In my last two columns, I wrote about one of the most colourful, aesthetic and easy-to-manage indoor plants for homes and offices. Commonly known as the Snow White plant, this variety of the Aglaonema has relatively bigger-sized, green-coloured leaves, with white spots scattered all over the leaf.

While it is easy to grow and maintain this plant, it is not easy to find it at every other roadside plant nursery. Even if you find one, the chances are the price tag on it would be an inflated one.

In this column, I will explain how the pups or the young shoots of the Snow White plant can be easily propagated into preparing and growing more of these beauties easily at home. I must add that the preparation of the segregated pots of Snow White plant is extremely fulfilling for gardeners, both financially and in terms of the beautification of the space.

Before jumping to the prerequisites, such as the type of container, ideal weather conditions or the possible soil composition required for the newly shifted place, it is critical to differentiate and identify the shoots or pups of the Snow White Aglaonema from the mother plant.

It is easier to propagate this aesthetic and easy-to-manage indoor plant than buying it from a roadside plant nursery

The shoots generally surround the main plant and usually grow an inch or more away from the main stem of the mother plant. Needless to say, the new shoots are softer, thinner and weaker than the stem of the mother plant. The stems of these baby shoots are relatively fresh and comparatively lighter in colour. The leaves are comparatively few and smaller in size. Finally, each baby shoot is accompanied by its roots, which are sparse and few, and relatively not as well developed as the root system of the mother plant.

As the Snow White plant grows bushy and the root ball within the soil continues to occupy the container’s space, it is time to separate and shift the newly growing pups into separate containers. It not only provides the mother plant with breathing space but also provides the grower with some extra pots of Snow White plants for beautification of the space. Usually, the best time to shift the baby shoots would be around early spring.

It is important not to water the plant before shifting, so that it is not sticky or wet and gets easily pulled out from the pot. The ideal way to do that would be to slightly tap the container wall so that the soil easily leaves the walls of the container.

Once that is done, place your thumb on the drainage hole at the bottom of the plant pot, while placing your palm to cover the surface of the pot, keeping the plant gently intact, and then invert the pot. The plant usually slides out easily because of the presence of pebbles in the soil composition.

Once this is done, the baby shoots or pup can be easily cut-off from the mother plant. The latter is then repotted again in the original container. One must take the utmost care to keep the roots of the baby shoots intact. Even if the roots get damaged in the process, there is no need to worry. The pup can still be propagated in water, and even in soil.

Usually, the shoots should be shifted to a small container, in order to confine its growth to a dedicated space. Before shifting the baby shoots of the Snow White plant to a new container, the gardener should ensure that the container has the right composition of the potting mix.

The ideal composition would have 60 percent nursery soil, 20 percent of any of the decomposed organic nitrogen-based fertilisers, and the rest should be small stones and pebbles. The addition of pebbles and stones ensure there is no soil compaction. Ideally, vermicompost should be added, but much cheaper nitrogen-based fertilisers, such as decomposed cow dung or decomposed chicken manure, to name a few, can also be used as an alternative to vermicompost.

The new pot should not be watered after transplanting. It is better if the soil is already moist. Too much water or watering on the leaves can damage the colour and pattern of the leaves. Limited watering is recommended once the surface of the soil of the container turns dry. Misting is advisable too.

The newly prepared pots should be kept in a place that is not exposed to direct sunlight. Instead, it is better to keep the plant at a location where there is indirect light and enough humidity for the plant to thrive.

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 11th, 2024