Aglaonema spp.
The Chinese language evergreen, Aglaonema, aka Philippine evergreen, or poison dart plant, is a decorative herbaceous perennial.
The Aglaonema genus contains over 20 totally different species, and is a part of the Araceae, or Arum household.
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Aglaonema species are suited to cultivation open air in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 and 11, and could also be grown as houseplants in all zones.
On this article, we focus on all it’s essential know to develop and care to your personal Chinese language evergreen.
Right here’s the agenda:
Observe that like many houseplants, Aglaonema species are toxic to each people and pets. By no means ought to any portion of those crops be consumed.
All species of Aglaonema have an upright, clumping progress behavior of their pure habitat, the place they stretch towards the dappled daylight that filters by the rainforest cover.
In decrease mild situations, Chinese language evergreen tends to unfold vast quite than tall. Indoors, you may count on mature dimensions of 1 to 2 ft tall and vast.
Fast Look
Widespread title(s): Chinese language evergreen, Philippine evergreen, poison dart plant
Plant sort: Herbaceous perennial
Hardiness (USDA Zone): 10-11 (open air)
Native to: Southeast Asia
Bloom time / season: Late summer time to early fall (uncommon indoors)
Publicity: Oblique to low mild
Soil sort: Organically wealthy, unfastened, well-draining
Soil pH: 5.6-6.5, barely acidic to impartial
Development Charge: Sluggish
Mature measurement: 1-2 ft tall and vast
Greatest makes use of: Houseplant (great gift or starter plant)
Taxonomy
Order: Alismatales
Household: Araceae
Genus: Aglaonema
Species: Brevispathum, commutatum, costatum, crispum, modestum, nitidum
The leaves are between eight and 12 inches lengthy, and could also be inexperienced or variegated. Right this moment’s cultivated varieties embrace mixtures of inexperienced, pink, pink, and white.
Indoors, Aglaonema seldom flowers, however each now and again, it’s possible you’ll be rewarded with an inflorescence – an elongated whitish spadix surrounded by a greenish leaf-like enclosure known as a spathe, very similar to a peace lily.
Some gardeners take pleasure in seeing the occasional inflorescence. Others snip it off on the base of the stem to set off a return to foliar progress, and forestall the setting of messy pink fruit.
Traditionally talking, like many tropical species that made their solution to Europe, cuttings of Chinese language evergreen possible rode the seas in a British plant hunter’s case.
They had been studied and cultivated at Kew Gardens, showcased in royal landscapes, entered into industrial cultivation, and had been then exported and welcomed into 18th century Victorian parlors in America as decorative showpieces.
Develop
These tropical crops require organically wealthy, well-draining, barely acidic soil with a pH of 5.6 to six.5. For indoor cultivation, that is simple to attain with high quality potting soil.
This can be a tropical plant that prefers temperatures within the 70 to 80°F vary through the day, and a minimal vary of 65 to 70°F at night time.
These houseplants do greatest with humidity of no less than 30 %. If your own home is exceptionally dry, you may group pots to extend the ambient moisture.
Chinese language evergreen does poorly in chilly and drafty locations. It reacts to those situations by turning into burdened and rising extra slowly. And if temperatures plummet to 45°F, it received’t survive.
Chinese language evergreen prefers half to full shade. Indoors, it thrives in a places with brilliant oblique or diffuse mild, corresponding to in proximity to a brilliant window with a light-weight curtain. It additionally has a excessive tolerance for low-light placements.
In addition they have a excessive tolerance for low mild, particularly the green-leaf varieties, versus the variegated varieties.
When cultivating in brilliant oblique mild, it’s vital to maintain the soil evenly moist, watering when the highest inch or so is dry.
In low-light situations, let the soil dry out nearly utterly earlier than watering once more.
Use a moisture meter as your information. Additionally, attempt to keep away from watering with chilly water. Like chilly air, it may possibly trigger shock and gradual progress.
Throughout winter dormancy, progress slows, and also you’ll discover that pots dry out slowly. When spring resumes and new shoots sprout, the necessity for moisture will increase.
Spring can be the time to fertilize with a well-balanced liquid or slow-release granular indoor plant meals to help lush foliar progress.
Observe the suggestions on the product you select.
Don’t fertilize throughout winter dormancy.
Cultivars to Choose
With quite a few cultivated varieties accessible, you’ll discover colours starting from inexperienced to variegated with pink, pink, and silvery white, in placing mixtures.
As you store, keep in mind to notice that inexperienced foliage thrives greatest in low mild situations, and extra colourful cultivars are their brightest in brilliant oblique mild.
Listed here are just a few beauties to whet your urge for food:
Osaka
The placing variegated foliage of ‘Osaka,’ aka ‘Spring Snow,’ has distinguished slim darkish inexperienced margins and white facilities splotched with darkish inexperienced.
‘Osaka’
Recent as a spring rain that melts the final of the winter snow, white equals mild once you welcome this refreshing cultivar to your own home.
Discover ‘Osaka’ now from the American Plant Trade Retailer through Amazon in six-inch pots.
Pink Woman Valentine
‘Pink Woman Valentine’ is a raucous riot of brilliant pink edged in darkish inexperienced, shades of contrasting colours that play magnificently off each other.
‘Pink Woman Valentine’
If you wish to energize the decor in a low-light nook of your own home, this one is certain to sizzle.
Discover ‘Pink Woman Valentine’ in three-inch pots accessible through Amazon.
Silver Bay
‘Silver Bay’ is a variegated sort with vast, curvaceous margins of sunshine and darkish inexperienced embracing heart swaths of silvery white.
‘Silver Bay’
Like love letters artistically wrought by Mom Nature herself, this could be Mom Nature’s Aglaonema masterpiece.
Discover Aglaonema ‘Silver Bay’ now from Costa Farms through House Depot in nine-inch-deep pots.
Upkeep
Now and again, it’s possible you’ll want to prune leaves which are outdated and brown, broken, or affected by pests or illness.
To take action, sanitize pruners in a ten % bleach answer (one half bleach to 9 components water), and reduce cleanly throughout the “petioles” or stems of affected leaves, as close to to their base as you may.
It’s additionally a good suggestion to mud the leaves periodically with a delicate material. Foliage that’s shiny and dust-free is much less interesting to the widespread insect pests we’ll speak about shortly.
One other periodic chore is repotting. Roots protruding from the drainage gap point out a “root sure” or “pot sure” situation.
When roots not have room to develop, they will’t take up meals and water effectively.
You can too transplant the contents of a whole pot to a brand new one that’s two to a few inches wider than the present one.
Don’t go too massive for 2 causes:
- By the point the pot dries out, a plant rising in low mild could also be in determined want of water.
- An excessively massive pot might end in an excessive amount of power expended to develop intensive roots as an alternative of lush leaves.
Repot as described within the part on propagating nursery begins above.
It’s okay to reuse potting soil. Nonetheless, it’s greatest to refresh it by no less than a 3rd with new soil or amendments like peat or compost, to revive depleted vitamins.
Now that we all know all about cultivation and care, let’s flip our consideration to among the many types accessible.
Propagation
Chinese language evergreen could also be began from stem cuttings, division, or from nursery begins.
Whereas it’s attainable to begin from seed, this technique is unreliable as gathering seed from a houseplant is just about not possible as they seldom bloom.
To not point out, hybrids are prone to produce no seed, or infertile seed.
Let’s have a look at every choice for propagation.
From Stem Cuttings
Sanitize sharp pruners in a ten % bleach answer (one half bleach to 9 components water) and rinse them properly.
Choose a stem to chop. It ought to be one of many youthful basal shoots with a stem about 5 or 6 inches lengthy that has two or extra leaves.
Minimize the stem close to its base, slightly below a node.
Place the stem chopping in a clear container that comprises about two inches of water.
Set the container in a location with brilliant however oblique daylight.
Change the water day by day.
Over the subsequent few weeks, roots ought to sprout.
As soon as rooted, transplant to a container six inches in diameter.
Alternatively, you may dip a reduce stem in rooting hormone and place it immediately in potting soil to develop roots.
By Division
Chinese language evergreen has shallow roots that unfold sideways and ship up new shoots.
The shoots will be divided from the mature foremost progress to begin new ones, whereas downsizing and rejuvenating the outdated one.
To start out crops by division, you’ll must unearth a plant, so it’s greatest performed with a mature specimen that’s outgrown its pot and is prepared for a brand new one.
As soon as out of the pot, lay the complete contents on its facet – filth, foliage, and all.
Throughout the primary progress is a community of roots which have sprouted foliage. You’ll see that they’re shaped in separate clusters, and these will be separated.
Slice straight down by the roots to separate a number of of those leaf clusters, with roots and stems.
Transplant every to a brand new pot.
For detailed directions, see our full information to dividing perennials.
From a Nursery Begin
You could buy somewhat seedling in a tiny pot, or a mature specimen in a bigger container.
Select a container with a diameter that enables for 2 inches of house from the stem to the interior pot edge across the total perimeter.
Place a layer of damaged crockery bits or pebbles within the backside of the pot to assist drainage. Add sufficient potting soil to fill the pot about midway.
Lay the plant on its facet, and rotate, gently squeeze, and faucet the underside and sides of the nursery container to loosen the contents.
If the roots are tightly sure, you may tease them aside, trim an inch or so off the ends, and gently flay them outward.
Settle the plant into the middle of the brand new pot on the identical top it was in its authentic container.
Fill in with potting soil and tamp it into place to safe it in an upright place.
The soil degree ought to be one inch decrease than the rim of the container, for straightforward watering with out overflowing.
Pests and Illness
Basically, Chinese language evergreens should not vulnerable to insect infestation or an infection when grown indoors.
Nonetheless, like different houseplants, it’s not immune.
Some pests to look at for are aphids, mealybugs, scale, and spider mites.
These widespread pests are often pretty simple to eradicate with an insecticidal cleaning soap or natural neem oil. As pests might carry ailments, they need to be promptly addressed.
As well as, soilborne nematodes is usually a drawback with indoor cultivation. These microscopic pests harm roots, and their presence might solely be suspected when repotting reveals root deformities.
If they’re current, it’s greatest to take away as a lot soil as attainable from a plant, rinse the roots, take away broken ones, and repot in a high-quality potting medium with some compost combined in. The useful organisms within the compost assist to fight them.
For intensive infestations, take cuttings from unaffected foliage, if there’s any, and begin over.
Some ailments and physiological illnesses to concentrate on are:
- Anthracnose, from Colletotrichum fungi
- Bacterial Leaf Spot, from Erwinia chrysanthemi, Pseudomonas cichorii, or Xanthomonas campestris dieffenbachiae micro organism
- Copper Deficiency
- Myrothecium Leaf Spot, from Myrothecium roridum fungi
Each anthracnose and bacterial leaf spot could also be prevented by aiming the watering can nozzle on the soil, not the leaves.
Myrothecium leaf spot is often not an issue when utilizing a well-balanced fertilizer that doesn’t comprise an overabundance of nitrogen.
And also you’re not prone to see a copper deficiency until you employ an unbalanced fertilizer that has an excessive amount of potassium and/or phosphorus.
Along with conserving the foliage dry, strive to not over- or under-water, as each could cause leaf yellowing, browning, drying, wilting, and dropping, mimicking illness signs.
As well as, situations which are too moist might trigger rotting, and really dry situations might result in dehydration, each probably leading to dying.
Different signs that will look like proof of an infectious illness embrace yellowing, wilting, and a failure to thrive in an setting that’s too chilly, and crisp, brown leaves that drop due to an excessive amount of solar publicity.
Given the situations they like, you may treatment and forestall these issues.
Lush and Pretty
With its tropical foliage and excessive tolerance of low mild settings, Chinese language evergreen is the proper selection for livening up low mild areas of your own home and workplace.
With this info beneath your belt, all that is still is to decide on your favourite (or favorites) and get rising!
Will it have inexperienced leaves, or pink, pink, or white variegation? Share your experiences with this plant within the feedback part beneath.
In case you discovered this text informative, we suggest studying the next guides to different easy-care tropical houseplants subsequent: