How should I care for a "Chinese Evergreen" plant?

Question

My mother received a large and beautiful Chinese Evergreen plant recently and she was talking about giving it away because she was afraid that she wouldn't take good care of it. I convinced her to let us keep it, but now I feel responsible to make sure that it gets the right care. What kind of water and light conditions do these plants need?

Answer 1

Chinese Evergreen (Aglonema) is pretty easy to grow. It is related to Peace Lily (Spathephyllum) and Philodendron. They are good in low to medium light. One important factor is not to allow them to dry out. They are pretty heavy "drinkers".

As mentioned cut off dead leaves as they appear, but otherwise don't really require much else. I would fertilize regularly with a fertilizer recommended for house plants. Always follow the directions on the label.

Good luck-

Answer 2

Chinese evergreen, or aglaonema, is a versatile low light, low growing, durable plant. They are produced in many different varieties. The foliage is either silvery green with some dark green or the reverse, mostly dark green with light green streaks.

Take precautions to keep the plant in temperatures above 55°. Chinese evergreens get a mottled brown spotting on the leaves when they have gotten too cold. The damage is irreversible.

These plants will have stunted new growth and rotten stalks if the soil is kept too moist. The plant will loose lower yellow leaves if the soil is too dry.

PRUNING:

Remove discolored lower leaves. Pull off greenish blooms unless you enjoy their look (Be sure to remove them when they die). We recommend cutting the stalks periodically to keep the plant leafy and full. The center new growth can be pulled out to maintain the stalk's compact growth.

Answer 3

i would start 1cup of water, check it in 4-5 days
to see how much water it drank.stick your finger in the soil about an inch, if the soil feels wet and soil sticks to your finger that should be enough.if it is not moist add 1 more cup of watter.they like to be on the dryer side.keeping it to wet will give it root rot.water once a week give and add according to how much its drinking remember when it gets warm again you will need to feed it plant food and add more water only about a half a cup.feeding your plant will help it stay green and healthy. personally that's how i began loving plants,a
gift my mother got and gave to me for the same reason.now i do it for a living.you will do just fine & if you have any troubles just ask we are hear for you.