Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’

The University of Florida pedigree of ‘Golden Bay’

Richard J. Henny developed Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’ through the University of Florida programme at Apopka and introduced it in 2001. Its pedigree includes Aglaonema commutatum ‘Tricolor’, Aglaonema nitidum ‘Ernesto’s Favorite’ and Aglaonema ‘Manila’. These parent lines ultimately derive from wet tropical forest Aglaonema of Southeast Asia and Malesia.

Care for broad-leaved Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’

• Light: Use medium to bright indirect light. Turn the pot occasionally if light comes mainly from one side, and protect the broad leaves from strong sun through glass.
• Watering: A large or densely rooted pot may be dry at the surface but wet in the centre. Check deeper and lift the pot before watering. Once it is clearly lighter, wet the whole root ball and let all excess drain.
• Temperature, humidity and airflow: Keep it at 18–27 °C and above 15 °C. Around 45–60% humidity is normally enough; use a humidifier if the air stays very dry and brown edges keep developing. Leave room for airflow through the crown, away from cold draughts, fans and radiators.
• Feeding: Use a complete houseplant fertiliser at a low dose every three to four waterings during active growth. Feed less often whenever growth slows, regardless of the season, and never fertilise a dry root ball or a stressed plant.
• Substrate and repotting: Use coco coir or peat, small bark and perlite or pumice in a stable draining pot. Let a newly delivered plant settle before repotting. When roots fill the container or the mix compacts, use a pot only slightly larger than the root system and keep the grouped stems at the same depth.
• Leaf and crown care: Basal shoots make the clump dense; give new leaves room and remove dead material from the centre.
• Propagation: Divide a well-rooted basal shoot during repotting, or root a cane section with at least one healthy node in warm, lightly moist substrate.

Drooping leaves, dry tips and chilling on Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’

• Drooping leaves: Lift the pot and check moisture below the surface. A light, dry root ball needs a complete soak; a heavy pot with limp leaves needs air around the roots and an inspection for softness.
• Brown tips: Larger specimens can stay wet below while the surface appears dry. When assessing brown leaf tips, base watering on pot weight and deeper moisture. Flush the substrate only when salt deposits are present and the root zone is otherwise healthy.
• Cold damage: Dark greasy patches appearing after transport or a winter draught are chilling injury. Keep the plant warm and wait until the patch stops changing. Keep the chilled leaf attached until the patch stops changing, then cut only tissue that has become fully dry or soft with a clean blade.
• Pests: Inspect the broad undersides and petiole bases for thrips, spider mites, mealybugs and scale. Isolate the plant when feeding damage or insects are present.

Pet safety: Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’

Aglaonema ‘Golden Bay’ is not pet-safe. Aglaonema contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause immediate mouth pain and irritation, swelling of the mouth, tongue or lips, drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing if chewed. Sap may also irritate skin and eyes.

What the botanical name means for ‘Golden Bay’

Aglaonema combines Greek aglaos, meaning shining or splendid, with nema, meaning thread or filament. Botanist Dan H. Nicolson rendered the resulting name as “shining stamen” in his monograph of the genus. Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established Aglaonema on 8 September 1829 on page 892 of issue 108 of Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Litteratur, Theater und Mode.