our video for the process HERE.
Fertilizer Requirements
Black Gold Sansevierias are not hungry plants, nor are they fussy.
However, they do still require the base elements for healthy plant growth, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
All reputable all-purpose houseplant fertilizers will be suitable for feeding your Black and Gold, as they will have these core ingredients. For our recommended snake plant fertilizers, check out this ARTICLE.
We like to feed our Black Gold at the beginning of spring with a slow-release fertilizer. This way, they will have the necessary building blocks for a fruitful growing season.
Pests and Diseases
The biggest threat to Sansevieria Black Gold is root rot.
It is a fungal disease that develops from water-logged soil from overwatering. We recommend fine-tuning your watering practices to avoid any root rot from developing in your Black and Gold. The process of eliminating root rot is not complicated. However, it is cumbersome. You can read about the process HERE.
Other fungal diseases can infect your Black Gold, which you can find out more about HERE.
In terms of pests, Sansevieria Black Gold is most susceptible to sap-sucking insects like mealybugs, spider mites, and thrips. These pests have the equipment to penetrate the tough outer layer of the Sansevieria’s skin and access the nutrient-rich sap.
The best way to detect any signs of pests (or disease, for that matter) is to inspect your beautiful plant regularly. You can read more about symptoms of pest infestation HERE.
Other Care Instructions
Besides the core set of care instructions, there are a few other considerations you will want to familiarize yourself with specifically for the Black Gold Sansevieria.
Pot Requirements
Determining a snake plant’s pot size requires more thought than other indoor plants.
The reason for this is Black Gold Sansevieria likes to be cozy. They require a tight root ball to support those long, heavy sword-shaped leaves, without which they would fall over.
We generally look for pots approximately one-third bigger than the width of the root ball with plenty of drainage holes to allow any excess water to exit. Find out more about the best pot with drainage holes for snake plants.
Pruning
You wouldn’t think pruning would be much of an issue for the Sansevieria Black Gold. Given snake plants are evergreen and do not shed. However, pruning is essential to your annual maintenance for all your plants, Black Gold included.
Regularly remove any damaged, diseased or dying leaves from your Black Gold to maintain a healthy houseplant. Removing decaying debris will also prevent any mold or diseases from developing.
Learn how to trim snake plant leaves HERE.
How To Propagate Sansevieria Black Gold
Let’s get to the fun part of owning a Sansevieria Black Gold Superba – making new plant babies.
With the beautiful colorations and patterns on the foliage, we recommend only using the propagation method by plant division or by snake plant pups. Propagation methods by cuttings risk losing the unique characteristics that make the Black Gold stand apart from the rest.
To propagate by plant division, follow these steps:
- Remove the root ball – lift the mother snake plant root ball out of its container.
- Clean and prepare the root ball – rinse your snake plant’s roots under warm water to clear the soil away.
- Identify the rhizome – find the rhizome attached to the baby Black Gold. Cut the rhizome as close to the main root ball of the mother plant as possible. You want to retain as many thin roots as possible with the rhizome.
- Re-pot your Plants – re-pot your mother snake plant into the original pot with some fresh potting mix. At the same time, fill your propagation containers a third up with a good-quality potting mix. Place each pup into the pot and backfill with quality potting mix until the soil level covers the white parts of the rhizome and pups. Give all your plants good watering and ensure all excess water drains out.
You can find step-by-step instructions HERE if you prefer to propagate using cuttings.
Sansevieria Black Gold – Common Questions
Sansevieria Black Gold vs. Laurantii – are they Different?
From a distance, these two varieties of snake plants can be easily confused. However, when viewed up close, there are distinct differences between the Sansevieria Black Gold and Sansevieria Laurantii.
Both plants have stunning gold trimming on the leaf margins, which gives the illusion of vertical glowing green swords. However, the differences become apparent when you look along the center of the foliage. Laurentiis has a brighter shade of green that is marbled with alternating waves of green that run perpendicular to the leaf. At the same time, the Black Gold variety has a solid dark (almost black) green coloration. Each is beautiful in its own right.
Are Sansevieria Black Gold Plants Pet and Children Friendly?
No – Sansevieria Black Gold contains saponins, toxic chemicals that protect plants from pests, diseases, and pathogens. Extreme toxic poisoning is uncommon; however, it is not a pleasant experience for all parties involved; cats, dogs, children, plants, or you.
Are Sansevieria Black Gold Plants Good Indoors & Outdoors?
Depending on where you live, most Black Gold plants in your nurseries will have been hardened for indoor life. However, if your climate suits, a Sansevieria Black Gold can quickly grow outdoors in your garden – after all, that is where they originally developed. If your area is subject to frost and freezing temperatures, we do not recommend growing your Sansevieria outdoors. They will not survive the winter months.
How Fast Does Sansevieria Black Gold Grow?
Sansevieria Black Gold may not be the fastest-growing indoor plant. However, they are considered average to good in the snake plant world. They can grow up to one foot each year if provided with optimal conditions. They were eventually reaching around 2-3 feet in height at maturity.