Aglaonema are native to humid, shady tropical forest habitat of Asia and New Guinea. The Chinese were the first to cultivate the dark green, slow growing Aglaonema modestum for centuries, before it slowly made its way to Europe and then America, that's why this genus have the common name "Chinese evergreens".
Aglaonema also called as Chinese evergreens, is a genus of the Araceae family. This genus was described by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott in 1829.
IDENTIFY AGLAONEMA PLANT
Aglaonema are native to humid, shady tropical forest habitat of Asia and New Guinea. The Chinese were the first to cultivate the dark green, slow growing Aglaonema modestum for centuries, before it slowly made its way to Europe and then America, that's why this genus have the common name "Chinese evergreens".
They are evergreen, sometimes robust, perennial herbs with epigeal, erect to decumbent stem and mostly unbranched or creeping and often branched, internodes green, becoming brown with age, smooth, often rooting at nodes when decumbent that carry several leaves forming an apical crown; petiole shorter than leaf blade, sheath usually long; leaf blade often with striking, silvery and pale green variegated patterns, ovate-elliptic or narrowly elliptic, rarely broadly ovate or sublinear, base often unequal, attenuate to rounded, rarely cordate; primary lateral veins pinnate, often weakly differentiated, running into marginal vein, higher order venation parallel-pinnate.
Chinese evergreens blooms in June to August from the 1–9 inflorescences per each floral sympodium; peduncle shorter or longer than petioles, sometimes deflexed in fruit. The flowers are unisexual, naked. Female flowers are ovary subglobose, 1-loculed; ovule 1, anatropous, broadly ovoid; funicle very short; placenta basal; stylar region short, thick; stigma broad, disciform, concave centrally. Male flowers with stamens free, not forming clear floral groups; filaments usually distinct, connective thickened; thecae opposite, obovoid, short, dehiscing by apical pore or reniform transverse slit. Fruit is an ellipsoid berry, outer layer fleshy green but turning yellow, rarely white and finally red.
Some common species and varieties: Aglaonema modestum (uniform green color leaves and red fruits), Aglaonema commutatum var. warburgii (whitish stripes along the lateral veins of the leaf with red fruits), Aglaonema commutatum var. maculatum (white strokes on dark green elongated-oval leaves with red fruits), Aglaonema commutatum var. elegans (light green elongated-oval leaves with a whitish-greenish pattern with red fruits), Aglaonema nitidum (bright or dark green, shiny on top, often oblong leaves with white fruits), Aglaonema costatum (dense, green, with white spots and strokes on the upper side leaves), Aglaonema pictum (oblong-elliptical, dark green, with uneven grayish spots on the surface, rather large leaves with red fruits; in some forms, the leaves have silvery-white spots, very beautiful), Aglaonema marantifolium (large, dark green, some have a silver-gray pattern leaves).
AGLAONEMA PLANT CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
All aglaonema grow in tropical rain forests. This determines their growing conditions. Under natural conditions, aglaonema grows in the lower tier of the forest, where little light penetrates. For Aglaonema, the penumbra is preferable, they are shade-tolerant, do not tolerate direct sunlight, as it threatens to burn leaves. But for variegated forms, in order not to lose the decorative pattern of leaves, bright diffused light is necessary.
Temperature:
The optimum temperature for growth is 20-25 ° C. In winter, the temperature should not fall below 16-18 ° C, it is desirable to avoid sudden changes in temperature.
Substrate and growing media:
Aglaonema need a well-permeable substrate for moisture and air for successful growth. The substrate should be fairly light, it consists of 3 parts leaf, 0.5 parts of humus, 1 part peat, 1 part sand and 0.5 part charcoal (3: 0.5: 1: 1: 0.5), or sheet ground, peat and sand (2: 1: 1) with crushed charcoal. Good drainage is required. It grows well in hydroponics.
Transplant in spring; young plant every year or as far as the roots are covered with earthy coma. Adults plant is transplanted once every 3-5 years.
Watering:
During the growing season (spring-summer), aglaonema is watered abundantly, as the top layer of the substrate dries. In the autumn-winter period, they are watered regularly, after a day or two, after the top layer of the substrate dries out. Over drying, as well as waterlogging (especially in winter), are dangerous for aglaonema.
Aglaonema requires high humidity. In dry air, the leaves are deformed, poorly unfolded, their tops and edges dry out. Therefore, aglaonema needs to be sprayed regularly. To increase the humidity, you can group the plants or put the plant on a pallet with wet pebbles, peat or expanded clay. At the same time the bottom of the pot should not touch the water. In the autumn-winter period, if the air temperature is low, then spraying should be carried out carefully.
Fertilizer:
During the growing season (from March to August), every two weeks, the plant is fertilized with alternating mineral and organic fertilizers of usual concentration. In winter the plant is not fed.
Propagation:
Propagate Aglaonema in spring or summer, separating and planting processes with several leaves and roots. It can also be propagated by aerial layouts and divisions during transplantation.
Aglaonema can be propagated either when the stalk naturally branches (especially the modest one is prone to this), or when the rosette stage of growth ends and a noticeable branch appears. It can be cut as an apical stalk, and can be further cut into parts of 8-10 cm in length. It is better if leaves remain on cuttings. Using cuttings, their slices are powdered with charcoal, dried for 24 hours, and the tips are buried 4-6 cm in wet sand with peat, and the temperature is kept within 21-25 ° C, the roots are formed in a month. When using mini-greenhouses with bottom heating rooting occurs in 2-3 weeks. If you do not have a greenhouse with heating, the cutting of aglaonema should be carried out in the warm season. Rooted cuttings are planted in a substrate suitable for growing adult plants.
In good conditions, aglaonema may bloom (usually in the summer). The coverlet of the inflorescence is of modest color, therefore it does not represent decorative value, but it is still very pleasant when the plant suddenly blooms. Sometimes from self-pollination, fruit of a ruby or orange color are tied. It is necessary to allow seeds to ripen on the plant itself. Ripe seeds are suitable for planting. Unfortunately, varietal characteristics with this method of reproduction are not always resistant. The seeds are removed from the pulp, washed with water and immediately sown (during storage, they quickly lose their germination) in plates with a mixture of sand and peat in equal parts. Crops are regularly watered, kept warm. The germ in the seed is well formed, so after sowing, friendly shoots quickly appear. Young plants with the first real leaves dive one by one into small pots. If necessary, transplanted to a larger dish. Well-developed specimens are obtained on the 3-4th year.
BUY AGLAONEMA PLANT AND RELATED PRODUCTS
SOME SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF AGLAONEMA WITH CARE TIPS AND CULTURE SHEET:
- Aglaonema Amelia
- Aglaonema Bidadari
- Aglaonema BJ Freeman
- Aglaonema Black Lance
- Aglaonema brevispathum
- Aglaonema Brilliant
- Aglaonema Bryant Queen
- Aglaonema Calypso
- Aglaonema Camouflage
- Aglaonema Cassandra
- Aglaonema cochinchinense
- Aglaonema commutatum
- Aglaonema cordifolium
- Aglaonema costatum - Fox's aglaonema - Spotted evergreen
- Aglaonema crispum
- Aglaonema Cutlass
- Aglaonema Deborah
- Aglaonema densinervium
- Aglaonema Diamond Bay
- Aglaonema Emerald Bay
- Aglaonema Emerald Star
- Aglaonema Favonian
- Aglaonema First Diamond
- Aglaonema Gold Dust
- Aglaonema Golden Madonna
- Aglaonema Green Lady
- Aglaonema Harlequin
- Aglaonema hookerianum
- Aglaonema Illumination
- Aglaonema Indo Princess
- Aglaonema Indo Queen
- Aglaonema Jewel of India
- Aglaonema Jubilee
- Aglaonema Jubilee Petite
- Aglaonema Katrina
- Aglaonema Key Largo
- Aglaonema Lucky Red
- Aglaonema marantifolium
- Aglaonema Mary Ann
- Aglaonema modestum - Chinese evergreen
- Aglaonema Moonlight Bay
- Aglaonema nebulosum
- Aglaonema nitidum
- Aglaonema ovatum
- Aglaonema Painted Princess
- Aglaonema Peacock
- Aglaonema philippinense
- Aglaonema pictum
- Aglaonema Pink Aurora
- Aglaonema Pink Moon
- Aglaonema Pink Princess
- Aglaonema Pink Splash
- Aglaonema Pink Valentine
- Aglaonema pumilum
- Aglaonema Red Emerald
- Aglaonema Red Valentine
- Aglaonema rotundum
- Aglaonema Siam Aurora - Red Aglaonema
- Aglaonema Silver Bay
- Aglaonema Silver Frost
- Aglaonema Silver Moon
- Aglaonema Silver Queen
- Aglaonema Silverado
- Aglaonema simplex
- Aglaonema Snow Cap
- Aglaonema Snow White
- Aglaonema Sparkling Sarah
- Aglaonema Sterling
- Aglaonema tenuipes
- Aglaonema Valentine
- Aglaonema vittatum
- Aglaonema White Lance
- Aglaonema White Rain
- Aglaonema Wishes
COMMENTS