The leaf tips were broken, the outer leaves yellowed and shriveled… and there it was, the Snake Plant in a sorry state. I rescued it at the end of May this year.
Fortunately, the roots didn’t look rotten at all and seemed solid. It was a bit under the weather for about two weeks, but then—just when I thought I’d lost my touch—new leaves started popping right out of the middle. Talk about a comeback!
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Something Strange at the Base of the Leaves…!
Just when I let out a sigh of relief, I spotted a brown depression near the base of one of the leaves.
It wasn’t mushy or anything gross like that.
I scoured the internet—could it be anthracnose? Or maybe soft rot?? I couldn’t come to a clear conclusion, and the spots seemed to be growing ever so slightly, so I decided to take action.
Soft Rot on My Snake Plant
It looked like the infection was spreading wherever two leaves touched—classic bacterial behavior, am I right?!
I snipped off two outer leaves that had tiny brown spots, kind of like impetigo on a plant.
Removing the “Soft Rot”?
For the biggest leaf that still looked mostly healthy, I took a lighter to sterilize my knife and cut out only the brown spot.
Oops—I nicked the leaf in front a bit, too…
I wondered if this drastic surgery would even work, but…
One Week After the “Soft Rot” Removal
…things were actually drying up nicely! Even the leaf I accidentally grazed looked perfectly fine.
One Month After the “Soft Rot” Removal
No brown spots have reappeared, and new leaves are still unfurling as if nothing ever happened. Victory!
Since all seemed well, I called it a day—case closed.
(By the way, I replaced the soil completely one month after the cut. If it really was bacterial, I probably should have swapped it out sooner… but hey, it worked out in the end!)
Plot Twist: Trouble with the “Honey Bunny,” Too!
Coincidentally, the soil change wasn’t just for my Snake Plant, but also a big switch from organic to inorganic mix across all my pots to combat fungus gnats. And that’s when I made another discovery…
The Snake Plant Supposed to be a robust plant with deep green leaves and even baby pups—looked flawless at first glance. But checking the roots during the soil swap…
On the right is the mother plant: the rhizome was falling apart, brown spots visible even inside the leaves. I removed a few outer leaves, but the infection had already penetrated deep.
On the left, the pup looked healthy and was growing fast—until I saw the tiny brown spot at its base. That spot kept spreading, and…
In the end, neither the mother nor the pup made it. It was heartbreaking, especially since they’d seemed so vigorous.
Good news? My other “Hahnii Honey Bunny” snake plant is perfectly healthy—thank goodness it can’t hop from pot to pot!
Today’s Takeaway
If you spot anything unusual on your snake plant early enough, removing the affected tissue can likely save the day—trust me, give it a try!
