Aglaonema 'Ivy Green'

A dark-green line with no known pedigree

Aglaonema ‘Ivy Green’ is a cultivated selection recognised by its deep green, pearly marked leaves. Its breeder and cross are unknown, and the plant trade has not retained a selection location or introduction date for the name. The ancestry of the cultivar cannot be linked confidently to a species or a particular wet-forest habitat.

Care for Aglaonema ‘Ivy Green’

• Light: Medium to bright indirect light is suitable. Lower light slows growth and keeps the pot wet longer; strong sun through glass can scorch the leaves.
• Watering: Water when the surface feels dry and the pot is noticeably lighter, after checking that the root ball below is no longer wet. Small pots and brighter, warmer positions dry sooner. Wet the whole root ball and let the pot drain.
• Temperature, humidity and airflow: Keep it at 18–27 °C and above 15 °C, especially when the substrate is wet. Around 45–60% humidity is usually sufficient. If humidity stays below about 40% and edges keep drying, move the plant away from heating or use a humidifier. Normal room airflow is enough; avoid cold draughts and direct hot air.
• 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 an open mix of coco coir or peat, small bark and perlite or pumice in a draining pot. Let a newly delivered plant settle in its original pot. Repot when roots fill the container or the mix compacts, using a pot only slightly larger than the root system and keeping the stems at the same depth.
• Leaf care: Clean the dark leaves with a soft damp cloth when dust becomes visible; avoid leaf-shine products.
• Propagation: Division is simplest: separate a basal shoot after it develops its own roots. Cane sections with at least one healthy node can also root in warm, lightly moist substrate.

Surface film and a soft base on Aglaonema ‘Ivy Green’

• Surface film: Dust and dried water lift from the pearly surface with a damp soft cloth. Stop wiping once the deposit is gone; a mark that remains in the tissue is not dirt.
• Heavy pot with limp growth: This combination points to poor root aeration. If the base is loose or roots are soft and dark, photograph the problem, inspect the entire root ball and remove only tissue that is clearly dead. After confirming that roots are dead, remove only dead roots and replace dense wet substrate.
• Pests: Inspect both leaf surfaces and the protected stem joints for thrips, spider mites, mealybugs and scale. Move an affected plant away from the rest of the collection while the cause is checked and treatment begins.

Pet safety: Aglaonema ‘Ivy Green’

Aglaonema ‘Ivy Green’ 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.

The origin of the name Aglaonema in ‘Ivy Green’

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.