Aglaonema 'Red Valentine'

Cultivated form and natural range of Aglaonema 'Red Valentine'

‘Red Valentine’ is a cultivated Aglaonema. The genus occurs naturally from north-eastern India across tropical Asia to Papua New Guinea, with many species growing beneath the canopy of humid tropical forest.

Growing Aglaonema ‘Red Valentine’ well

• Light: Bright indirect light gives the broad leaves plenty of usable light without exposing them to the heat of direct sun. Screen strong rays through glass or move the plant back from the window.
• Match the pot to the roots: Use a loose organic-mineral mix with bark plus perlite or pumice and a pot with drainage holes. Water once the upper portion has dried, saturate the root ball evenly and let it drain; avoid leaving a small root system inside an oversized volume of wet mix.
• Warm, steady conditions: Aim for normal heated-room temperatures, ideally around 18–24 °C, and avoid dropping below about 15 °C. Ordinary room airflow is useful around the closely spaced leaf bases.
• Maintenance: Feed lightly during active growth, wipe the broad leaves with a soft damp cloth and remove only fully yellow lower leaves. A well-rooted basal shoot can be divided during repotting; firm stem sections with a healthy node can also be propagated warm.

When Aglaonema ‘Red Valentine’ shows stress

• Several lower leaves turn yellow together: Feel the mix deep in the pot. If it remains wet for a long time, extend the interval between waterings and improve drainage. If yellowing continues and the roots are soft or rotten, remove only the decayed roots and replace the wet substrate with fresh, loose mix around the firm roots. The yellow leaves guide helps separate watering from other causes.
• Brown tips or a narrow dry edge: Check the root ball and recent feeding before changing humidity. If the mix has been drying hard between waterings, water more evenly. If the root ball is still moist and the browning followed regular or strong feeding, flush the mix thoroughly with plain water and resume fertilising at a lower dose. If the damage is concentrated on the window-facing edge, move the plant out of hot direct sun.
• Pale, crisp patches on the window-facing side: This is typical of excessive direct light or heat. Move the plant out of the sunbeam or use a sheer screen; damaged tissue will remain visible on that leaf.
• Silvery scars and black specks in unfolding leaves — thrips: Isolate the plant while you inspect the folded growth and leaf undersides. Confirm thrips by finding slender moving insects or black specks beside fresh silver scarring, then apply a treatment formulated for thrips on houseplants to the folded growth and leaf undersides. Repeat it at the intervals stated on the label for the full course, and keep checking until new leaves open without fresh damage.
• Fine stippling or webbing beneath the leaves — spider mites: Keep the plant away from nearby foliage and confirm spider mites by finding moving mites or their fine webbing on the leaf undersides. Rinse the foliage, then apply a treatment labelled for spider mites, such as an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil suitable for houseplants, to both sides of the leaves. Repeat it at the intervals stated on the label for the full course, and wait for clean new growth before ending isolation.
• Sticky leaves with cottony insects or fixed bumps — mealybugs or scale: Isolate the plant and check the leaf-stalk bases and blades for cottony mealybugs or fixed scale bumps. Remove visible insects, then apply a treatment labelled for the confirmed pest, such as an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil suitable for houseplants, to the leaf stalk bases and blades. Repeat it at the intervals stated on the label for the full course, and keep checking until new leaves open without fresh damage.

Aglaonema ‘Red Valentine’ is toxic to people and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its leaves and stems contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can irritate the mouth, throat, skin and eyes.
• Chewing may cause burning pain, drooling, swelling, vomiting or difficulty swallowing. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional after exposure, especially if swelling or breathing problems occur.

How did Aglaonema get its name?

Aglaonema combines Greek aglaos, meaning shining or splendid, with nema, meaning thread or filament.

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established the genus Aglaonema in 1829 in Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode, volume 1829, page 892.