Aglaonema: description, home care, reproduction, varieties (100+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews

Aglaonema is a member of the Aroid family. These tropical crops are widely used in floriculture. The closest aglaonema family brothers are such ornamental cultures as Zamioculcas and spathiphyllum. However, despite the family proximity, growing aglaonema at home has its own characteristics and nuances. This plant in breeding is very interesting; it is capable of providing the owner with many pleasant hours, both of work and of observation.

Read also: How to make a patio in the country with your own hands: a variety of design options, decoration and arrangement (85+ Photo Ideas & Video)

Biological description

The decorativeness of the plant is provided primarily by its leaves. They are quite wide and long. Part of the leaves may have an interesting textured color or structural features of the edges.

Aglaonema temperate in a driftwood pot

A variety of varieties and varieties of aglaonema allows you to use the plant in a variety of design solutions.. This is an unpretentious and undemanding plant in care, which even a person with little botanical knowledge can cope with.

Aglaonema is an evergreen herb or subshrub from the vast group of Aroids.. Almost all Aroids are representatives of the Equatorial climate, however, our beauty comes from East Asia, more precisely from India. There are also wild species of aglaonema in Malaysia and the Philippines.

In total there are about 50 species of this plant., however, due to the commonality of some of its representatives, which have characteristic common properties with other members of the family, some botanists accept the number of species as 23.

Such confusion in classification often leads to the fact that even within one relatively small subfamily, not every botanist will be able to accurately differentiate one or another species. On the other hand, this is wonderful in its own way, because you can always say that it is you who has a unique flower of the Aroid family, which no one else in the world has!

young plants

A feature of the plant is the virtually complete absence of the stem. The stem serves exclusively for the formation and maintenance of the flower. There is no foliage on the stem, it grows from the root without the participation of the stem itself. However, in adult representatives, a kind of stem can form - a short part of the growing season, which has a noticeable, different from the leaves, thickening.

Growth is relatively slow. For a year, no more than 5-6 leaves may appear on a flower. Such a low intensity of growth is explained by the life conditions of the flower. In its natural habitat, aglaonema is on the lowest tier, and is content with those “remnants” of light that reach it from higher competitors.

The flowering parts are collected in inflorescences, which, like all Aroids, are cobs; up to 9 flowers are part of the inflorescence. Cobs are formed in the axils of the leaves, their number can reach up to three pieces per leaf. An interesting fact is the dioeciousness of the flower. That is, the plant has separate male and female flowers, which will have to be taken into account during its artificial pollination.

Aglaonema ribbed flower

The fruits of aglaonema ripen within six months, and it makes sense to grow them. The first reason: aglaonema is one of the few plants capable of normal seed propagation at home. The second reason: the fruits of aglaonema are more decorative and much more attractive than its flowers.

Aglaonemas, especially rich in leaves, are theoretically able to “give out” up to 200 seeds.. Seed germination is very high, so there are usually no problems with seed breeding.

Aglaonema modified fruits

Unlike the same spathiphyllum and Zamioculcas, the aglaonema flower has no artistic value. This, in fact, is not critical, since The main part of a plant that attracts a person is not its flowers, but its leaves.

The leaf blades of aglaonema are elliptical in shape. Sometimes they are elongated and have points at the tips. At the beginning of its life, almost all the leaves of the plant are round, but then their shape changes. The veins on both young and adult leaves are practically indistinguishable against the general background of the leaf.

The size of the leaves can differ not only from species to species, but also within each of them. The length of the leaves can be from 10 to 60 cm. The color can vary from classic green to green with white or yellow spots. There are completely white leaves, as well as leaves with large areas of purple-red pigment.

Leaves of Aglaonema Siamese, which has a purple tint to the leaves

The height of the flower can reach up to 150 cm, however, the vast majority of flower growers prefer bushes of medium height. Part of the reason is that taller plants tend to have more brittle leaves, especially at the base of the petioles.

Read also: TOP-50 Ornamental plants that purify the air in our house or apartment (50+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews

Care

Site selection, temperature and lighting

Since the plant is native to the tropics, all the standards necessary for growing tropical crops can be applied to it:

Aglaonema prefers shaded space and diffused lighting.

Direct sunlight is detrimental to her. Based on this, we can say that the plant will feel great on the northern, eastern or western windows. Or anywhere in the center of your home or office.

Great office decoration

Even that small part of the artificial lighting that will be inside will be enough for the normal growth and development of the plant with its slow metabolism.

Aglaonema on the north windowsill

On the other hand, it is necessary to focus on the number of green areas on the leaves. Chloroplasts, which provide the flower with carbohydrates, are found only in them. Therefore, plants with completely green leaves can be installed in any light conditions, and those in which green areas actively alternate with non-green areas are best placed near diffused light sources.

Aglaonema Silver Queen with few green areas on the leaves

The temperature regime for the plant must be maintained with sufficient severity. In summer, the temperature ranges from +22°С to +25°С; some heat-loving species require even higher values ​​(+25…+28°С). At the same time, it is undesirable to exceed the temperature above + 30 ° C, since the plant may begin to fade.

In winter, temperatures are slightly lower (usually by 2-3°C).

Like all tropical plants, aglaonema does not like daily temperature fluctuations of more than 7 ° C. Therefore, if in the summer there is a desire to put the plant in the garden in the open air, you should know in advance the temperature forecast for the near future so that the plant does not suffer from night cooling.

Here an important role is played not so much by the temperature value itself (since it can be within acceptable limits), but by its change in a short time. With such fluctuations, the flower may lose leaves. First they fade and then fall off.

Drafts are dangerous for the plant precisely due to the creation of temperature gradients of 5-7 ° C, when, it would seem, in a warm room, due to a narrow wind flow, an area is created with a temperature several degrees below room temperature. Therefore, you should not put pots with plants in places where drafts are likely.

Soil and container

The main requirement for the soil for this plant is the lightness and friability of the soil, as well as its ability not to accumulate, but to pass moisture. Like all Aroids, aglaonema can grow even in practically barren soils; it is even fashionable to grow it without a substrate - only in water or using hydroponics.

However, for the grower it is more simple and calm when the flower "sits" in a pot.

Soil and pots

The plant prefers neutral or slightly acidic soils.. It is also possible to use slightly alkaline soils with the addition of a small (no more than 25%) amount of peat. Consider substrate recipes that can be used for the normal cultivation of aglaonema at home.

The classical scheme of a substrate with neutral or very slightly acidic acidity is as follows:

You can slightly change the living conditions of the plant, increasing the fertility of the soil, but slightly reducing its friability.

The composition will be like this:

If the owner believes that the plant simply needs rich soil, you can use the following recipe:

Soil can be changed at each transplant. And it is done quite often: a young plant (up to 3 years old) is transplanted once a year, then every 2 years, 3 and so on. Thus, in 10 years, aglaonema can be transplanted up to 6-8 times.

With such a number of transplants, it is possible in 2-3 years to select the optimal substrate for a particular specimen that is available.Plant containers should be given special attention: the root system of aglaonema is fibrous, which means its distribution over the surface, without significant depressions characteristic of the core system.

Therefore, for aglaonema, deep pots are not only undesirable, they are meaningless. Aglaonema begins normal vegetation and flowering when the roots fill the entire space of the pot. Therefore, it is necessary to use a wide and shallow pot.

plastic pot for aglaonema

But here the main thing is also to observe the "golden mean"; too small a pot is also undesirable, since about a third of its height will be occupied by drainage from perlite or expanded clay.

Watering and spraying

The plant has two distinct periods of life: summer and winter. The summer period is the growing season, it lasts from March to August; winter is the formation of fruits and peace (from September to February). Each period differs in the speed of metabolic processes and requires a different amount of water to maintain them.

As such, the plant does not have watering dates, since they depend on various conditions:

Each of them in its own way affects the frequency of watering. For example, a flower in the shade requires less frequent watering than one in the sun. The criterion for the start of irrigation is a completely dried topsoil.

Watering flowers

It is necessary to water until the topsoil is completely moistened. Water for irrigation of aglaonema must meet certain criteria; it should be either settled for a week or boiled. This will completely remove the chlorine from it and get rid of the salts contained in it.

These salts can concentrate in the upper layer of the substrate and it becomes covered with a kind of whitish coating, after which it is necessary to completely change the soil in the pot. In addition, the water should be 2-3°C above room temperature.

You can indirectly determine the quality of watering by the appearance of the plant: if the leaves dry out, become lethargic and wrinkled, then the volume of watering or their frequency needs to be increased. If the leaves turn yellow or spots appear on them, then it is possible that harmful impurities are present in the water, or it is not sufficiently settled and chlorine remains in it.

On the other hand, excessive waterlogging of the plant is also contraindicated. After watering, be sure to drain the water from the pot pan and regularly inspect the upper part of the plant's root system to track the first signs of rot. If the top layer of the substrate does not dry out for a long time, the intensity of watering should be reduced.

In winter, the frequency of watering and the amount of water applied under the plant are reduced. At the same time, it is recommended that the plant receive 3 times less water for a month than in the summer. That is, if in winter the interval between waterings is increased by 2 times, then the amount of water introduced is reduced by 1.5 times.

The plant loves high humidity, so spraying its leaves is done every day. Sometimes it is recommended to do this twice a day. In this case, the same water is used as for irrigation: also well settled (or boiled) and the same temperature (2 ... 3 ° C above room temperature).

It is necessary to leave droplets of moisture on the leaves; it is forbidden to wipe them with any rags or sponges. In winter, the plant is sprayed once every two weeks.

top dressing

The plant needs fertilizer throughout the year. At the same time, in the summer, top dressing is applied once every 2 weeks, in winter - once every 5-6 weeks. It should be noted that in winter the dose of a single application remains the same as in summer, only the time between fertilizer applications changes.

Plant nutrition

As a fertilizer, any balanced fertilizer for flowering houseplants is used. It can be "Mr. Color", "Fertimix" and similar compositions. It is desirable to combine fertilization with watering the plant.

Transfer

This procedure is one of the key ones, since its beautiful appearance, vegetation speed and normal flowering depend on the health and degree of development of the plant's root system.

Normal leaf growth, inflorescence formation and flowering itself occur only in plants that have a fully formed root system. The word "formed" means one that occupies the entire available volume of the pot.

Transplant process

Plants are best transplanted in the spring. In this case, you can get by with replacing the top layer of soil (up to 2-3 cm deep) with a new one. But many flower growers recommend a complete transplant. Young plants are transplanted every year for 3 years, plants from 3 to 6 years old are transplanted every 2 years, plants older than 6 years - once every 3 years.

The transfer is carried out as follows:

reproduction

As with all houseplants, the most optimal ways to propagate aglaonema are vegetative propagation methods. It can be cuttings or dividing the bush.

A sprouted cutting of aglaonema

cuttings

Produced as follows:

The division of the bush

Produced during transplantation. The root system of the mother plant is divided with a garden knife, cutter or secateurs. At the same time, the places of the cut of the root and stem parts are treated with charcoal.

Separation of the aglaonema bush during transplantation

Then each of the new plants is transplanted into its own individual pot and placed in a dark place for one week; it is necessary for their rooting. The first watering of transplanted plants is allowed only for 8-9 days.

seed propagation

Aglaonema is one of the few indoor tropical plants whose seed propagation can be used more or less successfully. However, one should take into account the fact that the germination of seeds (although initially it is very high, up to 80%), falls rapidly over time. It is believed that after 2 weeks, half of the seeds lose their germination capacity irrevocably.

It is necessary to be sure that the seeds are ripe (usually, 7 months of ripening is enough with the head) and then collect them. Moreover, the collection must be carried out in all fruits at the same time.

Immediately after extraction from the pulp, the seeds are washed and they are planted in the same soil that is used for cuttings (peat and sand in a ratio of 1 to 1). It is advisable to place the seeds in containers 8-10 cm deep, covered with transparent glass, in a sunny and warm place.

germinated aglaonema seed

Once a day, the seeds are watered, and the soil is aired for 3-5 minutes. The first shoots peck within a week. When 2 true leaves appear on the seedlings, it dives and is transplanted into an individual container. This can be either a larger container, in which the plants are planted in a checkerboard pattern with an interval of 15 by 15 cm, or a small pot, about 8-10 cm in diameter.

As soon as the plant is strong enough and acquires 3-4 leaves, it is transplanted into a stationary pot.

A young plant ready to be transplanted into a stationary pot

Since the plant is dioecious, it is possible to select aglaonema at home, however, you should not delude yourself too much, since the plant's variability can manifest itself in the most unpredictable forms.

Read also: How to make a children's house with your own hands: from wood and other materials. Dimensional drawings | (80 Photo Ideas & Videos)

Varieties

Currently, several types of aglaonema are recommended for breeding in home floriculture. Consider in more detail their most popular representatives:

Moderate

Another name is Modest. The plant comes from the Malay Archipelago, some of its varieties are found in southern Indochina.

Aglaonema moderate

This plant is of medium height, strand 40-50 cm with a weak central stem. The trunk has a weak branching, usually the leaves grow as if from one point. Even looking closely, it is difficult to determine which of the leaves formed earlier.

Aglaonema temperate flower with set fruits

It has oval, slightly elongated leaves with a pointed end. The leaves are green or dark green in color. The size of the leaves is average - about 17-20 cm long and 6-10 cm wide. Several paired veins receding from the central are visible on the leaves.

Type of plant with proper care plant

The fruits of the plant during ripening are green, and in the last month before ripening they turn red. Outwardly, they look like a dogwood fruit.

modified

This plant grows in the wild in the Philippine Islands and the Malay Archipelago. It has straight-growing stems, the height of which depends on the growing conditions of a particular specimen. The stems are both 20 cm in height and 1.5 m.

Aglaonema modified (or changeable). Visible thick stem

The leaves of the plant are large - up to 30 cm long and 10-12 cm wide. The color of the leaves can be varied. The leaves are rarely monochromatic, most often they are variegated, and there are pieces of "variegation" of red and white pigments on a predominant green background, and vice versa - separate fragments of green on a common white or red.

Aglaonema changeable with a predominance of white pigment

The petioles of the leaves are long and very strong. The flowering parts of the plant are collected in inflorescences of 2-6 pieces, while the cob is relatively small and thin.

The length of the cob is usually 5-6 cm, while the length of the bedspread is 7-8 cm, that is, the flower is almost completely hidden from external influences. The fruits are bright red, giving the plant an additional decorative effect.

brilliant

Comes from Thailand or Sumatra. In the wild, it prefers damp forests or plains in the lowlands. The plant is tall - the stems and leaves can reach a height of up to 1 m. The color of the leaves is replete with shades of green.

Aglaonema brilliant

The plant got its name from the shiny upper part of the leaves. Their sizes are quite large: length up to 50 cm, width up to 20 cm. Flowers are collected in inflorescences of 2-5 pieces. The cob is completely covered with a veil and is practically invisible. The fruits ripen by March. Their color is bright white.

The plant requires special care, as it needs diffused sunlight. On the other hand, its size is quite large, so flower growers recommend that under the brilliant aglaonema, take away one of the windows as a whole. Moreover, the grower should not be embarrassed by the small growth of the plant: with proper care, after 2-3 odes, it will occupy the entire area in front of this window.

Ribbed

Comes from Southwest Malaysia. It is a herbaceous plant, with a low stem, branching abundantly at the base.

Aglaonema ribbed

The leaves are oblong, pointed at the end. Their length reaches 20-25 cm, width 5-10 cm. They are quite strong, one might say, tough. Color - almost always dark green with many white strokes and spots located on top. The lower part of the leaf partially repeats the color of the upper one, but there are much fewer spots.

painted

This plant is native to the jungles of Sumatra and Borneo. The plant is medium in size, its height rarely exceeds 60 cm. It has a weakly expressed "trunk", strongly branching from below. Shoots are densely covered with leaves. The coloration of this aglaonema is a very characteristic tricolor, reminiscent of some types of military camouflage.

Aglaonema painted

The leaves are small, about 10-18 cm long and 5-6 wide. Pigment spots are distributed evenly over the leaf, but the intensity of the color depends on the place where the plant lives. In more lit areas, the colors are more faded, in shaded areas, they are brighter.

Aglaonema with elongated leaves

The fruits of the plant are usually located on stems raised above the leaf mass by 5-6 cm. They are bright red, very decorative and clearly visible from afar.

oblong

Another name is oblong. It comes from the Philippine Islands. It has green or white-green oblong leaves. Their length is about 30 cm, and the width is not more than 5 cm. The petioles of the plant are also long, about 20-25 cm.

Aglaonema oblongata

Has the most elongated leaves (in relative proportions), which, given the length of the petiole, creates the illusion of very long shoots, which is often used in design.

Usually, a pot with Aglaonema oblongata is placed on a separate stand to enhance the effect.

HOW TO GROW AGLAONEMA

Aglaonema: description, home care, reproduction, varieties (100+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews