Snake plants and too much moisture

Question

I have had indoor snake plants for some years but recently have experienced them dying from overwatering. However, the confusion on my part is that I do not overwater them. They get watered only about once a month, but when I do, they quickly turn yellow and keel over. The only thing I did differently recently was to add medium sized gravel to the top of the containers as mulch, thinking it would keep the water away from the leaves. Is the gravel mulch keeping them too moist? Should I remove it? If so, would a different mulch work better or should they have no mulch?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Gravel mulch can increase the amount of water that remains in the soil, and it can indeed lead to overwatering. So can pretty much any type of mulch on houseplants.

It is possible to keep houseplants mulched, but they may need even less frequent watering than you expect. How quickly the water is used will also depend on the size of the pot compared with the size of the plant, the type of soil mix, and the amount of light the plant gets. You can always test the soil a couple inches down with your finger to check if it is really dry enough before watering.