Quick Care
Babies grow fast, and the chores pile up fast, too. Start your baby off right by growing his or her own little kitchen herb garden. Not only can children grow and harvest a variety of herbs, but studies have shown that children who grow herbs for food have higher levels of interest in eating healthful foods and are more likely to eat foods that benefit their health.
Herb gardens are simple to set up and care for. Because the plants need regular sunlight and fresh air, having an indoor herb garden is a great way to ensure that your child will be able to enjoy growing and cooking with herbs.
Follow these instructions to set up an herb garden in your child’s bedroom.
Choose a location for the herb garden that gets plenty of sunlight. A south-facing window is ideal, but an east or west window in a sun-filled room will work well, as well.
Start the project by gathering the supplies you will need. You will need to have an assortment of organic potting soil, watering can, spray bottle, seeds, gardening gloves, and a rain gauge.
Aglaonema Care
There is nothing more intriguing than a plant that belongs to the oldest genera of flowering plants. The Aglaonemas, also known as Chinese evergreen or money plant, are about 180 million years old.
Aglaonemas are mostly grown as indoor houseplants. Its popularity owes to the large, glossy, leathery, long leaves whose appearance is quite similar to that of the banana plant.
Aglaonemas thrive in low light, and their leaves provide a beautiful contrast to light-colored décor. They are appreciated for having a tendency to keep common plant pests such as scale and spider mites at bay.
It is best to grow this plant in a pot that is wider than the plant itself, to accommodate the long trailing roots that appear along the stems. If it takes time to establish a strong connection with your plant, the problem could be the environment where you are keeping it. If your plant has been subjected to brief exposure to cold, too much or too little light, or if it has been exposed to excess moisture, the health of the plant should be at stake.
Light and Temperature
Grown indoors, the Aglaonema plant prefers cool temperatures. This tropical plant thrives at temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
While the plant can tolerate a temperature drop as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but this is below its ideal range of 50 to 60 degrees.
For the Aglaonema plant to thrive, you need to expose it to indirect sunlight for about eight hours every day. The ideal midday light exposure is about 1500 foot candles.
When the plant is young, you need to increase the amount of light it is exposed to.
You can do this by placing it in front of a south-facing window or a west-facing window.
As the plant grows, you need to move it to a location that has 2,500 foot candles.
Water and Humidity
The Chinese Evergreen Plant is extremely easy to take care of, and the water that you need to provide can be quite minimal. In fact, the Aglaonema will be able to thrive in the soil for up to a week without water. This means that you can go for up to a week without providing it water.
That being said, you should still provide it water on a regular basis. The water should be a little bit warm, preferably about 70 degrees. Water it every 3 to 7 days.
As was previously mentioned, Aglaonema plants like acidic soil, meaning that you should add some dry peat moss to the soil. In fact, the Aglaonema can even be left out in the soil, with little danger of the plant dying due to over watering.
The Chinese Evergreen can also grow in extremely low light conditions. The recommended light levels are about 1,000 to 5,000 lux. This means that the plant can provide a great deal of color in areas that would otherwise be completely dark. A great use of this fact is to place it near your television, which when off will generally be a dark, boring black unless the volume is being turned up high enough to bring some light into the room, which for a lot of people is not only a waste of electricity, but also a bit of an annoyance. This plant can really make that otherwise uninteresting space more beautiful.
Soil
Although they do best in moderately rich soil mix, you can grow an aglaonema plant in soil that is somewhat poor, as long as it is not too acidic.
Water Requirements
These plants are slightly picky about water. They prefer to dry out slightly between waterings rather than standing in water. If you notice leaves getting shriveled and small brown spots, your plant had moisture for too long and drowned.
To harden the plant a little bit, allow it to dry out a bit between waterings. Thorough drainage is necessary, because these plants hate to be watered from the top.
Humidity Requirements
Although hardy, they will appreciate humidity in the air. A cool mist humidifier or a room humidifier would do well, if you have the space for it.
Fertilizer Requirements
Aglaonema plants prefer to be fertilized moderately occasionally instead of fertilized heavy all at once. It is kind of a slow, steady feeder.
When it comes to the best fertilizer for aglaonema, go with a water soluble fertilizers like 20-20-20. A high nitrogen is good for leafy plants.
Provide good drainage for your plant, make sure to reduce watering, fertilize regularly, and you will have a healthy plant.
Fertilizer
Once a week, you should feed the Chinese evergreen with a balanced fertilizer. There are various types available online. When you apply it, use it at half the recommended dose.
Do this for the first few months of the plant’s life as the plant requires high levels of nutrients at the beginning from birth.
After a couple of months, when the plant has adjusted to a regular feeding routine, you can begin feeding it at full strength.
You should also choose a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content as that is the primary nutrient to the soil.
Of course, do not apply the fertilizer a few weeks before you intend to repot the plant.
This will help the plant build up a reserve of nutrients that can help it cope with the repotting process.
Propagation
The best way to grow a new plant is to start a new plant from a cutting. Aglaonema plants will not flower if they are grown from seed.
The plant is just like you and me: we do not produce fruit without a flower first. There is a way to get around this, however. Aglaonema plants can be propagated from leaf cuttings and some growers choose to create their own hybrids by cloning their plants.
The leaf cuttings are usually available only in the summer or early fall. Choose a 4-inch-long cutting. The larger the cutting, the greater the chance of success.
Fill a container with a mixture of equal parts perlite and vermiculite and add about an inch of water. Leave the cutting in that terrarium for several weeks until it sprouts. In some cases, the cutting won’t grow until the following spring.
Repotting
Aglaonema plants are tolerant to a wide range of soil conditions (including clay), but a porous soil that allows good drainage is the best option. The following table shows the preferred soil conditions for growing the Chinese Evergreen Plants Aglaonema plant:
Medium : A Preferable size for your pot is a 5- to 7-inch. The actual size of your pot depends upon the size of your plant at the time you move it. Most people use terra-cotta or glazed pots, lined with sphagnum moss.
A Preferable size for your pot is a 5- to 7-inch. The actual size of your pot depends upon the size of your plant at the time you move it. Most people use terra-cotta or glazed pots, lined with sphagnum moss. Soil : For repotting, potting mix or freshly composted soil is best. The potting mix will need to be well-drained and allow for good air circulation. Aggressive aeration is a good practice for getting your plant to re-establish its roots.
Pruning
Aglaonema plants are also known as Chinese Evergreen, Friendship Tree, and Japanese Prayer Plant. They are tropical plants that grow well in rooms with little natural light and don’t require a lot of care. Aglaonema plants are easy to maintain and have been proven to filter out the toxins found in the air in your house. This makes them a good plant for people with allergies.
Deadheading, or removing flower heads, helps your aglaonema plant to retain a more lush look. Remove the flowers as soon as they fade. Letting the flower heads die on its own might make the plant wilt faster.
During mid-summer, you should prune out the growing tips. If you do this while the plant is still young, you can remove 6 inches of growth. Plant the cuttings or place them in a glass with soil while the start rooting. This will provide you with new cuttings for your plant or your friends!
If your aglaonema plant begins to droop, this is a sign that you should take away 1/3 of the plant’s watering. Another good tip for overwatered plants is to plant them in a pot with drainage holes. Keeping the water level below the drainage holes will preserve your plant.
Aglaonema Problems
The Aglaonema plant, otherwise known as Chinese evergreen, is an excellent plant for beginners, as it has easy care and can tolerate a wide variety of indoor environments. The Chinese evergreen can be found growing all over the world, with more than 300 recognized varieties.
This plant features fleshy leaves and heart-shaped leaves, with either white or green color variations. Its texture makes it an ideal alternative for hanging in the bathroom, above the hot tub or shower, or for hiding kitchen appliances. It thrives in medium light and warm temperatures, preferring an environment between 65 and 75 degrees, and it can be kept in any part of the house from doorways, to kitchens, to bathrooms.
These plants are best cared for by allowing the top layer of soil to dry out before watering. If the dark bottom layer is still wet, then the plant has enough water. If the soil sticks to your fingers when you poke it, then you need to add water. Let your plant soak up most of the new water before you leave it alone, as extra water can cause this plant to rot.
Growing Problems
Although these plants are tough and quite healthy, they will exhibit some problems that require proper care and attention.
Which is why you need to give them a little extra TLC from time to time.
Here are some of the issues you might encounter and some ways to solve them.
- Fungus: The most common danger you'll face as an Aglaonema plant owner is the possibility of fungus. This can happen when there is excess moisture around the plant, and not enough light. To avoid this, give the plant as much light as possible. Keep it away from areas of the home that are usually humid. Dry the leaves when they are wet and check for spots regularly.
- Yellow Leaves: Yellowing leaves are usually caused because of too much sunlight. Make sure you give your plant proper sunlight, but not too much.
Pests
As we have mentioned Aglaonema plant is considered a poisonous plant, so try not to let your kids eat these plants. Aglaonema plant is susceptible to pests and diseases just like most other living things so you need to take extra care for this specific house plant.
Here the worms of the Aglaonema plant you need to be careful:
- Pest: Scale … These are sap sucking insects which is the major problem for Aglaonema house plant. Routinely removing the sticky substance and foam which comes out from the plant and wiping it with a wet cloth will help you get rid of such pests. If you have large scale attack you may try chemical spray that is available in the market.
- Pest: Mealy bugs … These are the pests which stick their wax over the leaf surface and suck juices from the leaves. You can use soap and water to take them off from the body of Aglaonema plant.
- Pest: Spider mites … These pests usually attack the new growth of the Aglaonema house plant. You can put a water spray over the affected area of the plants.
Diseases
Chinese Evergreen plants are easy to care for, because they are used to dealing with such harsh conditions in their native land. They are hardy and can withstand dry periods and also grow in a variety of different soils.
They are comparatively disease resistant despite this, problems can occur. One of these is a fungal disease which causes plant leaves to curl and the ends to turn brown and black. A plant will eventually die if no steps are taken to remedy it.
Other diseases include root rot, root canker and scale. These can be avoided when care is taken with watering and feeding the plant, plus there are pesticides and fungicides which can be used as well to keep the plant free from disease.
Normally, the only reasons you will need to use them is if a plant is extremely sick, or if there are a large number of pests and it’s impossible to control them any other way.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a lot of questions that come with owning and growing Aglaonema Plants. In this article, we will answer some of the most common questions about the Aglaonema plant in an attempt to clear up any confusion you may have on these beautiful plants.
Will an Aglaonema plant tolerate low light?
Yes. If you live in a place with low light you should not have a problem with the Aglaonema plant.
Will my Aglaonema plant lose its leaves after blooming?
Aglaonema plants do shed leaves after blooming, but new leaves will quickly grow in their place. The new leaves are much brighter and more vibrant than the older leaves.
Can I place Aglaonema plants in direct, hot sunlight?
Aglaonema plants can tolerate full sunlight but new leaves may scorch if exposed for too long.
Can I expose the rhizomes of my Aglaonema plant to direct sunlight?
Yes, exposing the rhizomes of the Aglaonema plant to direct sunlight is a great way to increase the length of the stems of the plant. Just be sure to hydrate well after exposing the rhizomes to sunlight.
How often do I fertilize my Aglaonema plant?