Aglaonema Care Guide: How to Grow Chinese Evergreen

Aglaonema, the Chinese evergreen is a low-maintenance and versatile houseplant that comes in wide varieties. This plant is great for adding a bit of color to any working or residential area if well taken care of. In this article, we will give you the best Aglaonema care guide that will help you to get the best out of these stunning plants.

Some of the qualities that make Aglaonema such a popular and ideal houseplant include its unique, lush, and beautiful foliage. With these qualities, there is no reason why you would not consider having this plant in your living or working space. Another great advantage of this plant is that it adapts really well to different environmental conditions. If you want to know what these conditions are and how best to get your Chinese evergreen to thrive in them, keep reading.

Aglaonema

Agloanema, commonly known as the Chinese evergreen is a plant that is Native to the forest areas of Asia. Because this plant grows under canopies of taller plants where it is shielded from direct sunlight, it has adapted to low light conditions. This is one of the qualities that makes it such a good indoor plant.

When planted indoors, they grow to sizes of 12-24 inches in height. They can be almost as wide as they are long and have lance-shaped leaves. Because it starts small and grows quite slowly, you can keep them on your desks for anywhere between 12-18 months before it gets too big.

Few plants are as easy or easier to care for as the Chinese evergreen. Although it is adapted to low light conditions due to its natural habitat, it can also tolerate fluorescent lighting indoors if provided with it.

There are hundreds of different varieties of Aglaonemas and they have different environmental requirements to thrive. It is therefore essential to know the particular variety of the one you have so you can give it just the right growing environments it requires.

Aglaonemas Plant Care

As with all other plants, there are ideal environmental conditions you need to maintain to keep them happy. We will discuss these below.

Temperature

Aglaonema prefers temperatures between 65-75°F degrees Fahrenheit to thrive. They can tolerate temperatures of about 10 degrees Fahrenheit outside this range without suffering any serious damage. Feed your Aglaonema monthly during the spring and summer, when the temperatures are within this range.

Light exposure

Due to the natural habitat of this plant, it prefers bright but indirect sunlight. Never expose it to full sun as it may cause leaf burn and may ultimately kill the plant.

If you keep the plant indoors, artificial or fluorescent light will be enough to keep it alive and growing.

The light tolerance levels vary between Aglaonema varieties. The darker green varieties of this plant can tolerate low light intensities. The ones with lighter-colored leaves, however, prefer bright and indirect light. An example of these light-leafed varieties is the Aglaonema Osaka.

In general, the more colorful varieties of the plant, such as those with pinks, reds, and peaches need more light to maintain their vibrancy.

Newer cultivars of Aglaonema have bright colors such as red and pink. These normally do not do well in low-light conditions. They can, however, survive in such conditions. But if you notice that they are losing their color, simply move them to an area with more light and you should notice their color should start to come back.

Humidity

Chinese evergreen plants prefer more humidity than most homes and indoor spaces can provide. This means that you should provide them with supplemental humidity. You can boost humidity levels in their environment by putting the plant in a pebble tray, using a humidifier, or putting the plants in a group with other plants.

You can also try misting your plants once to a few times each week. This will only make a minor difference in terms of improving humidity levels. It does however offer the potential benefit of getting rid of pests that may be trying to infest your plant.

Soil moisture and watering

Chinese evergreen plants like to stay moist but not soaking wet. When you water the plant, make sure that the water drains completely each time so that it does not get waterlogged. Only water if the first two inches of the soil are dry.

Overwatering can cause the plant leaves to turn yellow, and the roots of the plant to rot. Another sign of overwatering may be the yellowing of the tanks, as well as mushy stalks and leaves.

Repotting

To repot your plants, use good soil with peat and pine bark blended. Never use peat moss directly or by itself as it colds too much water and will not allow the roots of your plant to dry out as needed.

Repot Chinese evergreens once every 12-18 months. Use the same vessel with new soil, and trim away some of the roots and leaves. Repotting should be done in the spring or summer months only, this is when they are actively growing and have the best chance of surviving the repot.

If you are repotting a larger plant, do it every 18-24 months. Use a new pot that is about 2-4″ larger than the current one. This will give room for the plant to grow.

Fertilizing

Any good, balanced houseplant fertilizer will work for Aglaonema. Feed your Aglaonema monthly during the spring and summer while they are actively growing. Reduce the amount of fertilizer you give them in the fall and completely stop feeding in the winter months as the plants enter dormancy.

Providing fertilizer to the plants in the winter when they do not need the nutrients for growth can lead to fertilizer buildup in the soil, which will burn the roots over time.

Rotate your plant

Rotate your Chinese evergreens from time to time so that they get all sides exposed to sunlight so the plant can grow evenly.

Inspect your plants for pests

When taking care of your plants, and dusting the leaves, make sure that you inspect especially the underside of the plant to check for any pests that need to be removed before they cause any damage to the plant.

How to Grow Aglaonema

Aglaonema are very low-maintenance plants that are great for even the novice gardener or plant parent. Here are some points on how to grow Chinese evergreens.

1: Use well-draining soil to grow your plants

They do really well in well-draining soils as they do not like to have their roots permanently submerged in water. You can add some perlite to the potting soil if you need better drainage.

2: Provide them with indirect, bright light

Never expose your Chinese evergreens to direct sunlight as it may burn the leaves.

3: Let the soil dry between waterings

This will give the plant roots room to breathe so the plant can grow efficiently. Water only when the top 2 inches of the soil has dried.

4: Repot

Repot the plant as required.

5: Ideal temperature

Maintain ideal temperatures of between 65-75°F degrees Fahrenheit, and high humidity for your plant to thrive.

6: Fertilize the right time

Fertilize your plants in the spring and summer months and never in the winter.

Aglaonema care indoors is the same as outdoors. The environmental conditions that you should provide the plants are the same regardless of where they are planted. If they are indoors, however, it is easier to get the environmental conditions right as you can manipulate them.

Types of Aglaonema

There are many different varieties of Aglaonema that you can cultivate. In the past, there were only green and cream varieties available. However, there are many different Aglaonema shades that you can find. There are more colorful Aglaonema in colors such as pink, red, and peach. Here are five of the most common varieties;

• Aglaonema Commutatum (Emerald Beauty) – also known as the Maria. It is one of the older varieties and has dark green leaves with light green stripes.
• Aglaonema (Sparkling Sarah) – has pink stems and midribs. It also has pink mottling on the green leaves of the plant.
• Ruby Red – The leaves of this Chinese evergreen variety are a beautiful bright red and have stems with a shade of pink.
• Aglaonema Commutatum (Silver Bay) – The leaves of this variety have a light silver leaf variegation.
• Siam Aurora Red – has ed stems and midribs. The leaves also have a red frame.

Problems Associated With Chinese Evergreen Plants

While these plants are some of the easiest to take care of, they can have their fair share of issues that you should be aware of in case you ever have to deal with them.

The number one issue is susceptibility to pest infestations. Chinese evergreen plans are susceptible to spider mites, mealybugs, and scale. They get infested most of the time because they are not healthy and stressed. Opportunistic bigs use this window to destroy them.

Keeping your plants in their best health will help you to avoid this. You can also use this leaf wellness spray to prevent infestations.

Yellowing of leaves is another common occurrence. This usually signals that your plants are stressed. Investigate which of their environmental conditions are not ideal and remedy it as soon as possible. Your plants should return to good health in no time.

Dropping leaves or leaf curls are other indicators of stress on plants. This can be a consequence of leaf burn from direct sunlight. If you notice this, move your plants away from sunlight.

Unfortunately, Chinese evergreen plants are toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. If you have any pets in your house, you will need to keep them out of their reach.

Conclusion – Aglaonema Care Guide: How to Grow Chinese Evergreen

Aglaonema are such low-maintenance plants that anyone can keep them in their home or office. So whether you are a novice or an experienced hardener, these plants can be a great addition to your space.

We hope that you found this Aglaonema care guide useful and that you will be well on your way to growing and maintaining these beautiful plants.

The most important thing to do is provide them with the kind of environmental conditions that mimic their natural habitat.  These are; high humidity, moderate temperatures, and indirect bright light.

Happy growing!