Chinese evergreen

About Chinese evergreen

Chinese evergreens are clumping foliage plants from the forest floors of Southeast Asia and New Guinea, grown for lance-shaped leaves splashed with silver, cream, pink or red (NC State). They are among the best plants for a dim room: a north window or ordinary room light keeps them going for years, and newer pink and red kinds bred in Florida are as tough as the old silver ones. The one thing they hate is cold, so keep them away from drafty doors.

Hardy outdoors only in zones 10b-11 (NC State); it is grown indoors everywhere and can summer outdoors in full shade once nights stay above about 65 F.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Usually bought as a nursery plant or started from a division or tip cutting of an older plant (NC State, Illinois Extension).

Growing it indoors

• Light: One of the best plants for low light; shadowless light from a north window or good indirect light suits it, and bright light bleaches the leaves (NC State, Illinois Extension, Penn State).
• Water: Keep the mix lightly moist from spring through fall, letting the surface dry between waterings, and always use room-temperature water, since cold water invites root rot (NC State, Illinois Extension). Water less in winter.
• Humidity: Prefers high humidity but tolerates dry rooms; leaves brown at the edges in very dry air or drafty spots (NC State).
• Temperature: Likes 70-80 F days (NC State) and about 65 F nights (MU Extension); chilling injury starts below 45 F (UF/IFAS), so keep it off cold windowsills and away from doors and AC vents.
• Feeding: No page we opened gives a plant-specific rate; follow MU Extension's general rule of a complete houseplant fertilizer about once a month while new leaves appear, none in winter.
• Repotting: No page we opened gives a schedule; repot in spring when roots fill the pot, one size up (MU Extension), and cut leggy stems back at the same time.

Soil

A standard potting mix with good drainage, kept lightly moist spring through fall (NC State).

Pot in a standard potting mix with good drainage (NC State).

Feeding

• Spring through fall, while new leaves appear: complete water-soluble houseplant fertilizer. No opened page gives a plant-specific rate; MU Extension's general houseplant rule is about once a month at label strength, or 20-20-20 at 1.5 teaspoons per gallon, watered in.
• Winter: none. Skip fertilizer and water less while growth pauses (NC State, MU Extension).

Cold water and cold rooms do more harm than a missed feeding; use room-temperature water and keep it above 65 F at night (NC State, MU Extension).

Varieties (9)

NC State lists dozens of cultivars; the 9 described by NC State and UF/IFAS are included.

Pests to watch for

Aphids, Mealybugs, Twospotted spider mite, Scale insects

Diseases and problems

Root and crown rot, Leaf spot, Stem rot

In the kitchen

Safety: All parts contain calcium oxalate crystals: eating it causes a painful, burning mouth and swelling of the lips and tongue, and the sap can give a rash (NC State rates it low severity; UF/IFAS). The red berries are not edible. Keep it from small children and wash hands after cutting it.

Pets: Toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA, listed as Aglaonema modestum): insoluble calcium oxalates cause oral irritation, pain and swelling of the mouth, tongue and lips, heavy drooling, vomiting (not in horses) and trouble swallowing.