snakeplant help please

August 26, 2012 12:05 PM

My snake plant is dying, and growing some kind of fungus. The leaves were coming out, one by one, looking like this: I thought I was overwatering, until I turned the whole plant around, and saw this: ; I assume these are related to each other, but what is it, and what should I do? I'm guessing that just digging out the whatever-it-is won't be enough.
posted by uans to home & garden (8 answers total)

http://i.imgur.com/RJFMZ.jpg

posted by uans at 12:09 PM on August 26, 2012

[Fixed links, no worries. ]
posted by restless_nomad at 12:15 PM on August 26, 2012

http://imgur.com/uL6Ol
posted by uans at 12:19 PM on August 26, 2012

You can probably go ahead and pull out the mushroom.

Have you moved the plant or repotted it or anything like that recently?

I'm not an expert, but, instead of overwatering per se, I wonder if you may not be letting it dry out enough between waterings. Snake plants are hard to kill, but that's an easy way to do it.
posted by box at 12:51 PM on August 26, 2012

Snake plant is one of those that you let dry between waterings. Soak it, then neglect it until it's dry, then soak it. Keeping it wet will rot the roots (and feed mushrooms).
posted by headnsouth at 1:47 PM on August 26, 2012

If you've got mushrooms growing in the pot, there's too much water. Some good cultivation tips here.
posted by Solomon at 1:53 PM on August 26, 2012

Yes, it's way too wet if it's able to support mushrooms. Water it way less. Depending on the amount of light, I'd say water it once every three weeks (full sun) to once every five to six weeks (indoor partial shade). But as headnsouth said, when you water, you drench it until there's water flowing out the bottom of the pot and all the soil is wet. And then you empty any catch pots below of water so it isn't sitting and wait [X] weeks to repeat the process.

You don't have to do anything to the mushroom other than remove it, but adding a little fungicide to the water for a watering cycle or two might be wise. Cinnamon is a natural fungicide, or anything with neem oil and pyrethrins should help.
posted by vegartanipla at 3:35 PM on August 26, 2012

Thanks everyone for their advice, and thanks restless-nomad for hiding the latest evidence of my posting inadequacy.
posted by uans at 7:09 PM on August 26, 2012