Houseplants are a great way to bring life, color and beauty into your home. Chinese evergreens in particular offer low light or no natural lighting with their pretty leaves that come in pink, green cream white an red!
Leafy, lovely Chinese evergreens (Aglaonema commutatum) are great candidates for dim corners and other low-light spots in your home or office. Unlike many houseplants that require moist soil to grow well, these hardiness plants can tolerate periods of drought with dry air often found indoors!
Choosing Which Chinese Evergreen to Grow
Chinese evergreens are trees that grow in tropical and subtropical jungles. They have beautiful leaves with patterns on them, or dull colors like green, white, red or pink. Sometimes small peace lily flowers appear but they’re not too showy- just regular garden variety flora really!
According to a NASA study, it seems that Chinese evergreens may help remove toxins from indoor air. However all parts of this plants contain calcium oxalate crystals which are toxic if ingested by humans or animals- so keep them away from children and pets as well! Juice from the plant can cause contact dermatitis in those who touch it without protection (rubber gloves).
Chinese evergreens are a diverse group of plants that grow well in USDA Zones 10 through 12, with some growing outdoors year-round. They can also be used as houseplants outside these regions if needed.
Species, Cultivars and Varieties
The Chinese Araceae family is full of plants that are evergreen and can be found in shades from vibrant pink, red or green.
The most well-known member of this group is known as an Aglaonema platyphyllum (or AGL) also called Red leafed Aloe – they’re usually grown for their large leaves. According to Feng Shui, this variety brings good luck and fortune when grown at home.
Chinese evergreen varieties are a popular and enduring type of plant.
Some well-known examples include:
The Silver Queen plant is a beautiful, delicate-looking type of succulent. The leaves are dark green and have silver or cream colored stripes on them that give it an elegant look with its skinny appearance in between the branches for any room décor!
Aglaonema ‘Siam Aurora’ is an interesting plant with lime green leaves and red veins.
Edgy White: A bright white edge highlights this plant’s dark green leaves.
‘Silver Bay’: Silvery leaves surround a green margin.
‘Maria’: A favorite of mine, Aglaonema ‘Maria’ has long and narrow leaves in light or dark green.
The Pink Dalmatian has heavy, leathery green leaves with pink spots.
“Sparkling Sarah” is a garden favorite. It’s got the gentle, creeping stems and beautiful vibrant pink veins of an aglaonema to make it popular among lovers of succulents!
How to Grow Chinese Evergreen as a Houseplant
The Aglaonema houseplant prefers a low to medium light level, though those with pale variegation often need more. Chinese evergreens will even tolerate bright indoor lighting as long as they’re not in direct sunlight.
Aglaonema houseplants are really cool! They can handle a variety of different lighting conditions and will grow in most soil types, but make sure you protect them from strong sun rays if they’re near an exposed area.
Aglaonemas love being close to vegetation or other plants because it helps with humidity levels too – so why not plant one?
You can grow aglaonemas in almost any well-draining potting mix. They are tough, dependable plants that will flourish with the right soil conditions and care to make sure their roots have what they need! A good option would be three parts potting mix together with one part perlite.
Chinese evergreens like being slightly root-bound. When repotting, go up one pot size at a time and use a large enough container for your plant’s roots to grow in without getting too crowded or on top of each other. Add the potting mix and plant it, then water thoroughly.
Getting the Planting Site Ready Outdoors
If you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 to 12 and want to grow your Chinese evergreen as an outdoor perennial, choose a garden spot with partial shade.
The plants can’t survive temperatures below about 50-55 degrees F so be sure not only do they get at least four hours of bright sun per day but also some indirect light from neighboring trees or shrubs on cold winter days.
Add Organic Matter
If you want your garden soil to be rich and full, then add some humus or other amendments. This will improve its fertility but also make it slightly acidic so that drainage is easy for water as well!
Planting Chinese Evergreen
As houseplants, Chinese evergreens do best when indoor temperatures are 65-80 degrees. Flowers open in spring or summer and grow slower during winter months.
Growing and Caring for Chinese Evergreen Plants
Water Consistently
Chinese evergreen care is simple. Just let the top couple of inches of soil dry out between waterings, and if you miss an occasional watering Aglaonemas usually bounce back with a little help from misting or keeping them in high humidity environments like bathrooms or kitchens which also helps promote growth!
When it comes to growing them outdoors, they will need watering more often.
Fertilize
For houseplants that need a little extra TLC, feed them with slow-release fertilizer pellets or water soluble plant food during the growing season. Stop fertilizing when winter comes so they don’t get too established before springtime!
Look out for Health Issues
Indoors, wipe the leaves of your indoor plants with a damp cloth or rinse them in the shower. Let them air dry.
Indoors or out, watch for sap-sucking pests like spider mites and mealybugs. As soon as you notice them (or their droppings), try knocking off with a spray of water before they can do any more damage! If they keep coming back, use insecticidal soap according to label directions.
Scrape off the scale with your thumbnail. Rubbing alcohol will get rid of it for you, but be careful not to scrape too deep or else you risk damaging your plants.
How to Propagate Chinese Evergreen
Some people like to divide the plants or take cuttings for propagation. The Chinese evergreen seeds can take up three months before they germinate, so this is a great way if you’re looking forward in getting your hands on some!
To divide an Aglaonema, remove it from its pot and gently separate the roots. Put them in fresh soil to repotting before watering them again.
To root new plants, make six-inch stem cuttings just below a set of leaves from spring to early summer. Strip the bottom half of these shoots so that they can dry out easily and stick them in water with indirect light for about two weeks or until roots start emerging!
Rooting cuttings is a simple and quick way to get your plants in the mood. Simply fill three parts potting soil with one part perlite before planting, keep them moist until roots begin developing (about 2-3 weeks).