Aglaonema ‘Silverado’

An Indian hybrid selected in Bangalore

Gopalaswamy Parthasarathy and Parthasarathy Mukundan bred Aglaonema ‘Silverado’ in India from Aglaonema nitidum f. cinereum ‘Ernesto’s Favorite’ and the breeding selection KSG Hybrid 86-31. They selected it in Bangalore in 1989, and it was patented in 2003. KSG Hybrid 86-31 has no stated parentage, so this part of the cultivar’s family tree remains unknown.

Care for broad-leaved Aglaonema ‘Silverado’

• 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: Support the broad leaves from below during cleaning and leave space around the crown.
• 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.

Residue, dry margins and stem-base softness on Aglaonema ‘Silverado’

• Residue: Pale rings that lift with a damp cloth are surface deposits. Marks that remain within the silver tissue are leaf damage and should not be scrubbed.
• Brown margins: Drying across several leaves usually reflects interrupted moisture, hot dry airflow or salt buildup. Use the brown-tip guide to match the position and texture of the damage to the most likely cause. Check the lower root ball and substrate surface to identify which fits.
• Soft stem base: Movement at the substrate line above wet mix indicates root or stem decay. Check the full depth of damage before cutting or repotting, then preserve firm growth and remove only tissue that is soft, dark or collapsing. When the collapsed section has a stable boundary, remove collapsed tissue and preserve firm growth.
• Pests: Check both leaf surfaces and the petiole bases for thrips, spider mites, mealybugs and scale.

Pet safety: Aglaonema ‘Silverado’

Aglaonema ‘Silverado’ 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 word roots behind Aglaonema ‘Silverado’

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.