Sansevieria cylindrica or cylindrical snake plant, or the African spear plant is a succulent that consists of green and grey-green striped leaves that are cylindrical and clustered together at their tips. This plant is beautiful and can be kept both indoors and outdoors.
Sansevieria cylindrica is a slow-growing succulent that does well when planted in spring. Its white blooms during the blooming season make it an even more endearing house plant.
Types of Sansevieria cylindrica
The African spear plant comes in a number of varieties, all having their characteristic gorgeous leaves. The most common varieties of Sansevieria cylindrica include the following:
⦁ Sansevieria cylindrica ‘Spaghetti’: This succulent is characterized by its thin leaves with a gorgeous green tint to them.
⦁ Sansevieria cylindrica ‘Skyline’: If you love large leaves and the foliage they create, you can go for this plant. It is known for its large and erect leaves that are beyond gorgeous.
⦁ Sansevieria cylindrica ‘Patula’: This succulent has outward-growing leaves that are known for their propensity to bend more than any other variant of the Sansevieria cylindrica.
How to Propagate Sansevieria cylindrica
Sansevieria cylindrica is a wonderful plant to get home. Its leaves are gorgeous and their color makes it ideal to go with a variety of home decor. They can also be a great addition to your lawn.
The best part about the African spear plant is that it is easy to propagate. Here are a few ways you can do this.
Using Rhizomes
This is one of the easiest and most popular ways of propagating the Sansevieria cylindrica succulent. Follow these steps for the best results:
⦁ Let the plant grow up to 16 inches in height at least. This gives it the time and space to develop enough rhizomes, making your job easier.
⦁ Untangle the plant and remove the rhizome closer to the stalks and let the plant stay for a while. It could take up to two days for the Sansevieria cylindrica to heal completely from this intrusion.
⦁ When the plant is ready, you can bury the rhizome in a good potting mix and see it thrive. You can also use the same potting mix that you have been using for your mature Sansevieria cylindrica.
Pro Tip: If you want to propagate Sansevieria cylindrica, you need to remember that these grow well with rhizomes. Hence, it is necessary to propagate them only when they have the necessary spears.
Using Leaf Cuttings
You can also propagate Sansevieria cylindrica using leaf cuttings. This is, however, tried by more mature gardeners who have experience in this type of thing.
Follow these steps to get it right:
⦁ Take a sharp knife and cut a few fleshy leaves from the plant.
⦁ You can directly plant it in a new pot containing a good potting mix.
⦁ Make sure you take the leaves that are situated closer to the roots for the best results.
⦁ Within a few days, with basic care, you will see the plant thrive and bloom.
Using Water
This is probably the slowest method of propagating the Sansevieria cylindrica. But if you want to do it, you can give it a try.
You can do this by following these steps:
⦁ Take a healthy leaf, closer to the root, and cut it using a sharp knife. Make sure that the leaf is not too old and wrinkly.
⦁ Let the leaf sit for a couple of days at least. This will give it enough time to develop callous.
⦁ Once you see the scab formation, take the leaf and place it in a glass container or pot with water. Use hair clips to hold the leaves securely in the container.
⦁ Now begins the most difficult part i.e. waiting.
Pro Tip: Make sure you change the water in the container frequently. Once or twice a week should be a good target. If you see the water soiled, you may need to change it more frequently.
The real pleasure is to see the plant grow in a glass container. It looks just too beautiful!
How to Care for Sansevieria cylindrica
Merely propagating the Sansevieria cylindrica is not enough, you should also care for it properly to ensure that the succulent grows well and remains healthy. Here is what you need to do.
Light
Full sun or bright filtered light is the most ideal lighting condition for the Sansevieria cylindrica. Morning sun and the late sun are best suited for this plant though you should prevent the plant from the bright, scorching sun as that may be potentially harmful to the leaves and cause them to burn.
Very strong sunlight can lead to the yellowing of leaves. Therefore, you should avoid it at all costs.
Water
Sansevieria cylindrica can survive long periods without water. In fact, overwatering will harm it more than underwatering. Root rot is one of the key issues that happen when the plant is watered more than required.
As a general rule, you should only water the plant when the top layer of the soil looks dry and crusty. Ideally, once every week or once every two weeks is considered enough.
Fertilizer
Sansevieria cylindrica do not have a lot of fertilizing needs. If you ensure it gets optimum light and water, the plant will thrive and survive. A good succulent fertilizer once every month should be enough.
Soil
Well-drained soil is the best-suited soil for the Sansevieria cylindrica. You can go for a readymade soil mix that drains well. If the soil retains water, it won’t suit the Sansevieria cylindrica.
The Final Word
The African spear plant is one of the best plants that you can get home. They work beautifully as both indoor and outdoor plants. The best part about this plant is that they have minimal caring needs and suit even those who lead incredibly busy lives.
The Sansevieria cylindrica can be propagated in a number of ways with minimum support. If you care for the plant well, it will last long.