Some are solid, while others have speckled or variegated patterns. Most are green with white stripes, and some are bright red.
Yet one thing that all Aglaonema plants have in common is that they’re among the prettiest indoor plants!
Aglaonema, also known as Chinese evergreen, is a flowering plant from the Araceae family that many people keep as an indoor plant. This is because Aglaonemas are easy to care for, making them great for beginners!
So, in today’s article, we’ll share with you the best soil for Aglaonema plants, the best way to water them, and other tips that’ll help you keep your plant happy.
Let’s begin!
Why Make Your Own Aglaonema Soil?
This is an excellent question to ask as there are many options available in the market for you to choose from. Well, there are several reasons why you should consider making your Aglaonema soil, including the following:
- Customization
The first and most obvious reason to create your Aglaonema soil is that it allows you to customize it to suit your plant’s needs.
For example, you can choose how acidic or alkaline the soil is; you can adjust the number of nutrients or add some extra ingredients to help your plant’s growth.
This can be particularly useful if your plant suffers from health issues or you can’t find suitable soil.
- Cost-Effective
Creating your own Aglaonema soil allows you to create a product that’s both suitable for your plant and affordable. This is because you’ll control what goes into the soil while considering the cost.
Moreover, most of the ingredients that go into the soil mix, like peat moss or vermiculite, are relatively cheap compared to commercial soil mixes.
Also, let’s not forget you can bulk-buy the ingredient to save even more money!
- Environmental Friendly
Do you know how much packaging goes into commercial soil mixes? Quick hint: it’s a lot!
For every purchase, you’ll find at least one plastic bag with the soil inside and a large container—usually cardboard—that holds the bag itself.
Hence, every purchase you make at the store contributes to an already large pile of waste.
Plus, if you decide to order this online or have it delivered to your home, you’ll be contributing to the carbon footprint of the shipping.
So, an easy way to avoid all these problems and help our little planet is by making your organic soil mix at home.
Aglaonema Soil Characteristics
Even though this plant isn’t very demanding, it doesn’t mean you can use any soil and expect it to grow!
It just means that it’s not too picky about the medium and mainly requires the following soil characteristics:
- Peat-Based
To give your Chinese evergreen a healthy environment, you must provide peat-based soil!
Essentially, peat soil results from years and years of organic matter—such as plants and animals—decaying near bogs or peatlands.
It doesn’t contain any nutrients, but it’s lightweight, an essential characteristic of Aglaonema soil.
- Slightly Acidic
Most plants thrive in a soil with a 6.5–7.5 pH level. However, Aglaonema prefers more acidic soil with a 5.6–6.5 pH range.
This is because it enables them to access and absorb more nutrients from the soil, such as nitrogen, manganese, and iron.
- Lightweight and Well-Draining
Finally, Aglaonema soil must be lightweight to allow the water and air to flow smoothly to the roots.
This is especially important as Aglaonemas plants have a shallow root system, making them easily susceptible to root rot.
What Do Aglaonemas Need?
As mentioned, Aglaonemas are the perfect plants for beginners as they’re easy to care for. In fact, they only require the following:
- Bright Indirect Sunlight
Originally, Aglaonemas could be found in the tropics and subtropics of New Guinea and Asia. Hence, this little plant likes sunlight but not direct one!
So, be careful with its placement, as strong sunlight can easily scorch its leaves. However, this doesn’t mean you should place it in a dark corner either, as this can result in pale and yellowish leaves.
- Moderately Warm Temperatures
As mentioned above, because this plant is native to the tropics, it prefers warm temperatures. Hence, Chinese evergreens thrive in temperatures between 70°–80° F.
The temperature shouldn’t drop more than 10 degrees at night, though.
- Watering
There’s no specific schedule that we can recommend for watering your Aglaonema. This is because you’ll need to water it as soon as you notice that the topsoil—or 50% of the soil volume—is dry.
This can happen in as little as three days or maybe a bit more, so you must be vigilant with your watering!
- Humidity
While Aglaonemas can survive in low humidity, they absolutely thrive in highly humid environments.
If you can get the humidity levels around your Aglaonemas up to 70%, you’ll notice they look healthier and happier.
- Well-Draining Soil
Last but not least, Aglaonemas need well-draining soil to grow in. If your soil doesn’t drain water well, you’ll see your plant turning a sad shade of yellow or even developing root rot.
What Do You Need to Make the Best Aglaonema Soil?
The best Aglaonema soil is nutrient-rich, well-draining, and acidic! So, to make the best soil, you’ll need to mix the following ingredients:
- Peat: Basically, this is the base for your potting mix. It’s lightweight, porous, and helps retain moisture
- Perlite: This is a volcanic glass that you can add to the soil to help with aeration, drainage, and water retention
- Vermiculite: This is another mineral that helps prevent waterlogging
- Pine Park (optional): You can add this ingredient to help with drainage and aeration, as well as add more organic matter to the soil
- Fertilizer (optional): If you think your Aglaonema needs a little boost in its growth, you can add fertilizer to the soil
- Sulfur (optional): If the soil is too alkaline for your liking, you can add sulfur to help lower the pH level
You may have noticed that half of the items on this list are labeled as “optional,” which can seem odd.
However, Aglaonema requirements are minimal and can be satisfied with only three ingredients in the soil.
How to Make Your Own Aglaonema Plant Soil?
Making your own Aglaonema soil is very easy! All you need is the following components:
- Peat
- Perlite
- Vermiculite
After you’ve gathered your ingredients, mix equal parts of all three components in a large container. Then, start adding water slowly while mixing the soil.
When the soil starts holding itself together, stop adding water. Remember to adjust the soil’s pH level to meet Aglaonema’s 5.6–6.5 pH requirement. Once you’ve achieved the correct pH, you can transfer the soil to the pot and plant your sweet Aglaonema!
Storing Your Leftover Aglaonema Plant Soil
Sometimes you find yourself with a little more soil than your pot can hold. So, to store those leftovers properly, here’s what you need to do:
- Use an Airtight Container
After planting your Aglaonema, let the leftover soil dry, then move the mix into an airtight container.
You could use whatever that’s available, like a Tupperware container or mason jar. Just ensure the container is tight enough to prevent any potential bugs or moisture.
- Keep It in a Cool Place
Though you may think the soil is safe in that airtight container, you should keep it in a cool, dry place.
Excess moisture can leave you with moldy soil that’s harmful to your plant and you.
- Use It Within a Year
As time goes on, the nutrients in the soil will start to break down. So, it’s best to use your soil within a year or less so your plant can still get all the nutrients it needs.
Benefits of Making Your Own Potting Mix for Aglaonema
We’ve already discussed three advantages of making your potting mix for Aglaonema: customization, affordability, and waste control.
However, there are a couple more benefits to keep in mind:
- Quality Control
One of the best things about making your own potting mix is that you can be sure of every little ingredient you use.
You know where the peat is from, what fertilizer you’re using, and you’ll even know the amount of water in the mix. Hence, you can rest assured that your potting mix is of excellent quality.
- Better Drainage and Aeration
The key to growing a healthy and happy Aglaonema is to provide it with well-draining soil that allows for good aeration. And even though there are commercial soils that promise to do this, they don’t consistently deliver.
Thankfully, a good homemade potting mix ensures you provide your plant with the best drainage and aeration possible.
- Chemical Free
Finally, when creating your mix, you can ensure it’s free of any chemicals or additives that might affect your plant.
Many commercial soil mixes have pesticides or chemical fertilizers that can do more harm than good. However, you can have complete control over what goes in and make an all-natural organic mix if desired.
FAQs
Now that you know why it’s better to make your aglaonema soil, let’s answer some frequently asked questions:
What’s the Best Soil Mix for Aglaonema?
The best soil mix for Aglaonema is a mix of peat, perlite, and vermiculite. These three components allow for good drainage while simultaneously allowing moisture retention.
How Do You Make Aglaonema More Healthy?
To ensure your Aglaonema is healthy, you can follow this small checklist:
- Make sure it’s getting proper watering
- Keep an eye out for pests
- Increase the humidity level in its environment
- Check the pot’s placement and how close/far it is from the sun
How Often Should I Repot My Aglaonema?
You should repot your Aglaonema plant once every two years. This allows you to remove any dead roots and give it a fresh start.
Quick Recap
So, are you still wondering what’s the best soil for Aglaonema? Hopefully not!
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Aglaonemas love slightly acidic, well-draining, and well-aerated soil. They also love high humidity levels and indirect sunlight.
If you can give your Aglaonema these little things, you’ll have a healthy plant that’ll live for decades!
