How to Care for a Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema)

The Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema) is the houseplant to reach for when you want colour and structure without the fuss. It tolerates low light, forgives the odd missed watering, and comes in dozens of patterns — silvery green, deep emerald, and the show-stopping pinks and reds. This guide covers everything it actually needs to thrive indoors.

Light

Match the light to the leaf. Solid dark-green Aglaonemas are genuinely low-light tolerant and will sit happily a few metres from a window. Variegated, silver, and especially the pink or red cultivars (like 'Siam Aurora' or 'Pink Dalmatian') need brighter — but still indirect — light to hold their colour; in a dim corner the pink fades and new leaves come out plain green. Keep all of them out of direct midday sun, which scorches the foliage.

Watering

Water when the top 3–5 cm of the mix feels dry. That usually means roughly weekly in summer and every 10–14 days in winter, but always check with a finger rather than the calendar. Water thoroughly until it drains, then tip away anything left in the saucer. Aglaonemas store water in their stems, so they far prefer a little drought to soggy roots — overwatering is the number-one killer.

Temperature and humidity

This is a tropical plant and it hates the cold. Keep it between 18 and 27°C and never let it drop below about 15°C — cold draughts from doors, windows, or air conditioning cause blackened patches and sudden leaf drop. It tolerates normal household humidity but grows lusher above 50%. If your air is very dry, group it with other plants or run a small humidifier.

Soil and potting

Use a light, free-draining houseplant mix — standard potting compost loosened with perlite and a handful of orchid bark or coco coir works well. Always use a pot with drainage holes. Chinese evergreens like being a little snug and are slow growers, so you only need to repot every two to three years, moving up one pot size in spring.

Feeding

Feed with a balanced liquid houseplant fertiliser at half strength once a month through spring and summer, and stop in autumn and winter when growth slows. Less is more here: over-feeding shows up as brown, scorched leaf edges.

Common problems

• Yellow leaves: usually overwatering. Let the mix dry further and check drainage.
• Brown, crispy tips: dry air, under-watering, or a build-up of salts and fluoride from tap water — try filtered or rainwater.
• Blackened patches or sudden leaf drop: cold shock. Move it somewhere warmer, away from draughts.
• Sticky leaves or white cotton-wool clumps: mealybugs — wipe off with diluted alcohol and check regularly.
• Faded pink or reverting variegation: not enough light. Move it brighter.

Is it toxic?

Warning: Aglaonema is toxic to cats, dogs, and people if chewed. Its sap contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which cause mouth and throat irritation, drooling, and vomiting. Keep it out of reach of curious pets and small children.

Tip: propagate a Chinese evergreen by division at repotting time — gently tease apart the clumps, each with roots and a few stems, and pot them up separately. If a leaf problem has you stumped, photograph it in PlantMe: the app matches the pattern against a library of 500+ plant diseases and disorders and returns a treatment plan in seconds.