Two weeks ago, I gave you a general overview of the Snow White Aglaonema plant. It belongs to the famous Chinese Evergreens within the Araceae family and is scientifically known as Aglaonema costatum.

It is an ornamental plant, with sharp green-and-white-coloured leaves. Surprisingly, this plant can thrive with minimal care. It requires watering every few days, a handful of any fertiliser, limited pest repellants if required, and no direct sunlight exposure. This makes the plant an ideal solution to decorate one’s home and office, even for those who may lack time.

While growing the plant might sound convenient, it does not mean that one can leave the Snow White plant to grow on its own. The concept of leaving behind a bucket of water standing in the pot is lethal for the plant. While any plant would be on the brink of root rot in such conditions, this can be especially fatal for the Aglaonemas.

The Snow White plant is not grown for its flower or produce. This ornamental plant is primarily grown to beautify the surroundings, while highlighting its beautiful dual-coloured green and white leaves. It is, therefore, very important for any gardener to grow and shape the plant in a manner that it appears bushy and full of leaves.

With the dual-coloured leaves of the popular decorative Aglaonema plant its main attraction, it’s important to shape the plant so that it appears full

However, it is equally important that there is enough aeration, limited crowding in the pot and minimal contact between leaves. This reduces the possibility of any plant infection or pest attack. Pruning techniques come in handy in this case and knowing how to prune the plant, while keeping the newly growing pups, is fundamental.

Although the plant has no thorns, it is always better to wear gloves, whether one is shifting the plant to a bigger container, pruning or even tilling or sifting through the soil. Gloves help the gardener to remain safe from unwanted abrasions, allergies, dermal and nail-related infections. Many gardeners prefer pruning the stem just above the selected leaf node mark. This pushes the plant to produce more leaves from the rest of the stem.

Furthermore, one should regularly remove the brown and dried leaves at the bottom of the main stem, to keep the plant sharp, fresh and beautiful. These wilted, dried leaves can be added to the compost bin or even placed on the container’s soil surface, to act as mulch to extend the moisture-retention duration of the soil.

The flowers also need to be removed, since it is a very common belief associated with the Aglaonema varieties that their flowers are likely to sap the plant’s energy, while reducing its growing speed and capacity to grow larger-sized leaves. As shown in the photograph, the flowers of the Snow White are equally striking and beautiful. It takes a heavy heart to cut off these beauties from the plant.

The low-maintenance, drought-resistant plant has its own set of benefits, apart from the overall beautification of the surroundings. Not only is it considered to be an air purifier, by helping to remove the chemicals and air-pollutants from the breathable air, it is also believed to be a good luck charm for the household.

Regardless of the strikingly beautiful leaves of the Snow White plant drawing one’s attention, the leaves are considered to be poisonous and not fit for consumption, even for animals. Therefore, they should be kept away from the reach of children and pets.

The Snow White plant is not easily available at roadside nurseries and it is relatively expensive, compared to other commonly available ornamental decorative plants. This makes the propagation of its pups, to make new and more plants, economically and aesthetically fulfilling for the grower.

In my next column, I will detail how this can be done easily at home without any major expenditure. The column will also highlight some dos and don’ts for shifting the baby shoots of the Snow White plant to new containers and multiplying the plant for its grower.

Please send your queries and emails to doctree101@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 4th, 2024