Chinese Evergreen Plant Propagation
I found a clipping of this plant at work and I want to know how you get its roots started? It’s in water right now but doesn’t seem to be liking it.
Hi Alan,
Your plant is a type of Chinese Evergreen plant. A Chinese Evergreen plant is one of the easiest and best-looking houseplants to have in your home or office. Aglaonema is the scientific name for a Chinese Evergreen plant. All of the many Chinese Evergreen plant varieties have long shiny leathery leaves with unique patterns of green, gray, pink, red, and cream. NASA lists the Chinese Evergreen as one of its top ten plants to clean the air of harmful toxins.
These plants are considered poisonous and should be kept away from pets and children. Read more about common houseplants that are poisonous in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants.
Chinese Evergreen plants are propagated by stem cuttings. You need a 4”-6” piece of a healthy stem, it is best if it has a leaf node on it. A node is where a leaf joins the stem and looks like a bump on the stem. Remove leaves from the bottom 1/3 of the stem. Dip the cut end of the stem into a small amount of Rooting Hormone that contains a Fungicide. Plant the stem in a 4″pot (drip holes in the bottom) of moist potting soil. Cover the pot with clear plastic to increase the humidity and prevent the soil from drying out. Check the plant every few days to be sure the soil stays moist. Tug on the stem cuttings after a few weeks, if there is resistance, roots have developed, the plastic can be removed, and the propagation was successful.