How to Cultivate and Propagate Store Bought Aglaonema Plants

The Aglaonema, also known as the Chinese Evergreen, is one of the most popular plants for homes and offices thanks to its low care needs and its ability to flourish in low light conditions. That does not mean that this plant can survive entirely without care. Given the extremely low rate of seed germination for this species, it is best to propagate them by buying an Aglaonema plant and then making cuttings from which further plants can be grown.

Latex gloves

Scissors or garden shears

6-inch diameter pots

Organic potting soil

Peat moss

Ffertilizer

Purchase an Aglaonema plant in any garden department; they're popular plants that most stores with a selection of plants carry. Find a relatively young one with small buds and foliage sprouting from the sides of the soil near the edge of the pot's rim. Make sure the soil is damp and the leaves are a vibrant light green to ensure it is healthy enough to take cuttings.

Put on a set of latex or rubber gloves before cutting the plant. Many people have a mild allergic reaction to the sap which oozes from the stems when they are cut or broken. The result would be something similar to a light brush with poison ivy, so be careful to keep it away from children and pets.

Pull the plant from the pot, taking with it as much of the surrounding soil as possible. Check the roots over thoroughly. If the plant appears root bound, which is evident if the roots are pressed up against and conform to the sides of the pot, use the edge of your shears to cut a vertical slash in the root mass, spacing each cut every 2 inches. Follow the stem of fresh leaves down to the soil; from there cut straight downward with your shears to take both the stem and a good chunk of the root system. Do this until your plant is divided into four or five pieces.

Fill pots with organic potting soil and peat moss, mixing well. Place one cutting in each pot, sinking each level with the top of the pot. Drench each pot until water pours from the vents at the bottom of the pots and then give them a full strength dose of Miracle-Gro or other quality plant fertilizer, following the instructions on the fertilizer container.

Place each pot in a window sill, preferably facing north, that receives no more than 6 hours of partial sunlight each day. Water the plants to keep the soil moist at all times, or whenever the tips of the leaves go brown. Give another half dose of fertilizer every 2 months afterward. As these are indoor plants you shouldn't have to worry about pests. The Aglaonema is very resistant to mildew and fungal infections as well, so nothing should impede its growth. The plants should be back to the size of the original plant within 4 or 5 months.