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Kayak8's avatar

How does one transplant a Sansevieria cylindrica Bojer?

Asked by Kayak8 (16457points) September 5th, 2010

I have had this plant for about a year and the thing is overgrowing the pot (it is also very top heavy and I want a broader-based pot so it doesn’t topple over). I tried googling and found only one site mentioning transplanting this specimen (it was so poorly written I couldn’t understand what they meant).

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4 Answers

syz's avatar

This site has information on how to propagate the plant – perhaps you could modify the information for re-potting?

MRSHINYSHOES's avatar

If your plant is hard to take out of the pot (because it’s big and cumbersome, and it won’t slide out easily), try breaking the pot (if the pot is ceramic or clay) with a mallet and take it out that way, or if the pot is plastic, try knocking the sides of the pot against a hard surface to loosen the soil mass first, then gently pull the plant out at the base. Because the plant is overgrown and awkward to handle, I would lay the plant on its side on the ground (preferably outside because it can get messy) before performing the operation. Sometimes if you water the plant a day or two before the transplant, it helps to loosen the soil mass first.

Select a larger pot with a broad base to put your plant in. The pot should be ceramic or clay (not plastic), as this will provide enough “base weight” to hold the plant down and prevent toppling when the soil is dry. If the plant is really overgrown and cumbersome, you might want to trim off some of the outer leaves to give the plant more balance and even weight.

The soil you use should have some sand in it, not only for drainage, but for added weight and bulk. I find “all-peat” mixtures too light for plants, and they often get dry and matted, forming an impermeable layer when you try to water.

Andreas's avatar

@Kayak8 I used the search term “transplant a Sansevieria cylindrica Bojer” without quotes and got these two references from http://google.com.au You would probably get different results in the US.
http://realornamentals.com/plant-store/small-cylindrica-spear-snake-ornamental-plant.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_cylindrica

Basically these sites tell us that sansevieria is a very hardy plant, almost unkillable, and very easy to propagate as a cutting or a section.

So, as well as transplanting the parent to a bigger pot, see if you can find “pups” or child-plants and pot them in extra pots. Alternatively you could try taking a whole leaf and placing it in its own pot, watering it and see a new plant develop. This is because sansevieria is in the succulent/cactus group of plants and they are generally very easy to propagate using this method.

If you live in a cold part of the US, I imagine you’ll need to keep all these plants indoors in winter, but they should still grow beautifully.

I hope this extra information helps, and please do let us know how you get on with this project.

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