Chinese evergreen

Chinese evergreen: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, upright clump 40–60 cm tall and as wide; over the years a short stem forms.

Leaf

Lance-shaped to oblong, 15–30 cm long, glossy dark green with silvery grey patches along the veins; also pink or red in hybrids.

Flower

Sometimes a small, greenish-white flower head with a spathe and a spadix, typical of the arum family. It is easily overlooked.

Fruit

Flowering may be followed by red berries; these are poisonous too.

Sap

The sap contains needle-shaped crystals (calcium oxalate) that irritate the mouth and skin.

Roots

Fleshy and fairly shallow; they rot quickly in wet compost.

Plants: March–May

Why grow it?

• One of the few houseplants that cope with a dim corner or a spot far from the window.
• Evergreen, decorative leaves in green, silver, pink or red: attractive all year, even without flowers.
• Slow-growing and compact, ideal for a desk, a shelf or a plant table.
• Copes better with a forgotten watering than with too much water.
• Easy to propagate by dividing the clump when repotting.

Chinese evergreen: where does it grow best?

• Partial shade to shade: near a north- or east-facing window, or a few metres from a sunny one.
• No direct midday sun: it scorches the leaves and leaves brown patches. Variegated and pink forms do colour better with more light.
• Warm, ideally 18–25 °C, and never below 15 °C. Keep it away from draughts, open doors and cold window panes.
• It likes fairly high humidity: a bathroom with a window or a group of plants together is ideal.

Light

Bright, out of direct sun or low light

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Moderately

Size

0.6 m tall, 0.6 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 15 °C

Goes well with

• ZZ plant: Just as happy with little light; its firm, glossy leaves make a contrast.
• Peace lily: From the same family, for the same spot, with white flowers beside the patterned leaves.
• Boston fern: Enjoys the same humid air and adds fine, airy foliage next to the broad leaves.
• Philodendron: A climbing or trailing relative for a green corner with different heights.

Chinese evergreen: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–May.

1. Repot in March, April or May, when the plant starts growing again; every 2–3 years is enough.
2. Choose a pot only a few centimetres wider than the old one, with a drainage hole.
3. Use light, airy houseplant compost, ideally with some perlite or fine bark added for better drainage.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before and firm the compost lightly.
5. Water moderately, let excess water drain away and keep the plant out of bright sun for the first few weeks.
6. Wait 4–6 weeks before feeding: fresh compost contains enough nutrients.

Care

Watering

Let the top 2–3 cm of compost dry out before watering. Use water at room temperature and never leave water standing in the saucer.

Feeding

From April to September, every 2–4 weeks, a half dose of liquid houseplant feed. No feeding in winter.

Humidity

Stand the pot on a tray of gravel with a little water, or place it among other plants. Dry air causes brown leaf tips.

Leaves

Wipe the leaves now and then with a damp cloth: dust blocks light.

Repotting

Every 2–3 years in spring, into a slightly larger pot. It likes being a little pot-bound.

Yellow leaves

An old lower leaf turning yellow is normal: cut it off at the base.

Tip: Give the pot a quarter turn every few weeks so the plant does not grow lopsided towards the light. Place variegated forms slightly closer to the light than the green ones.

Chinese evergreen: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. Just remove yellow or damaged leaves, at any time of year.

How:

• Cut old, yellow leaves off close to the stem with a clean knife or scissors.
• If the plant has become tall and bare over the years, cut off the top in spring and use it as a cutting; the old stem usually sprouts again.
• Remove flowers if you want the plant to put its energy into new leaves.

Caution: Wear gloves: the sap irritates the skin and eyes.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

When repotting in spring, gently pull or cut the clump into pieces, each with its own roots and a few leaves, and pot them up separately.

Tip cuttings

From April to June, cut off a tip or side shoot of 10–15 cm, let the cut surface dry briefly and put it in moist cutting compost or in water at 20–25 °C. Roots appear after a few weeks.

Chinese evergreen: how does it get through the winter?

• A houseplant: it stays indoors all year and cannot take temperatures below 15 °C.
• Water less in winter and let the compost dry out further: cold, wet roots rot quickly.
• No feeding from October to March.
• Do not place it right above a radiator or against a cold window pane; warm, dry air causes brown leaf edges.

Diseases and pests

• Root rot: Limp stems, yellow leaves and wet, sour-smelling compost: too much water. Take the plant out of its pot, cut away rotten roots and repot in fresh, airy compost.
• Cold damage: Dark, watery patches on the leaves after a cold night or a draught. Move the plant somewhere warmer and cut off damaged leaves.
• Mealybug: White, woolly tufts in the leaf axils. Dab them off with a cotton bud dipped in a little methylated spirit, or rinse the plant.
• Red spider mite: Fine speckling and webbing on the leaves, especially in warm, dry air. Rinse the leaves and raise the humidity.
• Brown leaf tips: Air that is too dry or irregular watering. Raise the humidity and water more regularly.

Through the year

• January: Water sparingly and do not feed. Dust the leaves.
• February: Watch for red spider mite and mealybug in the dry, heated air.
• March: Repot if the pot is full of roots. Water a little more.
• April: Start feeding. Divide or take cuttings.
• May: Last chance to repot. Feed every 2–4 weeks.
• June: Water regularly and keep out of bright sun.
• July: Water when the top few centimetres are dry. Feed.
• August: Feed. Dust the leaves.
• September: Last feed. Keep away from open windows on cold nights.
• October: Water less. Stop feeding.
• November: Move away from cold window panes and draughts.
• December: Little water. Not above a radiator.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of these houseplants of the arum family are poisonous: the sap is full of needle-shaped crystals (calcium oxalate) which, when chewed, at once cause burning pain and swelling of the lips, mouth and throat, with drooling and sometimes vomiting. Most at risk are cats, which like to chew trailing stems and leaves, dogs, and young children playing on the floor. Hang climbers and trailing plants out of their reach, clear up cut stems and cuttings straight away, and do not put a glass of cuttings in water where a cat drinks from it. Wear gloves when pruning and repotting, do not rub your eyes, and wash your hands afterwards. If your cat or dog drools or its mouth swells, call your vet. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• The name Aglaonema comes from Greek: aglaos means ‘bright’ and nema ‘thread’, probably a reference to the shiny stamens.
• In the wild it grows in the understorey of tropical forests, in the half-light beneath tall trees. That is why it manages with so little light indoors.
• It is related to dieffenbachia, monstera and the peace lily and, like them, flowers with a spathe and a spadix.