How to Grow Sansevieria Stuckyi (Dracaena Stuckyi) - Plant Care Guide

Last Updated on April 18, 2022 by Admin

The Sansevieria Stuckyi is now being called Dracaena stuckyi. This change was made after modern DNA studies show that the plant has a high number of genes that are common with that genus.

As such it is now considered a Dracaena.

That said, I’m sure many growers and gardeners will continue to call it by its old name Sansevieria Stuckyi since its looks resemble snake plants.

That said, the plant is sometimes called Elephant Tusk Plant because of how its leaves look.

The Sansevieria Stuckyi is a succulent that is native to Africa.

How do you care for Sansevieria Stuckyi? The plant does well different lighting conditions from low light to bright light. But avoid very harsh direct sunlight.

It enjoys warm weather and moderate humidity of around 40%. The plant is likewise drought tolerance so don’t water it too much since it is prone to root rot.

Table of Contents

Sansevieria Stuckyi Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Sansevieria Stuckyi does well in almost all lighting conditions.

Indoors, it will be happy in bright sunlight as well as in low light. Outdoors, it does well in full shade as well as full sun.

The only exception is very intense, harsh, strong direct sunlight like that during summertime. It won’t be able to tolerate more than 2 or so hours or this on a regular basis.

And leaving it in this environment can burn its leaves.

Outside of that, it will do well.

This makes it easy to care for indoors. And you get to pick where you want to display it without being limited by the light source.

Note that how much light it gets does affect the plant still.

It grows fastest in medium to bright, indirect light. And will grow slower (but without harm or issues) in low light.

Similarly, its leaf colors will vary as well.

In bright, indirect light, its leaves will be most vibrant. In low light they will turn darker green.

Outdoors, you can keep it in full shade, partial shade or full sun. Just avoid the very hot periods when the sun is most intense.

Temperature

Like other Sansevieria varieties, the Sansevieria Stuckyi enjoys warm weather since it is a tropical plant.

Ideally, it prefers consistently moderate to warm temperatures.

This is why its preferred range is between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. It also has no issues with high temperatures as well.

However, since the tropics don’t have cold months, nor do they have winters, the plant has poor tolerance to the cold.

Its temperature tolerance is only 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

This means that it will struggle anywhere that is colder than this. Needless to say that it won’t be able to handle frost or freezing temperatures.

This is why the Sansevieria Stuckyi likes the outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11. The sun is always up in these regions. And the weather is consistently warm there as well.

So, if you live in these areas, you can keep the plant outdoors all year round.

But anywhere colder, it is better off staying indoors as a houseplant.

You can still take it outdoors for vacation time once the weather warms up in mid-spring. But when the temperature drops near 40 degrees Fahrenheit around mid-fall, it is time to come back indoors.

Humidity

The Sansevieria Stuckyi has an ideal humidity of 40% to 50%. Although, it can tolerate regular room humidity without any issues or harm.

In most cases, you won’t have to worry about humidity because it will do well.

But if you have dry air where you live, it is worth observing the plant for at least the first couple of months or so.

If you notice any brown tips or edges on its leaves, then it means that humidity is too low.

As such, it needs some help.

You can move it to an area of your home with higher humidity like the bathroom or kitchen.

Another option is to mist the plant. Although, I prefer to use a pebble tray instead.

You can likewise use a humidifier if you wish.

How Often to Water Sansevieria Stuckyi

The Sansevieria Stuckyi does not need a lot of water.

In fact, being too generous with water is the fastest way to kill this plant. As such, avoid watering it more than it needs.

On average, it only needs watering once every 2 weeks during the warmer months. Come winter, scale back watering to once very month.

Overwatering is the biggest no-no when it comes to the Sansevieria Stuckyi since it can lead to root rot which the plant is susceptible to.

Therefore, avoid doing so at all costs.

The best way to do this is to always check the soil before you add water. Only water when the soil is nearly dry.

Avoid doing so before that.

The plant is fairly drought tolerant and it does not need much water. In fact, it can go a few months without water and not have any problems.

When watering, do so thoroughly. You can likewise water from the bottom.

If you water from above, make sure not the wet the leaves. Instead, just pour directly onto the soil.

Sansevieria Stuckyi Potting Soil

The Sansevieria Stuckyi needs, loose, well-draining potting mix. It will likewise appreciate fertile soil.

Again, this has to do with its susceptibility to overwatering and root rot.

The soil you use needs to be able to drain excess moisture fairly quickly.

You don’t want to use any kind of soil that will hold moisture. This will give the plant problems in the long-term.

The simplest way to achieve the perfect soil for the Sansevieria Stuckyi is to pick up a bag of cactus and succulent mix from your favorite nursery.

This works really well for the plant.

On the other hand, you can likewise make your own potting soil at home if you wish.

This is also easy. And you have a few choices. Combine:

1 part potting soil
1 part peat moss
2 parts perlite

Notice that you’ll be using 2 parts perlite in this soil mix. Perlite is a like small Styrofoam balls that are light and allow for good drainage.

As such, they make up 50% of the combination to ensure that the soil does not hold excess moisture that will make the roots unhappy.

Note that you can substitute some of the ingredients as well if you wish.

You can use coco coir instead of peat moss if you want to use something more sustainable. On the other hand, you can also switch perlite for coarse sand.

This lets you use any ingredients that you may already have in your home.

Fertilizer

The Sansevieria Stuckyi is a light feeder. And while fertilizer will help the plant grow faster, you should take a similar approach when using it as water.

Less is more.

Avoid overfeeding the plant. And avoid any temptation of giving it more plant food in hopes of making it grow faster.

In all likelihood you’ll only end up harming the plant.

That’s because excess feeding can lead to fertilizer burn which can damage the roots.

Therefore, only use as much as needed, never more.

You can use a general purpose fertilizer diluted to 50% strength. Similarly, you can go with a cactus fertilizer.

Only feed the plant during spring and summer. Don’t feed it during fall or winter.

Pruning

The Sansevieria Stuckyi is a slow grower. And it will usually take many years before it will reach its full size.

This is actually a good thing since the plant to grow to anywhere between 3 to 9 feet high. The bigger they get, the thicker their base will be in order to support their size.

Just as importantly, its looks can vary significantly.

As such, pruning plays an important role.

You can control its size and manage its shape depending on the look you’re going for.

You can make it grow vertically straight up. Or let it bend a bit.

Similarly, come growers prefer not to let their plant get too dense.

How to Propagate Sansevieria Stuckyi

The Sansevieria Stuckyi can be propagated in many different ways. These include:

Leaf cuttings
From Offsets
Rhizome cuttings
Division
From seed

The most difficult is from seed. It also takes the longest and more effort especially for home gardeners. As such, it is not practical unless you want to learn to see how the plant grows.

I’ll go through each of the methods below.

Propagating Sansevieria Stuckyi from Leaf Cuttings

To propagate from leaf cuttings, take a healthy leaf cutting. Make sure it is healthy at you want at least a 3 inch piece of the leaf.

You can propagate the leaf cutting in water or in soil.

Either way works.

To propagate the leaf cuttings in water,

Place the leaf cutting in a jar filled with water. Only submerges a quarter of the leaf.

Then place the jar in bright indirect light. Also, replace the soil every few days to avoid letting it get cloudy.

In time, you’ll see roots start growing from the cut part of the leaf submerged in water.

Once the roots get longer, you can transfer the cutting into potting mix.

To propagate the leaf cuttings in soil,

Plant the leaf cuttings directly into potting mix. If you have rooting hormone powder, you can apply it to the cut end.

Then plant that end into the soil.

Water the soil and leave the pot in bright indirect light.

In time, the plant will root and establish itself in the soil.

Propagating Sansevieria Stuckyi from Offsets

Propagating the Sansevieria Stuckyi from rhizome offsets is by far the easiest method to use. But you have no power over when you can or cannot propagate.

Instead, the plant will produce offsets in its own time.

So, you work with what it gives you.

You can check the base of the plant every now and then for offsets. If you see them, look for the bigger ones. You want those at least a few inches.

Allow the smaller ones to keep growing first.

You can separate the offsets from the mother plant. Then plant them into their own pot with well-draining soil.

Take care of them like you would a newly propagated plant.

These will eventually grow to become like their parent.

Propagating Sansevieria Stuckyi from Rhizome Cuttings

Rhizome cuttings is one of my favorite ways to propagate snake plants.

Here, unpot the plant and remove the excess soil and dirt to reveal the rhizomes. Look for a small part of the plant with a few leaves.

Then trace them down the rhizome they come from.

Take a sharp, sterile knife and cut that small part of the rhizome. Just makes rue that you get enough rhizome and roots to support the plant above.

You can them plant the rhizome cutting which contains the leaves, rhizome and roots, into a pot with well-draining soil.

This lets you take only a small part of the plant instead of dividing it.

Propagating Sansevieria Stuckyi by Division

Division requires unpotting the plant as well.

Once you’ve done this, decide on how you want to divide the plant.

Just make sure each division has enough roots to support the plant above it.

Then use a sterile knife and cut the root ball where you want to divide the plant.

Plant each of the divisions into their own containers with well-draining potting mix.

How to Repot or Transplant

The Sansevieria Stuckyi does not need regular repotting. It also likes to be root bound. As such, you won’t need to keep repotting it.

Its slow growth also means it will take a while before you need to move it to larger container.

As such, don’t be in a hurry to repot the plant.

For the most part, it can take 3-4 years before you need to repot.

That said, it is a good idea to repot and change the soil even if you don’t move up in pot size. This will ensure that the soil doesn’t get depleted of minerals.

As the same time, the soil is not compacted.

New soil also ensures it is well-draining and light.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Keep the Sansevieria Stuckyi away from young kids, cats and dogs. It is toxic to both humans and animals.

Therefore, ingestion can cause inflammation, pain, swelling and vomiting just to name a few side effects.

So, make sure to take proper precautions.

Sansevieria Stuckyi Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

The Sansevieria Stuckyi is fairly resistant to pests. But it can experience them.

And the most common pests that will bother the plant include spider mites and mealybugs. These are small and look harmless when they are few.

But they multiply very quickly laying many eggs at a time.

These eggs take just a few days to hatch. And the short lifespan of these pests means, they’ll be laying eggs every few weeks.

So, treat them as early as possible since they can quickly turn into infestations.

Diseases

Root rot is the main thing you want to be careful with.

In general, the Sansevieria Stuckyi is just as disease resistant as it is pest resistant. Therefore, it is not prone to these diseases.

However, root rot is often caused by overwatering.

And overwatering is usually man-made.

So, avoid watering before the soil is almost completely dry. Use well-draining soil and make sure the pot the plant is in has drainage.

How to Grow Sansevieria Stuckyi (Dracaena Stuckyi) – Plant Care Guide