How to Take Care of Aglaonema Commutatum Plant

Do you want a pop of color to dress up in your office or home? Then give the Chinese evergreen plant a try. These are popular indoor and outdoor plants to give your living space an exotic look.

The Chinese evergreen you find in an array of colors with patterns is a good luck plant.

Chinese Evergreen Plant Care Tips

chinese evergreen plant

The Chinese evergreen is a low-light plant that thrives indoors, making it easy to grow even for beginner plant parents. While it is known to bring good luck and fortune, it cleanses the room from toxic air, making it beneficial. 

Aglaonemas are mostly grown indoors, so you can move them outside in summer to grow in shady spots in warmer regions.

The Type of Soil That Chinese Evergreen Plant Needs

Chinese evergreen plants are not fussy when it comes to the soil as long as it is moist and well-draining soil that is slightly acidic. If your chosen potting mix is retaining too much moisture, you can mix in some perlite or sand for drainage.

Also, ensure that your Chinese evergreen is in a pot with loads of drainage holes to prevent root rot.

Direct Sunlight A Big NO

aglaonema under bright, indirect light

Okay, when it comes to lighting, it all depends on the Aglaonema commutatum variety you have. The lighter color variations prefer indirect sunlight, while the dark green varieties can tolerate low-light conditions.

Your colorful Chinese evergreen needs bright light to hold that gorgeous color. But avoid direct sunlight if you have a variety with many creams or pink coloring. Too much light will scorch the leaves.

Your dark green varieties also adapt to fluorescent lighting, making them classic for malls or offices. Whether in indirect light or a bit more light, it helps to give your indoor plants a quarter turn every week.

Doing this allows all sides of the plant to become exposed to light.

How To Water Chinese Evergreen Plants

These house plants are slow-growing plants loving moist soil and loathe wet feet. So, you can water well and leave the soil dry between watering.

If you have standing water, it can lead to root ball rot and the death of your plant. Thus water it well and let the excess water drain from the pot and remove it from the bottom basin.

If you feel there is insufficient drainage, you can add some bark to the mix to improve drainage.

Fertilizer Needs

liquid fertilizer for aglaonema plant

Compared to most houseplants, the Chinese evergreen can do with a slow-release liquid or pellet fertilizer twice a year.

You can do this at the beginning and end of the growing season in spring and summer. Doing this will help with the glossy oval leaves and boost the growth of the short stems.

You will also find in your mature plant that it might have a flower in spring or summer.

Temperature and Humidity Levels

chinese evergreen in high humidity space

The Chinese evergreen Philippines does not enjoy cold drafts or a temperature below 65° F. So the best plants grow away from windows or vents to avoid the blast of cold air.

So if you want to keep this elegant variety of house plants thriving, it needs high humidity with warm temperatures. If you notice low moisture, you can mist your plant or place it grouped with other indoor plants.

As it grows primarily in subtropical forests with high moisture levels, you can also invest in a humidifier near your plant.

Re-potting and Pruning Your House Plant

When it comes to Chinese evergreen care, it does not mind becoming a bit root bound. Still, if the roots sprout out of the drainage holes, it is time to re-pot your plant. The best is to choose a three to four inches larger pot size.

Choose your pot filled with some potting mixture, peat, sand, or perlite. Remove your plant, and there is no need to tease the root ball apart. Instead, please place it in fresh soil and water until it runs out at the bottom of the container.

Trimming or pruning your flowering plants is optional and helps if you want to give them a specific look. Yet, as the Chinese evergreen is a slow-growing plant and grows straight up, you can trim it to grow horizontally.

Do this by cutting the leaves back regularly to make them appear bushier.

How to Propagate Chinese Evergreen

There are two ways you can propagate your Chinese evergreen plant. The first method is root division splitting the root ball into two sections with four leaves attached to each piece. Then plant each division into its pot.

The second technique is stem cuttings. With sterilized shears, you can take a cutting from the mother plant’s stem a few inches long. Dip the cut end into the rooting hormone and place it in a glass of water.

Place the glass in indirect sunlight until the roots form in about four weeks. Then transfer your new plant into well-draining potting soil. The best time to propagate successfully is spring and summer during the growing season.

Chinese Evergreen Varieties

The Chinese evergreen you find ins some gorgeous varieties. Here are some favorites you can add to your houseplant collection.

Aglaonema Silver Bay

Aglaonema silver bay

One of the common varieties is the Silver Bay which has green to silver variegation. The plant can survive in low light spots, and the greenery will brighten your place.

Aglaonema Wintery Wine House

Aglaonema Wintry Winehouse

The Wintery Wine House is a popular indoor plant with green and creamy speckled leaves. In bright light, it will display more pronounced variegation.

Aglaonema Lucky Red

Aglaonema Lucky Red

The Lucky Red has hot-pink-pointed leaves. With plenty of sunlight, the foliage looks gorgeous. It is also a drought-resistant plant, and caring for it is a breeze.

Aglaonema Siam Aurora

aglaonema siam aurora

The Chinese evergreen is another hot-pink to green variegation, but the pattern differs from the Lucky Red.

Aglaonema Chocolate

This is a rare plant and hard to find but looks so pretty. It has jaw-dropping red, brown, and green leaves with light green veining. If you can get your hands on one, snatch it up fast.

Aglaonema Modestum

Aglaonema Modestum

It is another eye-catching cultivar with light green to dark green, silver striped leaves. The Chinese evergreen can range from a green to a variegated cultivar with soft green, white, or dark green blocks. It is a beautiful species that does not take much work to care for.

Aglaonema Harlequin

Aglaonema Harlequin

Another colorful variety is this one with its pale green to pink leaves and stems. It stands out in any space if you have a collection of Chinese evergreen plants.

Aglaonema Pink Star

aglaonema pink star

If pink is your favorite color, look no further than the Pink Star. The plant is low maintenance with vibrant foliage in light pink with hints of light to dark green. It helps to keep the plant out of the sun to prevent leaf scorching.

Common Problems With Chinese Evergreen

Whether you have light or dark green varieties, some things can cause problems as your plant matures. The first notable thing is droopy leaves. If this happens, your plant needs brighter light and water.

It helps to provide both and observe if there is any improvement. It is from cold drafts if you notice dark to greasy patches on the leaves. We recommend moving your plant to a warmer spot. Crisp leaves with brown tips mean your plant needs higher humidity levels.

You can mist the leaves or place your plant on a humidity tray with water. It is too much light when you see curling leaves, and moving your plant to a shadier spot can help. While brown and yellow leaves mean your plants get too much water. The best is to leave the soil dry before watering again.

Pest Problems

The first pest that can result in problems is the mealybug. You will start seeing a white fluff forming on the underside of foliage or the soil. When you treat them early enough, it can prevent cross-contamination to other indoor plants.

You can prune away the infested foliage and use rubbing alcohol with a cotton swab to dab them away. Or you can use an insecticide for heavy infestations. For example, the following insect that can become a problem is spider mites.

It is a tiny pest that weaves sticky webs over the plant. The best way to treat the infestation is to remove the damaged foliage and use a spider mite insecticide. Lastly, scale insects can also cause problems in your Chinese evergreen plants.

The pest has a shell-like appearance popping up on the leaves and stalks. The only way to eradicate the infestation is with an insecticide during the first stage of its lifecycle. Sometimes it is best to toss your Chinese evergreen plant before exposing other home plants.

Where to Buy a Chinese Evergreen Plant?

Finding a Chinese evergreen plant is not too difficult. You can find one sold at a local garden center or online. The good news is you need not look far as Plantly has a selection of the Philippine evergreen right here for you.

Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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