How to Grow and Care for Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema) is a plant grown for its foliage, with large leaves that stay green year-round and some air-purifying benefits. It is precisely for this reason that it attracts so many people to grow it. Before growing it, though, what everyone cares about most is surely the cultivation techniques, because only by mastering them can you ensure its growth.
How to Grow Chinese Evergreen
1. Humidity: Chinese evergreen likes a moist climate, and the relative air humidity of its growing environment should be 60 to 75%.
2. Temperature: Chinese evergreen likes a warm living environment and is not cold-tolerant; the overwintering temperature should stay above 5°C to 8°C for normal growth. For the three varieties Aglaonema commutatum, Aglaonema commutatum 'Maculatum', and Aglaonema commutatum 'Pictum', the suitable overwintering temperature should not fall below 18°C.
3. Light: Chinese evergreen likes semi-shade, is extremely shade-tolerant, and fears direct sunlight; it can be grown and cared for indoors year-round, and even in a spot that is too dark it will not become leggy like other plants. Avoid direct strong light in summer; when the light is strong, the leaf tips easily dry out, the edges scorch, or the leaves even turn yellow and withered, affecting the ornamental effect. Therefore, after moving it outdoors in early spring, shade it.
How to Grow Chinese Evergreen
1. Soil: Chinese evergreen is not demanding about soil, but it fears waterlogging; whether planted in the ground or in a pot, it dislikes hard clay and alkaline soil. Potted Chinese evergreen is generally planted in a mix of leaf mold and sand. In the south it can be grown in pots or outdoors, while in the north it needs to be grown in a greenhouse. It is best to change the soil once a year and repot once every 2 years, and to promptly add fresh potting soil to ensure its growth.
2. Watering. Apart from keeping the potting soil moist in summer, Chinese evergreen should not be watered too frequently in spring and autumn, and watering should be controlled in winter. Chinese evergreen has fleshy roots, so it fears waterlogging most; if watered too much, the roots rot easily. But the air must be kept moist; if the air is dry, problems such as dry leaf tips easily occur, so in dry seasons spray water around the plant to increase air humidity.
3. Fertilizing. In spring and autumn, apply once every 3 to 4 weeks a water solution of decomposed cake fertilizer, which keeps the plant growing vigorously and the leaves green. During the growing period, apply once every two weeks a liquid fertilizer based mainly on nitrogen.
4. Pruning. If the Chinese evergreen plant is too tall and its shape is poor, you can keep 1 to 2 nodes and cut it back; the newly sprouted plant will grow even more vigorously. The cut branches with tips can be placed directly in a water bottle for viewing, and after about 30 days white young roots will grow. In addition, around the Beginning of Summer, cut off a few of the old outer leaves of the mature plant to encourage new buds, new leaves and flower spikes.
Precautions for Chinese Evergreen
When potting Chinese evergreen, first place a 2 to 2 cm thick layer of coarse-grained substrate or clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer, then sprinkle a layer of fully decomposed organic fertilizer on top as a base fertilizer about 1 to 2 cm thick, then cover it with a layer of substrate about 1 to 2 cm thick, and then place the plant in, so as to separate the fertilizer from the roots and avoid burning the roots.
Pest and Disease Control for Chinese Evergreen
1. Brown soft scale. Generally in the early stage of a brown soft scale infestation, when there are relatively few pests, you can directly scrape the pests off, but after the nymphs hatch you need to spray insecticide; generally you can spray with a 1000-fold dilution of 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate or a 1000-fold dilution of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate.
2. Anthracnose. Anthracnose is mainly caused by poor ventilation, so during care ventilation should be strengthened, and scale insects should be controlled. In the early stage of the disease, spray a 800-fold dilution of 60% zineb or a 1500-fold dilution of 70% thiophanate-methyl for control.
The cultivation methods for Chinese evergreen can start with its growth habits. When growing it, be sure to pay attention to light, and when the light is strong in summer, be sure to shade it. During cultivation, you also need to strengthen work on fertilizer and water, pests and diseases, and other aspects of control.