Chinese Evergreen – Plants Poisonous to Cats
After many years of trying to get my wife to buy house plants (we have cats) she has finally given in, but she seems to always get the plants with no identification (got to love her ) we were woindering what this plant is we have had it for about 3 months and i had to repot it due to its growth spurt. Please help
Hi Will,
Your plant is a Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema), the variety is probably “Miss Thailand.”
Here are some care tips for this very beautiful houseplant.
Light: Chinese Evergreen plants are probably the only indoor plant with large colorful variegated leaves that can live in low-light conditions. If placed in medium light, these plants do grow more quickly.
Water: Allow the top 25-30% of the soil to dry out before watering. When the soil of a Chinese Evergreen is too wet, the stems become “mushy” and die. When the soil gets too dry or too wet, yellow leaves develop.
Fertilizer: Chinese Evergreen plants need very little plant food. Feed a Chinese Evergreen every other month with a basic houseplant food at 1/4 the recommended strength.
Temperatures below 50° may damage the leaves so keep Chinese Evergreen plants away from cold winter drafts and air conditioners.
You can read all my care tips for a Chinese Evergreen plant in the Popular Houseplant section of the website. The picture is of a different variety, but the care is the same.
These plants are considered poisonous and should be kept away from pets (esp. cats) and children. Read more about common houseplants that are poisonous in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants