Snake Plant Care

Light

Snake plants are fairly flexible with light placement. They do best with southern/western windows, but unobstructed north/east windows will work without any issues. Ideally, they would like 4-6 hours a day of indirect, bright light. They are considered a low-medium light plant. If you notice new growth looking pale, mushy, or falling over, the plant is likely not receiving enough light. 

Place the plant within six to eight feet of a window, and make sure to rotate every two weeks -  or the leaves/stems will lean toward the windows.

Water
Realistically, every 10-20 days, depending on the pot size (refer to chart below). However, frequency will depend on how warm the space is, how much sunlight the plant receives, how much humidity there is, and whether or not it's by a heat vent. The most effective method is checking the soil at the BOTTOM of the pot, by the drainage holes. If the soil is moist, leave the plant alone. Once the soil is bone dry, wait another7-14 days, then water again. In general, you should thoroughly saturate the soil, and let it fully dry for 1.5 - 2 weeks before giving more water. You will ALWAYS overwater a snake plant before you underwater it.

Keep in mind that:
10" Pot = 3 gallons of volume. Plant needs 1gal of water, every 10-14 days.
12" Pot = 5 gallons of volume. Plant needs 1.5gal of water, every 12-16 days.
14" Pot = 7 gallons of volume. Plant needs 2gal of water, every 14-18 days.

Underwatering: manifests as the leaves looking dehydrated/wilted, with a sort of leather like texture. It takes a lot of neglect to underwater snake plants.

Overwatering: manifests as mushy brown spots inside of the leaves, due to the cells in the leaves exploding. Imagine filling a water balloon beyond its capacity - it eventually pops. Same thing happens to the plant cells. You will likely also notice an increase in fungus gnats, as they thrive in overly damp conditions. In winter, be mindful of cold/drafty windows. Combining cold and wet will encourage root rot and shock.

You will need a catch try to hold water that will eventually seep through the bottom. "Deep" saucers are preferable to shorter ones, as they hold more water.

Humidity
Prefers 20 - 30%  humidity, which is the average ambient humidity for most homes/apartments. It’s generally not necessary to use a humidifier for snake plants. If you have direct heat from your HVAC system hitting the leaves, it’s likely that the tips will turn brown and crispy.

General notes
All plants experience what is called "transport shock" over the first two-three weeks.
Snake plants are very resilient though, and seldom have any problems from transport.

It’s beneficial to wipe the top/bottom of the leaves every few weeks to help prevent pests and remove dust.

Repotting
All plants should be repotted within the first two months.

1) The soil in the pot was chosen to offset the heat/sunlight in Florida. This soil is too dense for a Chicago home/apartment. If you don't adjust/decrease your watering amount/frequency, you run the risk of overwatering.

2) The soil in the pot has realistically been there for 1-1.5 years. While there are some nutrients present, the plant has likely used up most of what was originally present.

3) If you can see the roots at the bottom of the pot, then you absolutely need to repot it right away. The feeder roots that seek out nutrients / water must have something to grow into. If those roots dry out or die, it confuses the plant. So, when you repot, make sure to add 2-3" of soil at the bottom. You need to create a buffer zone of soil for the roots to grow into.

Here's a video showing how to repot the plants

Soil
Black Gold Cactus and Succulent Mix + perlite at a 50:50 soil:perlite ratio.
Fox Farm Ocean Forest + perlite at a ratio of 50:50 soil:perlite.
Fox Farm Happy Frog is also a good option. Use the same soil:perlite ratio.