Agloanema Red - Best Indoor Plants

I would like to introduce a New Series on Indoor Plants

and hope to come up with 10 Best Indoor Plants for Beginners.

It is fairly easy plant to grow and maintain.

Let me introduce this plant - Agloanema (the Red Version)

The species is the same as the green version known as Silver Queen or Chinese Evergreen.
This however is the red version which is a bit more sensitive and slow growing.
These are however more pricey and less hardy compared to green variety.

The characteristics of plant care and needs are very similar to dumbcane species.

I believe both are so inter-related that you can cross hybrid them together to create a new cultivar.

THE BEST REASON TO GROW AGLAONEMA (Red Variety)

1) Absorbs Toxins from the Living Space:

According to NASA study,
this plant is capable of purifying air by removing some toxin element
such as formaldehyde and benzene from indoor environment.

These plants are great for toxic fume areas like car park zone and high traffic moment areas.

2) Extremely Care-Free Maintenance Plant

This plant can tolerate both low light & bright light areas.

Also you can neglect on the watering regime.
It can tolerate infrequent watering & also over-watering.

HOW TO CARE FOR AGLAONEMA PLANT:

1) SHADE DWELLING PLANTS

They are shade loving plant.

They can tolerate bright direct sunny area as they can tend to acclimate well but with strong casualty of burned or scorched leaves and in many instances giving the looks of being worn out under the sun.

For this reason, this plant is ideal for indoor plants.

They can do so well undisturbed indoor area of a home, office or resort areas to give that green cool ambiance setting.

2) WATERING:

This plant is considered hardy.

These types are more tolerant towards infrequent watering & also in conditions where the soil media had become dry & hardened. Any other plant would had shrivel and died.

These can stand the test of time lasting for years.

3) PROPAGATION:

Propagation is very much successful using division from the root ball or stem cutting.

The stem can also easily root in water of which would be a better to plant them once the roots formation are established.

There are so many cultivars and variety been introduced year after year that it's just quite impossible to keep up with the collection.

4) PEST:

Do watch out for scale insect and mealy bugs. 

They can be such a menace if not checked and handled immediately 

as these pest can overwhelm the whole plant and stress the plant to death.

In most cases, the damage is so huge that it is better to discard the plant than trying to reviving it back with pesticide which requires strong and repetitive application. And often, the plant too dies even after the strong application of all these pesticide.

My suggestion:
Do take the trouble to check the plant time to time to deter and control the problem before it becomes a major problem.

5) PRUNING:

These do not require pruning except trimming off the inflorescent so that the plant can focus on it's  general growth on the plant especially better root development and more foliage formation.

Trimming off the flowers helps them to focus the growth on other areas.

These are Araceae, from the aroids family.
Thus these flowers or they called it inflorescence called as spadix.
It's understood that it's not a true flower 

but the piece covering the flower is a modified leaf known as spathe (the leaf-like bract)

Chinese Evergreen - Best Indoor Plants

I would like to introduce a New Series on Indoor Plants

and hope to come up with 10 Best Indoor Plants for Beginners.

And this is one of the most easiest to begin with.

It is fairly impossible to kill this plant. (If you do - I should congratulate you for it)
Let me introduce this plant - Agloanema also known as Chinese Evergreen.

The one above is known as Silver Queen, one of the first originals that been introduced years ago before the newer versions which has more color combination together with intricate designs. They are however more pricey and less hardy compared to the originals.

The characteristics of plant care and needs are very similar to dumbcane species.

I believe both are so inter-related that you can cross hybrid them together to create a new cultivar.

Look at the pattern and the splashes. No one leaf is the same.

THE BEST REASON TO GROW AGLAONEMA / CHINESE EVERGREEN / SILVER QUEEN

1) Absorbs Toxins from the Living Space:

According to NASA study,
this plant is capable of purifying air by removing some toxin element
such as formaldehyde and benzene from indoor environment.

These plants are great for toxic fume areas like car park zone and high traffic moment areas.

2) Extremely Care-Free Maintenance Plant

This plant can tolerate both low light & bright light areas.

Also you can neglect on the watering regime.
It can tolerate infrequent watering & also over-watering.

I had hard time pronouncing it's name, I mean seriously,
"Egg Allow Neh Mah" Really?

Unless you are an avid gardener,
- I'm pretty sure Chinese Evergreen or Silver Queen is so much better.

I'm still wondering who had came up with such a name for these beautiful plants.

These are still considered as Aglaonema regardless the green or the red tone variety.
These however are more resilient and grows faster in comparison to the red variety.

HOW TO CARE FOR AGLAONEMA PLANT:

1) They are shade loving plant.

They can tolerate bright direct sunny area as they can tend to acclimate well but with strong casualty of burned or scorched leaves and in many instances giving the looks of being worn out under the sun.

For this reason, this plant is ideal for indoor plants.

They can do so well undisturbed indoor area of a home, office or resort areas to give that green cool ambiance setting.

2) Watering

This plant is considered hardy.
These types are more tolerant towards infrequent watering & also in conditions where the soil media had become dry & hardened. Any other plant would had shrivel and died.

These can stand the test of time lasting for years.

Propagation is very much successful using division from the root ball or stem cutting.

The stem can also easily root in water of which would be a better to plant them once the roots formation are established.

There are so many cultivars and variety been introduced year after year that it's just quite impossible to keep up with the collection.

Regardless, its a beauty to eye of the beholder.
Some gardeners love them, others however may find them as bland boring green plant.

I for one love the 3 tone colors on the foliage. The newer varieties had added colors on the leaf stem.

I had found that they give quite an interesting feature of pink and yellow shades. Another had zebra like spots on the stem. Such a great interesting feature.

PEST:

Do watch out for scale insect and mealy bugs. They can be such a menace if not checked and handled immediately as these pest can overwhelm the whole plant and stress the plant to death.

In most cases, the damage is so huge that it is better to discard the plant than trying to reviving it back with pesticide which requires strong and repetitive application. And often, the plant too dies even after the strong application of all these pesticide.

My suggestion:
Do take the trouble to check the plant time to time to deter and control the problem before it becomes a major problem.

The Coloured Foliages

It took awhile to decide what to keep and throw
and finally the decision made and this is the result.
I had kept all the different of types of dumbcane in a pot and they are doing very well here.

The Watermelon Begonia too decided to do well in this area and became quite dominant.
They are planted together with Aglaonema.

A single pot where all the varieties of dumbcanes put together.
Somehow - this species does so well compared to so many trials and error
I had planted many plants and none did well.

Aglaonema

It would be a great challenge to work with Aglanonema's.
Their easier species - Chinese Evergreens seemed much cooperative.
The only set-back: You don't get their colours, especially the red.

The terrible thing about Aglaonema's is that they are expensive.
You will just find one plant sold in a pot
(with lots of space in between) and they are terrible growers.
They are so slow that if they don't make it - they die.

One thing for sure.
If they start growing and doing well
They really give that beautiful display colours that is rare in garden.
The vibrant, brilliant red - only found in flowers.
And these foliages - do stay very long.

Too long - that I'm getting immune to them.
(sort of getting a blind spot on them)

My Garden is all about Colours.
The more bold, strong and brilliant the colour.
The more it appeals to me that gives me that satisfaction.
If you like colours like these - do get them and group them together.

They truly make wonders.

Random Colours in the Garden

It would definitely out the context to give a specific detail concerning one singular species.
Especially when it comes to Vertical Gardening.
As these are very much appear to be like a community plants,
staying and coping together in harmony.

The colours indeed makes a great difference in the blending.
These Jacob's Coat somehow have a nice patches that fits well in my concept.

The sun was shining brightly filtering through the leaves giving a lovely contrast.
One thing for sure.
I'm actually running out of words to describe all these beauties.
This time - I let the pictures do the talking.