Description of the plant, types of aglaonema that are grown at home, instructions for caring for the plant, breeding methods, possible difficulties and pests. Aglaonema (Aglaonema) grows in the southeast Asian humid and warm forests, as well as in the Chinese and Indian tropics, Malaysian islands and the Philippines. Belongs to the Aroid species (Araceae), which has about 22 representatives. The name is a combination of the Greek "aglaia" - shine and "nema" - stamen. Most often it is confused with dieffenbachia, which has long been loved by flower growers.
Aglaonema is a herbaceous bush plant that does not change its leaf color depending on the season. When grown in indoor conditions, the plant responds gratefully to care and blooms much more often with the subsequent ripening of the fruits than in the natural environment. Likes to settle in the lowest tier of the forest world and predominantly chooses coastal areas.
The trunk of this plant is short and rather thickened in the root zone; it can also sometimes branch out. But plants that have not reached the mature age of the trunk practically do not have, since it is formed over time, when the leaf plates begin to dry out and be thrown off by the plant. The color of the leaf blades is quite varied and mainly depends on the type of aglaonema.
But still there are features inherent in all varieties:
- the sheet plate is very dense, with roughness on its surface;
- the shape of the sheet plate is either in the form of elongated elongated knives, or oval-elongated with a sharpness on one edge;
- petioles, with the help of which the leaves are attached to the trunk, can be either long or shortened;
- the edge of the sheet plate is simple and if there are cuts on it, then they do not even reach a quarter of the width;
- patterned lines are always present on the leaves;
- the central vein of the leaf plate is, as it were, depressed in the upper part of the leaf, and there is its outer bulge;
- the inflorescence of flowers looks in the form of an elongated tube or with a thickened base of a delicate cream shade, their number varies from 1 to 3, and grows from the axillary buds of the leaf plates;
- the inflorescence is wrapped in a sheet-blanket of pale light green color; when fully ripe, the inflorescence exceeds its blanket in size;
- when fully ripe, the fruit is a berry with a juicy pulp, which bears one white or ocher bone;
- ripening of fruits can take from six months to 8 months.
Aglaonema is a rather poisonous plant and you need to be very careful so that its juice does not get on the skin or mucous membranes. This should be taken into account when caring for the plant in homes where there are pets or small children.
Types of aglaonema for ornamental cultivation
- Aglaonema modest (Aglaonema modestum). Sometimes it is also called moderate aglaonema. The birthplace of the humid tropical highlands of the Malay Islands and the territories of Indochina. A plant of this variety can grow up to half a meter in height and has a highly branching stem. The leaf plate measures 20 cm long and 9 cm wide. The shape of the leaf is elongated oval with a pointed apex and a rounded base. The color is predominantly rich emerald green without any patterns, but on each leaf in the middle there is a wide pale grayish stripe. Each plate differs not only in the convexity of the main median vein, but also in the presence of lateral ones. The fruit in the process of ripening has the shape of an elongated barrel of wine color. This species is the most picky about lighting.
- Aglaonema brilliant (Aglaonema nitidum). The native habitat of growth is the island territories of Indonesia, warm and humid forests on the plains. Its trunk can reach up to a meter in height. Leaf plates, reaching large sizes, can measure 45 cm in length and 20 cm in width. The color of the leaves can vary from rich malachite to dark emerald. The shape of the leaves is elongated oval, as if flattened in width. The inflorescence is collected from 2-5 flowers. The length of the bedspread is equal to the length of the inflorescence (about 6 cm). Fruit color is predominantly white.
- Aglaonema changeable (Aglaonema commutatum). It is often referred to as aglaonema volatile. It grows on the Philippine Islands and the island of Sulawesi. A stem that grows upright can reach one and a half meters in height. The leaf plates are attached to the stem with long petioles and reach sizes - 30 cm in length and 10 cm in width. Bottle-colored leaves along the edges and along the lateral veins have a rich emerald border. Inflorescences consist of 3 to 5 flowers. The inflorescence itself has the shape of a cob, with a size of about 6 cm, it is tightly enveloped by a petal-veil of a pale light green shade, which is longer than the inflorescence. After flowering, it bears fruit with beautiful rich scarlet fruits, which are a decorative decoration of this aglaonema variety.
- Aglaonema ribbed (Aglaonema costatum). The cradle of growing tropical forest areas of southwest Malaysia. The plant takes on a herbaceous form with dense basal branching of the stem. The sizes of this variety are the smallest. The stems can be liana-like or go underground. The leaf plate is very dense and resembles an almost round oval with a taper that starts from the middle of the leaf. Dimensions are 20 cm long and 10 cm wide. The edge of the sheet plate may have small notches. The color of the leaves is richly emerald, there is a light stripe along the middle vein, and the entire surface is covered with a whitish speck. Depending on the varieties of this type, ribbed aglaonema has a different size and shape of leaves, and different patterns on them. The flower stem is very long, up to 15 cm. It appears in the middle of winter and grows for a whole month, until it reaches about 10 cm in height. The cobs are large enough by the beginning of the flowering process, which lasts a couple of days. Fruits are formed only in natural climatic conditions.
- Painted Aglaonema (Aglaonema pictum). The natural habitat is tropical island forests of Barneo and Sumatra. With sufficient branching, the height of the trunk is 60 cm. The lateral stems are very densely leafy. The shape of the leaf plate is elliptical, elongated with a soft sharpening at the edges. With a width of only 5 cm, the length can vary from 10 cm to 20 cm. The color of the leaf has a rich malachite tone with a chaotic light gray spot, some subspecies have silvery-white markings. This creates a very high decorative appeal. After flowering, it bears fruit with bright red fruits.
- Aglaonema oblong-leaved (Aglaonema marantifolium). The homeland of the growth of humid tropical forests of the territories of the Indonesian islands. The leaf petioles are very long, reaching 20 cm in height. The leaf plate is measured 30 cm long. The figure on the leaves is dominated by silvery-gray tones.
In home breeding, the following types can also be used:
- rounded aglaonema (red-black shades of leaf plates);
- aglaonema Silver Queen (with a silvery blue leaf surface);
- Aglaonema Maria (the most shade-tolerant of the whole species with dark emerald leaves);
- aglaonema Treiba (the most unpretentious in care with a silvery-green color of leaf plates);
- Aglaonema Silver Bay (the owner of the most impressive size - more than a meter in height);
- aglaonema Strips (with marginal gray stripes on the leaves);
- aglaonema Friedman (with a height of up to one and a half meters and wavy edges of sheet plates);
- Aglaonema Pattaya Beauty (not whimsical in care, watering and lighting, with graceful stems that look like palm trees when the leaves fall).
Caring for agla mute in an apartment or office
- Lighting. If the aglaonema's leaf plates do not have patterns, then it is not at all demanding on lighting and even strong shading will not harm it. For species with patterned surfaces, moderate ambient light is preferred. Such a plant does not tolerate bright direct sunlight, due to which burns of leaf plates occur. In winter, for variegated species, you will have to arrange additional lighting, as the drawing may fade.
- Content temperature. In order for aglaonema to feel most comfortable for her, the temperature fluctuations are within 20-25 degrees, but with the onset of cold weather, the thermometer should not show temperatures below 16 degrees. The plant also does not tolerate drafts, if the pot stands in the way of a draft, sooner or later this will lead to its death. It is necessary to ensure that night and day temperature readings do not have large differences.
- Air humidity. Aglaonema is very fond of frequent spraying, especially on dry summer days, this procedure will have to be performed twice a day. When the temperature drops with spraying, you need to be very careful. Loves a plant when the leaves are wiped with a soft sponge dipped in water. It is not recommended to apply any solutions to give shine to the leaves. It tolerates hot air currents from the batteries worst of all during the winter. To preserve the plant, it is necessary to install a foil screen, and the pot itself can be installed in a wide and deep container with water. It is helpful to have a warm shower for the aglaonema to remove dust from the leaves.
- Watering aglaonema. The plant prefers frequent but moderate watering. In dry months, watering should be increased and halved as temperatures drop. It is necessary to moisten the earth only when the layer of the upper earth is dry enough. Although some growers claim that aglaonema can even tolerate complete drying of the soil substrate, without compromising its appearance and well-being. But with all this, it is not recommended to arrange waterlogging of the substrate in a pot - this will serve as the beginning of rotting of the root system.
- Fertilizers for aglaonema. For top dressing, complex fertilizers with a wide range of minerals and organic additives are chosen. It can be fertilizers for ornamental-deciduous plants with a dosage less than that indicated by the manufacturer. In the winter months, aglaonema is not disturbed by top dressing, but with an increase in ambient temperatures and the beginning of plant growth, they begin to make top dressing once every 14 days.
- Transplanting and soil selection. Since aglaonema grows very slowly, young plants need replanting only once a year. Adults, it is better not to disturb for 3-5 years. The pot for transplanting needs to be increased by only a couple of centimeters, since the plant does not like a lot of space for its roots. Drainage in the pot will help drain unnecessary moisture.
For aglaonema, choose a fairly light and loose soil with good moisture conductivity. The composition can be selected independently from the following options:
- sheet land (2 parts), peat land (1 part), sand (1 part);
- sand (2 parts) and one part of leafy land, turf land, peat land;
- sheet land (3 parts), peat land (1 part), charcoal (1 part), dry humus (0.5 parts).
Aglaonema shows good results when grown hydroponically.
Reproduction of aglaonema at home
Among the methods of reproduction of aglaonema, division, cuttings with apical shoots or stem, seed material are distinguished.
When dividing a bush, a well-sharpened knife is used, the root system is cut without crushing into pieces. This operation must be carried out at the end of spring. Also, young aglaonema can be separated from an adult plant. It is necessary to ensure that the plants selected for reproduction have a good root system and developed leaf plates. These parts are planted in a pre-prepared container and substrate, and then covered with a plastic bag or glass jar. In this case, it is necessary to arrange frequent ventilation and moistening of the earth (spraying). The temperature for successful rooting should not drop below 20 degrees.
For propagation with the help of shoots, the tops of the stems or lateral processes are selected, and pieces of the central stem can also be used. Sphagnum moss, coarse sand or perlite (agroperlite) are used as a substrate for planting. Cut off pieces of stems must be sprinkled with crushed activated charcoal or charcoal and slightly dried. Then the shoots are planted in a substrate and the conditions of a mini-greenhouse are arranged. It is best to choose cuttings that have leaves, otherwise they will take root for quite a long time.
If you need to get a lot of rooted cuttings, then the cut off part of the trunk of the mother plant is taken, divided into parts at least 5 cm long and placed in a container from the substrates horizontally, only barely covered with earth. The container is covered with glass or a transparent bag. The workpieces in the container are regularly sprayed and ventilated. By seed, reproduction occurs when a large amount of aglaonema seedlings needs to be obtained. The growth of these shoots will be much slower than in the previous methods. The seeds are harvested from the mother plant or purchased from a flower shop. Each berry has a seed (seed), so there is no need to pollinate the plant. Immediately after the ripening process, the seed is removed, thoroughly soaked and dried. It is recommended to plant it immediately, as the germination rate will greatly decrease over time.
Growing difficulties and harmful insects aglaonema
If deformation of the leaf plates occurs, their drying and dropping without disturbing the irrigation conditions and temperature indicators, it is necessary to inspect the plant, as this may indicate the defeat of the aglaonema by spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, thrips or mealybugs. In case of detection of pests, the prompt and thorough spraying of the plant with insecticides is necessary.
Sunburn of the leaves is accompanied by the appearance of yellow and whitish spots on them - the plant is transferred to a darker place and after a while is sprayed. The same reaction of leaf plates can be associated with excessive waterlogging of the soil in the pot or low temperatures. Low temperatures can also be accompanied by wilting of the aglaonema. If the leaf plates begin to lose their color or change the shade to a paler one, the plant does not have enough light or it is too overfed with fertilizers. If the air becomes too dry, then the leaves begin to dry out at the ends and at the edges - it is necessary to increase the humidity of the air.
Learn about the features of growing aglaonema at home:
