Very hard to see what's going on in there. Ist glance, that soil doesn't look good, what kind is it? Can you pls show it closer up? Looks too finely particled & maybe a bit mildewy?

I'd leave it be to see what it does. A bendy leaf may not be a problem.

Can water be collecting in your outer pot btwn the two? That could make for problems /root rot.

Disturbing the roots when necessary is no problem whatsoever.

@KarenS, NYC Ahaha, no that's not mildew, sorry for the confusion (I can see how it could look like it). That stuff is the insect repellent I used to ward off some fungus gnats. They're a little trickier to fight when you've got 40+ plants at home. The soil mix should be ok since the snake plants were positively thriving for several months after being propagated by my friend in this soil.

No water between the two pots either; just checked.

What kind of repellent did you use to fight fungus gnats?

Having 40+ plants is not a 'reason' for having them: they must have conditions favourable for them to be around. It is, usually, enough moisture and too much of organics in soil they prefer. I have more than 300 potted plants, that have to spend about 6mo indoors, and hardly ever see a fungus gnat. Most are succulents, but also many tropical plants.

The potting mix looks drawn away from the sides of the container as if it is chronically dehydrated.

I'm wondering if you are watering properly, meaning that the plant should be thoroughly drenched on watering day, rather than given timid sips. A peaty potting medium can become strongly hydrophobic when not watered properly; when that happens it's necessary to soak the soil volume by submerging for several minutes to an hour.

Even cacti require proper watering. A snake plant can become thin and floppy.

Just something to think about, based on the image.

@rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7 On watering days, I tend to bottom water and let it sit for just under an hour or so to ensure a good soak.

Why are you bottom watering? I would not recommend that.

@KarenS, NYC Ok, we're entirely veering away from the main question here, but bottom watering here because it's effective in combating fungus gnats since you don't need to get the top soil wet (which of course encourages their breeding). Bottom watering isn't bad as long as you don't do it for years on end and make sure to top water to help rinse off the mineral deposits. In fact, the horticulturists at a respected nursery had said that this is a better way of watering so this is being done for a few months. It's been very effective in fighting the gnats. ;)

Seems to me it increases the chances of root rot, impedes the roots from drying out enough to allow the roots from getting air & doesn't actually fix or correct the gnat issues.

So what's your main Q pls., I only see one: should you leave it be? I would not, I think the thin, bendy leaf growth indicates some kind of drainage problem.

If mine, I'd unpot, check the roots & change the mix completely being sure to remove all the old soil, which I usually do DRY. I use C&S mix w/ added Perlite or Pumice.

Sorry, if it's not what you want to hear, but IMO, that mix combined w/ your watering habits are the root of the problem (pun not intended).

Cool, thanks!

Leighwillbe I have 24 sans of different varieties & I've always bottom watered with no problems. They're planted in a well draining gritty mix, mostly in plastic pots. I've never had a fungus gnat problem so maybe a grittier mix would help you? I use chicken grit, perlite & a little c& s soil.

leighwillbe

In previous post I asked what did you use to fight fungus gnats - but you didn't answer. Just wondering if that could have been problem.

I have many succulents and few different types of sans - never bottom watered any. That doesn't mean it doesn't work. But it will not, most likely, eliminate fungus gnats - as long as they have conditions they like, they will be back (if you are using water retaining soil and there are organics in it, and even if you get some powder or whatever you use, treatment needs to be repeated...)

Agree with rhizo about your soil; I would guess it is hydrophobic. When that happens, it actually repels water. So it doesn't matter how much you water, roots are still not getting any moisture.

That's great, @goshdarnit. Thanks for the helpful tips. Yeah, my other sans have been really robust so I knew something was up with this one whe I saw the leaves tilting. Looks like I'll have to pull them out as you've said and check the roots as they're probably not happy.

No worries @leighwillbe... I hope it is hydrophobic soil, as that's easiest to fix.

Funny thing, the sick one was still sending out stolons to get pups, the roots were still pretty healthy - go figure!

I hope yours will be easy like that, also. 😀