Whale Fin Sansevieria Plant: Propagation, Care & Benefits

Introducing Whale Fin Sansevieria

In today’s blog, I will discuss the whale fin sansevieria which is also known as Sansevieria Masoniana or Mason’s Congo, but these plants are super cool they’re native to central Africa where very close to the equator. So it’s very hot very dry.

Whale fin sansevieria gets their name from the shape of their leaves. They’re shaped like whale fins they also have super unique variegation on the leaves that are a dark green with kind of silvery light green markings that favor whale skin.

Common NameWhale Fin Sansevieria
Botanical NameSansevieria Masoniana or Mason’s Congo
FamilyAsparagus Family
Plant Typeherbaceous perennial
Mature Size1.5-4 ft. tall in height and 10-18 in. wide
Sun ExposurePartial sun or indirect sun
Soil TypeSandy or well drained soil
Soil pHSandy or well-drained soil
Bloom TimeSpring
Flower ColorWhite
Native AreaPropagation
ToxicityToxic to animal and human
PropagationBy leaf cutting or division of mother plant

Is whale fin sansevieria easy to care for?

whale fin sansevieria are super low maintenance and easy plants because they are pretty drought tolerant so you can kind of just set them and forget them. They look nice all the time and they only get about two to four feet tall. so it’s a little bit shorter than your typical San Siberia which makes them nice as well if you’re wanting something that doesn’t get super huge.

How to care for whale fin Sansevieria

if you want to know how to care for this super popular plant, right now we are going to show you how to care .today the first thing we’ll talk about is the lighting requirements.

What kind of light does whale fin sansevieria like?

Whale fin Sansevieria do best in bright indirect light. They’re gonna thrive the best in a bright and direct light and their markings on their leaves will stand out and kind of shine more if they have a little bit more light.

They are known for thriving in lower light conditions as well with this plant particularly San Sivaria their coloring on their leaves will kind of fade a little bit and it won’t stand out as much if they’re in low light for long periods.

so a bright indirect light is going to be best for these another thing to know is to avoid direct sun with these plants it will burn the leaves if they start looking kind of bleached like a light brown and they’re crunchy. That is probably sunburn. How to Grow Banana Trees from Banana 

When should I water whale fin sansevieria?

The next thing we’ll talk about and the most important part for the care of this plant is watering so you want to water these whenever the top two inches of soil are dry like I said they are from central Africa they’re used to more dry conditions.

They don’t get as much rain so over-watering can be a problem with these. If you tend to overwater your plants this guy you’re going to want to be careful about that with letting them dry out completely between waterings.

When should I fertilize whale fin sansevieria?

whale fin sansevieria
Source – Freepik.com

Then another thing to mention is fertilizer whale fin sansevieria do well with just the nutrients that are in the soil. so you don’t have to worry about giving them any extra fertilizer or food.

But if you do want to fertilize your fertilizer plants if that’s your thing fertilize them when they’re actively growing most likely in the spring and summer and you can use something like balanced fertilizer like balanced houseplant fertilizer diluted to half-strength.

You’re going to want to dilute it to half-strength just so it’s not too strong and overwhelming for the plant so that’s a really good one for the plant but like I said you don’t have to worry about it too much for them.

Does whale fin sansevieria need high humidity?

The next thing we’ll talk about is humidity these guys are super super low maintenance and they’re not fussy about humidity. since they are from a dry climate or tropical region. The condition of your home air-conditioned room is going to be perfect for whale fin sansevieria Pink dragon fruit

don’t need any kind of extra humidifiers you don’t have to worry about misting. These plants are going to be your super low-maintenance house plants. so humidity is not gonna be super crazy to worry about with these guys

Another thing to mention when we’re on the topic of humidity is that these guys are on NASA’s list of top air purifiers pant for your home. So these are more than other house plants will put out more oxygen and they’re better at purifying the air than some other house plants so that’s a cool little fun fact about these guys

What type of soil mix is best for whale fin sansevieria?

whale fin sansevieria
Source – Freepik.com

The last thing we’ll talk about today is the soil for these plants these guys want a super well-draining mix. I like the Proganix indoor mix is what we like to pot up all of our house plants .it’s super good

If you don’t have access to that another good option is to get any kind of indoor mix and then add in some extra perlite. This is the promo organic pearlite mixing like two-part soil and then one-part perlite is going to be perfect.

Perlite works to kind of increase the aeration and increase the drainage in your soil so that your plant doesn’t stay as moist for as long with root rot and over-watering being kind of a problem for whale fin sansevieria.

As far as the pH of the soil this plant desires a soil pH of about 5.5 to 7.5. so that’s a pretty big range with six being like right in the middle it likes its soil to be slightly acidic.

you can do that by using indoor plant fertilizer a lot of these fertilizers have a slight acidity to them you don’t need to worry too much about it because like I said it’s very adaptable to several different soil PHS

Propagating whale fin sansevieria

Propagating whale fin sansevieria

You can propagate the whale fin sansevieria plant by leaf cutting and by division. You can have the best chance of success of propagating the plant during the summer or spring season. There are two ways to propagate the whale fin sansevieria

How to Propagate Whale Fin Sansevieria Plant With Leaf Cuttings

The propagation of the Whale Fin Sansevieria Plant by cutting lead takes more time as compared to the division method. But it is quite an easy method to propagate the plant. Following steps to be followed as mentioned below

  • Take the healthy leaf of the mother plant and cit it from the soil line
  • Take a glass zar put the leaf into the jar and fill it with some fresh water so that the cutting end can be submerged into water.
  • Put the cutting along with the zar in a warm place along with indirect sunlight. Change the water in every weak if you see water turned green in color.
  • After some weeks or months, you will see various white roots growing from the cut end. You can transplant it into a Pot after the root length reaches more than 1 inch.

How to Propagate Whale Fin Sansevieria Plant by Division

To propagate the Whale Fin Sansevieria Plant by Division, you have a select a healthy mother plant which has nos of clumps of leaves along with an individual root system. Sterilized the pruning scissor, pot, fresh potting soil as mentioned below, and water. Various steps to be followed as mentioned below

  • Take the healthy mother plant and remove it from the pot. Examine the root system. Loos the soil of the plant around the root system.
  • Use your cutting tool to separate the clumps of roots that have 2-3 leaves connected with the same root system.
  • Fill the half of pot with selected soil and place the division in it. fill the pot with the remaining soil to the soil line
  • Water them well and place the pot in warm and indirect sunlight locations. Maintained the moisture level a little on the higher side till you see the newer growth in the plant.

Does whale fin sansevieria require Pruning?

This plant does not need pruning. Still, if you find any dead or damaged leaves. You can be removed with the help of pruning scissors. If the size of the plant becomes very large, you can remove the large leaves, be careful not to remove more than 30 percent of the leaves. Spring is the best time for pruning because most of the plant growth is active at that time.

Pests & Plant Diseases of Whale Fin Sansevieria

The whale fin sansevieria plant is vulnerable to common houseplant pests like spider mites and mealybugs

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This plant is more resistant to diseases and pests but excessive watering of the plant leads to root rots and another fungal issue. Brown Rot on Peach Trees

Common Problems With Whale Fin Sansevieria

  • The curling of leaves is due to excessive watering of the plant. Whale Fin Sansevieria required very little water and well-drained soil. You can water the plant after the fully dried pot soil.
  • Leaves turning yellow is a major sign of overly watering to the plant. Stop water and allow the plant to dry out. Remove the excess water and replace the plant with well well-drained soil mix
  • Brown spot or light dry spots can be seen on leaves if you long-term expose the plant to direct sunlight. Move the plant to an indirect sunlight location.

frequently asked questions

Are whale fin sansevieria rare?

it’s not completely rare in the world of indoor plants. The whale fin sansevieria plant is rare because you cannot find it easily in your local nurseries. Due to its unique appearance, paddle-shaped leaves, and its air purification quality.

Due to this plant collectors and enthusiasts want it in their houses. If you want this plant in your collection you have to check the online portal of nurseries or or plant enthusiast communities.

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How do you take care of a Sansevieria whale fin?

It prefers indirect light and can tolerate low-light conditions. avoid direct sunlight. Don’t do excess watering, water the plant after fully drying out the soil moisture. Use well-drained soil otherwise excess moisture can cause root rots and other fungal disease.

Sansevieria whale fin prefers 70°F to 90°F temperature and humidity around 50%. Temperature below 55 °F can damage the plant as the plant is very sensitive to cold temperatures.

It does not require any fertilizer but you can use a balanced fertilizer like balanced houseplant fertilizer diluted to half-strength during the spring and summer seasons. Repotting the plant every 2-3 years.

If the size of the plant becomes more than desirable you can prune up 30% leaves. You can propagate the plant by leaf cutting and division methods.

What are the benefits of whale fin sansevieria?

We can use the whale fin sansevieria plant for home decor purposes for its unique appearance. Its large, paddle-shaped leaves have a striking appearance to capture anyone’s attention.

Moreover, the whale fin sansevieria plants have the feature of air purification and remove common and very harmful indoor pollutant toxins such as trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, and benzene. These toxic elements are present in every household item like paint on furniture, fabrics, and cleaning chemicals.

whale fin sansevieria plant has unique adaptability like it can grow in various environments from low light to bright indirect light. It can also tolerate the fluctuation of temperature and humidity. It requires very minor maintenance. It has a strong resistance to pests and disease.

With the proper care whale fin sansevieria plant can live for many years. Due to its long-lasting living quality, many people want to give space for this plant

How big does whale fin sansevieria get?

Whale fin sansevieria is from the tropical region of central Africa and it can grow about 1.5-4 ft. tall in height and 10-18 in. wide.

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