My husband has had this houseplant for twelve years. It has survived pretty much every condition one can imagine, even a flood. It looks a little like an Aglonema but it has stalks that look a little like palm stalks. It responds very well to light, to having its soil changed, and to watering very well once a week. It stayed about the same size for ten years. Then I changed its soil and it started growing new leaves right away. My husband accidentally broke off a part. I put it in a glass of water for a couple of weeks and then it sprouted a little and I replanted it. It grew quite well. We moved into a new apartment with a lot more light. I put it on a high shelf across the room from a window and it's sitting in front of a mirror, so it's getting a lot of light and growing like crazy. It even sprouted a new part from beneath the soil. It has veriegated leaves, and they are a light and medium green color. When the new leaves grow in, the look like very long pointy pieces until they unfold. This plant has an issue, and that's why I'm trying to identify it. It's getting too tall to support itself. My friend said it's "leggy" from being without enough sunlight before. The problem is that I started using stakes and twist-ties to help it stand up. I've been interwining it's stalks. But now it can't support itself and I would like for it to be able to survive without the stakes. My husband cut off its new leaves to force it to grow "out", but my friend said that was a bad idea. So... what kind of plant is this? And what can I do to help make it stronger? Her name is Chloe and she's become like a part of our family but I don't know how to take care of her. Help.
One option is to 'top' the main stem. Just cut the top off it and new shoots will appear on the stem. Also you can replant the top. It will become bushier and wont need support. Ed
Ed, I am not familiar with plant terminology. Do you mean that I should cut off everything green above the stem of the tallest piece and replant it? But if new shoots grow off of the top one, it will still be just as heavy. I'm sorry that I'm dense about this. I can do quantum theory and complex poetry, but plants are a foreign language to me. -Susan
Leave about 4-5 inches when you cut off the top portion of the plant and it will shoot out and grow, the cutting can be rooted in water and replanted.
Yes Susan cut it off near where the ties are at present and replant it, just one cut. New shoots will then form, but roots will grow also in the meantime. It will take a while for it to get to that weight again and hopefully the roots will have grown in the interim to accomodate that... Ed
Oh, I do have one more question. I was reading someone else's posts on Aglonemas and someone said that if it's an Aglonema, the pattern on the top of the leaf will be repeated below. My plant does not have patterns on the bottom of the leaves. I can see the veins through the bottom of the leaf, but the bottoms are a solid color. Do you still think it's an Aglonema?
Yes, what you have is definitely an Aglonema. I just looked at my Aglonema (which looks just like yours) and there is no pattern on the underside of the leaves, it's just plain green.
