Aglaonema Rooting with Water: Is It Possible?

The Chinese Evergreen – hardy plants – have become one of the most popular and recognizable group of plants for indoor use. With many new varieties of this appealing green plant you can effectively decorate any place.

Most people wonder whether Chinese evergreen plant, or aglaonema, can be cut and placed in water for rooting. The answer to this question is as simple as that – Aglaonema rooting with water is possible. However, while this plant is easy to root in water, planted-in-soil water roots do very poorly.

So, how to plant Aglaonema? The best way to propagate this gorgeous plant is by cutting a stem or division.

Watch for new growth of the plant coming up at the base of it. Remove it from the base, then replant in a separate pot.

Сhinese evergreen plants, or aglaonema plants, are beneficial. Not only these foliage plants are able to handle low light but they can also easily handle a wide array of soils and soil moisture.

Of course, for proper care you need to take into account the needs of each plant variety.

At the same time, it doesn’t matter what type of aglaonema you want to propagate - if you want to root aglaonema in water, follow the tips and you will enjoy a great result over time.

Important tips when rooting Aglaonema

One of the most simple and effective methods is propagation by cuttings. Aglaonema can be propagated in this way all year round, but it is better to do it in spring, so the plant will take root faster.

Cuttings are usually taken using lateral and apical shoots, or by cutting off pieces of the trunk itself. There should be at least a couple of leaves on the trunk if you want to speed up the rooting process. If it is important for you to root a new Aglaonema as soon as possible, it is better to do this with the plant tops, because they take root faster than the stem.

To root the tops, it is necessary to cut off the young apical shoots and leave them for some time on a dry paper surface. You can wait overnight, but it's better to leave them for a day or two. Remember to leave a height of at least 10 cm. Treat the cut with charcoal to prevent your aglaonema from infection.

Then you can go in two ways: put the tops in any container with clean water, or plant them in a small container filled with nutritious soil. If you choose soil, be sure to tie the leaves: this will slow down the evaporation of moisture. After the cutting has taken root, young shoots will appear.

For rooting, you need to simulate the conditions of a greenhouse. After the seedlings appear, wait a little, and repot the shoots into a pot in which aglaonema will grow further.

If you choose rooting aglaonema in water, you should also wait for taking roots by covering the plant and then repot it into the soil mix.

For aglaonema propagation you can also use the stem itself, or rather, its 5-10 cm cuttings. On the cuttings there usually are many buds that will be useful to you, and which you can awaken. Again, there are two ways: to place the shoots in a container with water or in a pot with soil mix.

• Put the cutting in the water vertically. Again, so as not to get an infection, treat the cut site with chopped charcoal. Small roots and young shoots will appear on the stem soon. When they appear, you can assume that you did everything right. You can place the cuttings in the soil mix as well, then the young branches will sprout at the very base. But, as I told earlier, with the leaves on the stem, rooting will be faster.

• After the stem cuttings have taken root in water or soil (whichever method you choose), you need to move them to a nutrient substrate. Very carefully, repot young aglaonema plants into separate pots and put them in place with proper lighting. Provide for the plants necessary humidity (usually high) and temperature (usually about 25°C). The conditions depend on the aglaonema variety.

Which method of rooting to choose is up to you to decide. I prefer rooting aglaonema in water. To do this, I usually put the cutting in water and the result is 100 percent. The roots appear quite quickly, just don't let them grow in water too much. The roots should be no longer than 5-7 cm, and then put the plant in the soil mix. If you do everything correctly and carefully, then the new young aglaonema will delight you for many years. Do not forget to take care of the plant so that it grows up as a magnificent beauty.