How to Care for a Chinese Evergreen

The Chinese Evergreen is a tropical plant that originates in Southeast Asia. They are great plants to have in the home because they are extremely resilient and can adapt to a wide range of living conditions. Chinese Evergreens often have interesting variegated leaf patterns and provide an interesting visual piece for any home.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Pot the Chinese Evergreen in a mixture of peat moss, bark and sand if possible. The plant will grow in almost any soil, but make sure that it is well drained.

2. Keep soil slightly dry and water the plant with room temperature or warm water. Overwatering so that the soil is always moist will damage the plant, so water about once a week and check to make sure the soil is not still moist each time you go to water it.

3. Provide the plant with moderate to low light. Chinese Evergreens can flourish in extremely low light, but moderate filtered light is best.

4. Fertilize with caution. Indoor plants should receive only fertilizer that is diluted to 1/4 strength and anything stronger may burn the plant.

5. Keep the plant in a warm temperature, preferably at least 75 degrees with a 10 degree drop at night. Chinese Evergreens are tropical plants and are extremely sensitive to cold temperatures. Temperatures below 55 degrees can severely damage the roots and leaves.

6. Remove discolored lower leaves as the plant is growing to allow new growth to flourish. You may also remove the green blooms, either as soon as they appear or at least when they die.

7. Keep the plant in humid conditions, although it can tolerate low humidity for stretches of time. If your home has low humidity, mist the plant's leaves with warm water to simulate humidity.

Tips & Warnings

• The scientific name for the Chinese Evergreen is "Aglaonema."