Choosing a pot for your favorite snake plant isn’t a simple endeavor. You actually have to consider several things. First and foremost, material of the pot. Should you opt for clay, terracotta, wood, glass, or the cheap plastic? And is there any different after all? Second thing is drainage. Is it better to have your snake plant in a pot with a drainage hole, or does it not matter at all?
Third thing is size of the pot. How wide, and deep it shall be, and are these characteristics important for a snake plant? Last but not least, you should also consider design of your pot. Snake plant is beautiful and will no doubt attract the eyes of your visitors. But what about the pot? Which designs go well with snake plant, and with the interior of your house?
As you can see now, for someone who pays attention to details, and can afford spending a lot of time while choosing a perfect pot for a snake plant, it can take hours to actually purchase something, especially online, since you have so thousands of pots for succulents on websites like Amazon. In this post I will try to make your task at least a bit easier :), looking at different aspects of fitting pot for your snake plant. Let’s start!
Clay and terracotta are best materials for pots for a snake plant, but in some instances plastic or metal may also work
Snake plant isn’t a demanding plant. It actually thrives in neglect. The most common problems people experience with snake plant is leaves turning yellow and the plant eventually dying, which is in 95% or cases result of over-watering. What role does a good pot play in this? Well, if you water your snake plant twice a week no pot will save you. But pots from certain materials are better for reducing the moisture in the soil, and for allowing the plant to breathe, and reduce the chances of root rot.
Clay and terracotta are definitely the best materials in this regard. Having said that, each pot has some pluses and minuses. Terracotta pots are quite fragile and also heavy. If you are worried that you may struggle carrying the pot around, or have animals at home or little children that may break the pot while playing, maybe you should consider plastic or even metal pot. Plastic pots are the least expensive, so if budget is a deciding factor for you, you should opt for plastic. What I try to say here is that why you have to be more careful when it comes to watering the plant in a plastic pot, snake plant can do just fine in it, and won’t necessarily suffer or anything else.
Opt for a pot with a drainage hole for your snake plant
We have an entire article dedicated to drainage for snake plant, so let me be brief here (read the linked article for more in-depth information). Snake plants can survive in pots without drainage holes, but for preventing root rot and other issues, you should buy a pot with a drainage hole for your snake plant.
In my experience, regardless of the materials, the prices are more or less the same for pots with and without drainage holes (from any material). Hence I see no reason why any true succulent lover would opt for a pot without one, when they know it isn’t the best choice for their snake plant… Just make sure to buy a fitting saucer which you will place under the pot, since once you soak your snake plant with water most of it will always drain away (which is good, because the plant will take just as much water as it needs).
Right size (height and width) of a pot for a snake plant
In my experience, succulents (including snake plant) prefer pots that have “just the right size” for their root ball. They do not thrive in pots too big or too deep. In an ideal case, try to get a pot that’s just 1/3 larger than the root ball of the snake plant. That’s about the diameter, and the same is true about depth.
Now, I know that some snake plants may look marvelous (design-wise) in tall slim pots. But the excessive soil in the pot (more than the plant really needs) can often stay wet and cause root rot to the plant, especially if you have a pot-without drainage hole (which you already know is not recommended). To sum it up, regardless of the material you choose, opt for a shallow pot, just slightly larger in diameter than the root ball of the snake plant (maximally half the size of it bigger).
Best design for your snake plant pot
Gone are the days when you went to a brick and mortar store, and had to choose from three available designs. Now you have hundreds of choices on Amazon, and can get your pot in any color, shape, material, and overall design. But what designs go well with a snake plant? If we follow philosophies like Feng Shui (you can check also our article on Snake plant in Feng Shui), white color is a perfect match for the shades of green of a snake plant. At the end of the day there’s beauty in simple designs. And as long as white does not interfere with other colors of your living room (or other place where you plant to have your plant), a white clay pot seems like a perfect choice to me. In a white pot with no design, the attention will remain on the plant.
Having said that, snake plants look wonderful in black pots as well, and black is also a great match to typical furniture designs and colors. I would say that you won’t spoil nothing with black or white pot for your snake plant–or perhaps combination of both colors :).
If you are a design freak though, and perhaps prefer to buy a pot that itself attracts attention and entices questions from your visitors, you can aim for some piece of art. In such a case you should be ready to pay extra though. Last but not least, you should also consider the overall design of the room, the color of pots you already have there, and buy a pot that will fit well to the existing surroundings. You do not want your living space to resemble a carnival scene, do you?
Final thoughts
Choosing the best pot for a snake plant is no rocket science. As you can see now though, with all the options available nowadays in big online stores, you can consider a variety of things: material, size and depth, drainage hole, design, and of course also price of the pot. If you have time to do so, I see no reason why you should not spend half an hour or even an hour choosing the best pot for your snake plant. I sincerely hope that I made your selection a bit easier with this post, and wish you good luck :).
Matthew
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