Bacterial Infections of Sansevieria

MANILA, Philippines - Sansevierias come from the arid regions of Africa. Plants are popular worldwide as indoor plants where they survive dry conditions indoor and some varieties may survive for several years under relatively low light intensities inside homes.

In the Philippines, Sanse-vierias are grown as ornamentals and as a fiber crop. The strong fibers are used in Panay as substitute for pineapple fibers to make piña fabric.

Best growing conditions for Sansevierias are the western side of the islands where the climate is drier. High humidity and precipitations can result in fungal and bacterial rot.

The most common problem of Sansevieria growing in the tropics is Bacterial Soft Rot. Conditions that usually lead to Bacterial Infections are high nitrogen usage, mechanical damage and Calcium deficiency. High Nitrogen Levels provoke soft growths in Sansevieria making the plant prone to bacterial infection. 

Infection usually takes the form of soggy watery spot which later progresses to soft rot. A big leaf may just go limp and the whole plant dies in a few months.

The Bacterial Infection may also be considered as nutritional management problem. Growers should be vigilant because as soon as the infection shows up, it will just be a matter of months before the whole collection is infected.

A Malaysian grower after many years of cultivating Sansevieria trifasciata “Laurentii” had a bad infection 2 years ago. The nursery stock is now wiped out.

Contrary to recommendations of some “expert” growers, bacterial infections can not be controlled with Antibiotic Sprays. It is impossible to kill all the bacteria in a nursery or a collection. Also, you need only a singular cell of bacteria to re-start the infections.

Repetitive spray of Antibiotics also create more problems for the growers. Since the plants are physiologically similar to the bacteria, phytotoxic symptoms eventually develop ranging from chlorosis (which some growers mistakenly called variegation), chlorophyll damage, etiolation, peloria and contortion of leaves and stems may be observed. These permanent damages may render the plants unfit for commerce.

Plants growing in natural soil with marble or lime deposits (e.g. calcite, dolomite or lime) will grow healthy and seldom get infected by bacteria even if they are exposed to the elements. The plant may grow for a decade or so, unmolested by bacteria but as soon as high levels of Nitrogen fertilizers are applied, bacterial infections set in.

Big commercial growers of Sansevierias have integrated nutritional program incorporating Calcium into the feed schedule. Calcium nitrate is used for this purpose.

Recently, silicic acid is used by Indonesian growers to protect Sansevieria from Bacterial attacks.