Caring For Your New Plant

Congratulations on your new plant! Whether you’ve just brought home your first leafy friend or you’re a seasoned plant parent looking to expand your collection, caring for plants can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. In this blog, we’ll cover essential tips to help you welcome home your new green companion successfully. 

Let’s dig in and cultivate a love for plants together!

 

Unpacking

Once your package arrives, bring it inside promptly to avoid leaving it outside in unfavorable weather conditions. Gently unwrap your items as soon as possible.

Remove the wrapping and packing materials from your plants, being careful not to accidentally cut any leaves or roots.  Remove the sphagnum moss from around the root ball, which is only used for transportation. You can compost it or save it for other gardening needs.

If you would like, you can rinse the foliage in the sink to freshen it up after the journey.  If your plant arrives in a pot, check the soil moisture of each plant and give it a drink if it's dry. 

 

Potting

Plants shipped bare rooted need to be potted up right away.  Plants shipped in a pot, however, should not be repotted for at least 14 days. This gives the young plant time to adjust and settle into its new home, promoting healthy growth now and in the future.

When selecting a pot, choose one that is appropriately sized to the plants’ current size. Do not pick too large of a pot as most plants like to be a bit cozy in their homes. While any pot type will do, we prefer terracotta due to its amazing ability to wick away moisture from our plants.

 

Perfect Medium

Aglaonema plants, just as with most aroids, prefer soil with a loose, well-draining texture that allows air to circulate around the roots. During potting, try to disturb the roots as little as possible.

Here at Tropical Plant Haven, we use a variety of planting mediums to include LECA and our own DIY Chunky Aroid Mix which includes: 

• 50% Rice Hull
• 20% Coco Cubes
• 10% Cocopeat
• 10% Perlite
• 10% Carbonized Rice Hull
• Mycorrhizal Fungi

To read more about our Chunky Aroid Mix and each ingredient, go here.

 

Lighting

Your Aglaonema prefers indirect bright light. It can adapt to low light, but the growth will slow considerably, and bright colors may fade over time. Direct morning sunlight is fine for this plant but avoid direct afternoon sunlight which can burn the leaves. If you don't have an ideal location for your Aglaonema, use a grow light.

 

Watering/Fertilizing

Aglaonema’s prefer to be more on the dry side so only water when the top 2”-3” of soil is dry before watering.  If you are using a chunky aroid mix or hydroponics, a weekly watering is sufficient so as long as your medium is not retaining too much moisture.  Preferably, use room temperature rain or filtered water.  The ideal fertilizer ratio for aglaonema plants is a balanced N-P-K ratio of 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. This means equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. 

And finally, remember that your plant has just completed a long journey. If you notice any yellowing or shedding leaves, don't worry, it's normal. A healthy root system will encourage new growth.

If you should still have any questions or concerns though, or would just like general advise, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We love talking about plants!