Sansevieria Grandis Beginner Care Guide (with Propagation Techniques)

Sansevieria Grandis is a rare broad-leafed variety of snake plant that has variegated colorations. Suitable for indoor or outdoor collections.

Sansevieria Grandis Care Summary

Getting to Know Sansevieria Grandis

At the Garden Bench Top, we believe to be a responsible plant parent, and it is essential to understand the origins of your plants. Appreciating their natural environments will help you become a more thoughtful owner, enabling you to pick up on their nuances and ultimately provide better care.

Name

Scientific Name: Sansevieria Hyaconthoide cv.

Common Name(s): Saint George’s Sword, Viper’s Bowstring, Somali Good Luck Plant

Origin

Known to be native to parts of Somaliland, the Sansevieria Grandis grows in dry, arid environments close to the ground. Their thick, fleshy, broad leaves can store water due to their local areas’ sporadic rainfall.

The Sansevieria Grandis can endure long periods of direct sunlight exposure in sandy, dry areas. However, it is essential to note that cultivated varieties in our local nurseries are not as tolerant to direct sunlight, mainly when grown indoors. We’ll discuss ideal lighting conditions in the next care section.

Appearance and Flowers

With foliage similar to the Whale Fin Snake Plant, the Sansevieria Grandis has broad leaves, unlike the more common sword-shaped leaves we are accustomed to seeing on the Sansevieria Trifasciata.

However, unlike the Sansevieria Masoniana, they grow in a rosette pattern, developing many leaves, rather than the solitary leaves you often see on the Masoniana.

The colors are typical of a snake plant, with a dark bottle green base and lighter green variegated patterns running horizontally across the leaf.

Although not very common, the Sansevieria Grandis flower is a shower of flowers that originate from the base of the plant. It produces multiple long thin tubes, from which dainty white flowers explode, like fireworks in suspended animation.

Conditions need to be optimal for snake plants to flower; even then, it is not always guaranteed. To read more about snake plant flowers, check out our article HERE.

Sansevieria Grandis Snake Plant Care Detailed Instructions

In this section, we will explore the care requirements of the Sansevieria Grandis in detail. We’ll also provide links to helpful resources that dive into the topics more deeply.

Water Requirements

As we mentioned at the beginning, the Sansevieria Grandis is a drought-tolerant plant. The key word here is tolerant.

While they can survive periods of dryness and neglect, it doesn’t mean you can forget about them.

We recommend regular water top-ups. However, the frequency changes each season. For guidance on seasonal water frequency, check out our article HERE.

Always allow the soil to dry before adding more water to your Sansevieria Grandis.

To help you identify when the soil is dry, use the finger soil moisture test or a soil moisture meter from your nursery or online at Amazon.

Lighting Requirements

The Grandis Snake Plant thrives in plenty of bright indirect light.

They can tolerate early morning or late evening direct sunlight. However, midday and afternoon sun is too intense for indoor snake plants and will quickly dehydrate the leaves, causing leaf burn.

That said, the rules change slightly for Sansevieria Grandis planted outdoors. Outdoor snake plants are hardened and can experience higher tolerances for sunlight.

Read more HERE for tips on lighting conditions for snake plants.

Temperature Requirements

The Sansevieria Grandis grows best in temperatures between 50-90° Fahrenheit (10-32° Celsius).

We recommend avoiding any freezing temperatures. Water expands when frozen. And because your Sansevieria Grandis stores water in its leaves, it can cause irreparable damage to the leaf cells and harm the plant when it freezes.

If your area is susceptible to frost or freezing temperatures in winter, we recommend bringing any snake plants inside the house where the temperatures will remain at acceptable levels.

Humidity Requirements

To keep your Grandis happy, keep them in between 30 and 50% relative humidity.

We understand humidity can be challenging to control. However, it is essential for regulating your snake plant’s internal processes, like transpiration.

When there is not enough moisture in the air (low humidity), it accelerates transpiration, which quickly dehydrates your plant and causes water stress. On the other hand, too much moisture will prevent transpiration, and your Whale Fin Snake Plant will suffocate.

We have written an in-depth article discussing how humidity affects snake plants.

Soil & Fertilizer Requirements

One thing we always do when we introduce a new snake plant to our collection is to repot them into fresh homemade soil.

Setting your Sansevieria Grandis up in quality soil can significantly benefit your plant parent experience. The proper soil will reduce the frequency of your watering, facilitate the uptake of nutrients by your snake plant, and reduce its susceptibility to pests and disease.

To be effective, your snake plant soil must be:

• well-draining,
• a loamy consistency (light and airy), and
• contain some organic materials with water absorption properties.

We have devised a recipe for the perfect snake plant potting mix. You can also watch our video on making snake plant soil below.

Pest and Diseases

If there is one disease that you should familiarise yourself with for the Sansevieria Grandis, it is root rot.

Root rot is a fungal disease that can develop when your snake plant has been sitting in waterlogged soil from being overwatered. The process of eliminating root rot is straightforward. However, it involves repotting and treating your plant. You can read our step-by-step guide for removing root rot in snake plants HERE.

Other leaf-borne fungal diseases that can infect your Whale Fin include mildew and leaf spot. We explore these diseases and (more importantly) the treatments HERE.

Regarding pests, snake plants are 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 foliage and access the nutrient-rich sap.

The best way to detect any signs of pests (or disease, for that matter) is to regularly inspect your Grandis and manually remove any pests you see. The key is not letting their population get out of hand and become an infestation.

You can read more about symptoms of pest infestation HERE.

Pot Size

We consider planter selection for Sansevieria more critical than other indoor houseplants.

Like other snake plants, Grandis require a tight root system to support the fleshy, long leaves – probably more so for the Whale Fin, given their broad leaves.

When placed in a container too large for their root system, they will refocus their energy on developing the roots rather than growing new leaves. While they are still growing (under the soil), they will appear to be experiencing stunted growth.

Your snake plant pot should also have adequate drainage with plenty of drainage holes. As we pointed out earlier, constantly moist soil rots your Grandis’ root system.

How to Propagate Sansevieria Grandis

There are several ways to propagate your Grandis Snake Plant. We’ll discuss two of the more popular methods for propagation.

Propagate by Cutting

To propagate by cutting, follow these steps:

1. Identify and Cut Leaf – Choose a leaf that looks healthy and vibrant with no visible signs of pests or disease. Selecting the right leaf will give it the best opportunity for success. Cut the leaf towards the base with a sterilized pair of garden scissors (or a sharp knife). We like to use an upside-down V cut (or an arrowhead-shaped cut) for snake plants, as it will naturally prop the cutting up in your container, which will help to prevent rot from setting in. It also helps to prevent new roots from growing at unhelpful angles (usually with straight cuts).
2. Air Dry Your Cutting – Allow your cutting to dry for 2-4 days in a safe place so that it doesn’t accidentally get knocked to the ground. Air drying your cutting allows the wound to form a callous, which helps to prevent any rot or disease from developing.
3. Find a Container – find a tall and thin container to support your snake plant leaf cutting. We like to use glass containers like mason jars or small vases. The glass allows you to examine your cutting without disturbing it (such as lifting it out of the water to see if roots are growing).
4. Begin the Rooting Process – The final step is to piece everything together. Place your cutting in the container and fill it with distilled water, so the bottom third of the cutting is submerged. It is essential to ensure the calloused wound is beneath the water line to encourage root growth.

We strongly recommend using filtered or distilled water for the propagation process. Where you live, tap water may have chemicals that inhibit the propagation process.

Propagate by Division of Snake Plant Pups

To propagate by plant division, follow these steps:

1. Identify the Point of Separation – because the Sansevieria Grandis hovers above the ground, you don’t need to worry about uprooting your snake plants. Identify the point at which you would like to make the separation.
2. Make the Cut – take a sharp knife sterilized with rubbing alcohol and make a clean cut.
3. Repot your Plants – fill your propagation containers a third up with a good-quality potting mix (discussed above). Place each newly separated snake plant into a pot and backfill with quality potting mix until the soil level covers the roots. Give all your plants good watering and ensure all excess water drains out.

You can find detailed step-by-step instructions HERE.