Snake Plants with Orange Roots – Is it Bad?
Snake plants with orange roots are not necessarily harmful. It may be natural staining from age or the onset of a disease called root rot. We’ll show you how to tell the difference.
TL;DR
- orange snake plant roots are normal due for older, thick roots due to staining
- discolored roots can be indicative of diseased roots, such as root rot
- to determine the next steps, we need to look for other symptoms
Why Are My Snake Plant Roots Orange?
Okay – let’s answer the elephant in the room – why are your snake plant roots orange? And do orange roots mean something is wrong?
The good news is orange roots are perfectly normal. Sansevieria roots naturally become orange due to old age and are stained by the soil. However, if you were to cut a root, it would be white (sometimes light green) in the middle. This is indicative of a healthy root.
There are occasions when you should be concerned about discolored roots, and we’ll expand upon this later.
Let’s first look at how to identify healthy roots.
What Do Healthy Snake Plant Roots Look Like?
Healthy roots generally look plump, strong, and virile.
They will be hard to the touch and won’t have any give when squeezed gently between your thumb and index finger. If you find the roots are soft and mushy, the roots may be rotting, and the beginning of the snake plant root rot.
Snake plant roots are thin and wiry, with thickness akin to the thickness of yarn or wool.
Snake plants also develop rhizomes in their root system. They look like root-like formations that will be the same color as the roots. However, they will be thicker and more bulbous. You will