Ornamental plant lovers are certainly no stranger to this one plant. The beauty of the leaf pattern is always able to attract the attention of anyone who sees it. Aglaonema is one type of ornamental plant that does not flower that accentuates the beauty of its leaves. Recent advances in plant breeding and tissue culture have added to the variety of variants of this aglaonema plant.
Getting to know the Aglaonema Plant
The aglaonema plant is still in the same group as the taro plant, and is a member of the Araceae family. It is said that this aglaonema plant is believed to be a plant that invites luck or fortune.
So, in Indonesia this plant is also popular with the name Sri Rezeki. This plant grows well in moist environments such as swamps and rainforests. The physical description of the aglaonema plant is as follows:
Leaves
The beauty of this plant is shown by the beauty of the shape and pattern of its leaves. The leaves are oval in shape and arranged alternately on the stem. Aglaonema leaves have a variety of color variations, on average red, white and green. Each type is distinguished by leaf shape and color variations on the leaves of this plant.
Stem
Plant stems grow following the increase in leaves. Plant height ranges from 20-150 cm.
Habitat
This plant grows well in a moist and water-rich environment. So that this plant is found in swampy areas and rainforests in the tropics. In tropical countries such as most of Asia, this plant grows naturally in lush and moist forests and bushes.
Stems and Leaves
Some types of this plant produce a toxic sap. The poison in the sap of this plant can cause irritation to the skin, especially sensitive skin.
Several Types of Aglaonema
Aglaonema plants consist of 40 species. However, which are quite popular and become a favorite type of ornamental plant lovers are:
- Aglaonema costatum
- Aglaonema modestum
- Aglaonema crispum
Meanwhile, based on the color variant of the leaves, Aglaonema is divided into several variants that are quite well known including:
Snow white, which is a variant of aglaonema leaves which is dominated by color. white with green stripes that are evenly distributed on the leaf surface.
Legacy, which is a green variant of aglaonema leaves then the leaf bone groove is dominated by a red color.
Cochine, namely Aglaonema which has red or copper leaf variants.
Lipstick, as the name implies is Aglaonema which has a leaf variant which is dominated by green, then the edges of the leaves are decorated with a red pattern. Like a girl's lips painted with lipstick.
This plant is not so difficult to breed, if you know the technique. There are two ways to propagate the tiller of aglaonema plants, namely:
Planting Technique
The type of aglaonema plant that is planted will produce two to three new aglaonema plant tillers. Let the saplings grow until they are strong enough. After about six months of age, the new saplings can be separated and planted in new polybags.
Sapling Cutting Technique
This technique is considered to be the most practical and fast sapling cultivation technique. The point of this technique is to stimulate the mother plant to issue new saplings. One piece of shoots can stimulate the base of the plant, producing 2-3 new Aglaonema tillers.
The resulting saplings can be separated from their parents after having five to seven leaves. The steps for propagation of plant saplings with this shoot cutting technique are:
Choose a healthy mother plant and have the following criteria:
- Mature enough, with at least 8 to 10 leaves.
- Mature leaves look fresh and strong.
- Young leaves are not too small.
- The roots look healthy, strong, not deformed, white and fat and there are no visible signs of rot.
- First, immerse the base of the stem deeper, at least 8-10 cm into the soil.
- A few weeks before cutting the shoots, the intensity of fertilizer application was increased.
- Cutting is done on the stem. Leave one leaf on the remaining main hump.
- Grease the injured part, both at the end of the stem and cut shoots with a mixture of betel nut and betel nut so that the wound is covered.
- Cut shoots are planted in the planting medium, by first cutting half the length of the leaves to reduce evaporation.
- Place the cut shoots that have been planted in the shade and do watering regularly.
For maximum results, use the plastic hood method, to reduce evaporation. Thus, tillers from shoots that have not yet rooted do not wither quickly until the roots grow and can absorb water and nutrients for their growth.
Aglaonema Planting Techniques
- Required tools:
- Rubber gloves
- Scissors
- Potted
Ingredients:
- Planting media (mixture of burnt soil and husk)
- Fertilizer
- Seeds/saplings
How to plant:
First, choose good seeds. The characteristics of good seeds are in the form of young, leafy shoots. Good seeds should be light green in color with a fresh appearance.
If you find messy seeds, immediately trim them by cutting off unnecessary parts of the seeds with plant shears.
Split the seeds into four parts, so you get more aglaonema. However, if you don't split it, that's okay.
Fill the pot with planting media and add fertilizer. The ratio of planting medium and fertilizer is 3: 1.
Plant the seeds by immersing them, until only a small part of the shoot remains.
Flush aglaonema plants that have been planted with enough water.
Arrange the pots that have been planted with aglaonema in a shady and protected place.
Aglaonema Plant Care Techniques
Aglaonema is a type of plant that is easy to care for. In general, things that are important to consider in the care of aglaonema plants are:
Fertilization
Fertilization is an important maintenance action for aglaonema. Especially if these plants are planted in polybags. The types of fertilizers that should be given to aglaonema plants are:
- Manure
- Compost
- Micro fertilizer (foliar fertilizer)
Fertilization should be given once every three months, along with the addition or replacement of planting media. Meanwhile, micro fertilizer is given once a month, by spraying.
Watering
The frequency of watering should be adjusted to weather conditions. Aglaonema is a type of plant that is greedy for water, but a flooded environment is not good for root growth. Therefore, watering with sufficient frequency is needed. In the dry season, watering should be done every day regularly. However, in the rainy season, the frequency of watering can be reduced. Just 1 time 2 or 3 days.
Changing planting
media Aglaonema planting media should be replaced every 1 year. The trick is to hold the base of the aglaonema stem firmly, then tilt the pot while pulling the aglaonema plant stem to release it from the planting medium.
The remnants of the media that are still attached to the roots and weevil are cleaned. You can soak it in water for about 30 minutes. Prepare a pot that already contains the new planting medium. Then replant the aglaonema on the planting media that has been provided.
Pruning
From time to time you need to clean your aglaonema plants, from old leaves. You do this by cutting and removing the old Aglaonema plant leaves.
This is information about the types of aglaonema plants and their cultivation techniques. Hopefully it is useful and can help you to invite sustenance through this Sri Sustenance cultivation.