Aglaonema ‘Silver Moon’

A self-pollinated seedling of ‘Silver Bay’

Marian W. Osiecki selected Aglaonema ‘Silver Moon’ at Altha, Florida, in 1994 from seedlings produced by self-pollinating ‘Silver Bay’. Its features remained stable through cuttings from 1995 onward, and it was patented in 2002. Its species background is inherited from ‘Silver Bay’, a cultivated hybrid of wet-tropical Asian Aglaonema lines.

Care for broad-leaved Aglaonema ‘Silver Moon’

• 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: Remove spent lower leaves cleanly. If an old cane becomes bare, it can be shortened above a healthy node to encourage new growth.
• 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.

Misshapen new leaves and moisture trapped in Aglaonema ‘Silver Moon’

• Stuck or misshapen new leaves: Changes in moisture or temperature while a leaf develops can leave it folded or distorted. Check the enclosed surfaces for pests and follow the new-leaf guide; do not pull it open.
• Softness in the crowded centre: Water held around concealed stem joints can start root or stem decay. Keep water out of the crown and determine how far the softness extends. Trace the softness through the crown before cutting, remove only collapsed tissue and preserve every firm stem section with a viable node.
• Sparse growth: Increasing gaps between leaves and weaker branching can indicate insufficient light once root health has been confirmed. Move the plant gradually towards brighter filtered light.
• Pests: Inspect inside the dense crown as well as beneath the leaves for thrips, spider mites, mealybugs and scale.

Pet safety: Aglaonema ‘Silver Moon’

Aglaonema ‘Silver Moon’ 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 Greek meaning of Aglaonema for ‘Silver Moon’

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.