Mother-In-Law's Tongue

If this flowers, you're special.  Very rarely will this plant bloom in Tucson.

Ahh.....Mother's Day weekend.  I thought it would be fun to write about 2 interesting plants that contain the word "Mother" in them.  Today's focus is a house plant for Tucson and tomorrow's plant will be a local and wild gem.  The term "Mother" comes in different forms like, for example, in my family....biological mother, the mother who raised me, host mother, and of course, the infamous....."Mother-In-Law".....or as I'd like to put it....the Mother we get when we partner up with someone.  Today's plant is the Sansevieria trifasciata or Snakeplant......or as it is infamously known...."Mother-In-Law's Tongue" because of the leaves sharpness.  I wonder what they mean by this?:)

Watch the roots on these monsters....they will break out.....

I do love this plant and it's one that grows well here in Tucson, but there are a couple of things you need to know before placing it in your home or outside.  First off, don't overwater this plant as it doesn't like moist wet soil.  I usually watch for the leaves to kind of wrinkle before watering.  It seems to do well with neglect.  If you overwater, the plant will rot from the bottom up.  Secondly,  if you place outdoors, make sure it is in a pot.  It doesn't like our intense sun but will take morning light. Too much sun will fry the leaves....and that is the tricky part about having this plant outdoors. It does not survive our winter freezes.  Other than that, this is a plant that adds a nice focal point in your home or garden.  Most people have this plant indoors and you'll find them in the tropical section at your local gardening center. However, this plant likes much less water than its tropical buddies.   In Tucson, homeowners will utilize this plant outdoors in a pot near entry ways into their homes. Also be aware that the roots of this plant are powerful and will(and have) broken many of my gardening pots from years of neglect(that includes plastic pots!:)   To all Mother-In-Laws everywhere, Happy Mother's Day Weekend!!!  Below is a pic of my Mother-in-law.  In Spanish, the term is "suegra".  It's a lot easier to say.  Until tomorrow....