office plant care – How to Care for Houseplants

One of the most commonly used interior landscape plants is the Aglaonema Silver Bay. Easy to care for, the Aglaonema Silver Bay plant can be maintained at the lower light levels often found in the home or office environment.

New varieties of the Aglaonema houseplant are introduced quite frequently and the Aglaonema Silver Bay is one of many. There are many different varieties of Aglaonema plants, with colors ranging from green, silver green, gray, pink and red. Aglaonema is a very attractive foliage houseplant and makes a great plant for office or home.

There are many varieties of Aglaonema plants and it can be hard to keep up with them all. Let me just say, that along with Dracaena plants, Aglaonema Silver Bay is one of the workhorses of the interior landscape industry.

The most common Aglaonema plant varieties are the Aglaonema Emerald Beauty or Maria, Aglaonema Silver Queen and the Aglaonema Silver Bay. Aglaonema plants have a bush-like or clumping growth and, depending on the pot size, can be from 8 inches to 4 feet tall.

All varieties of Aglaonema are variegated to some extent. Variegated types of Aglaonema plants need more light than those with less variegation. Typically, the lighter the color of a plant, the higher the light levels it needs to maintain its color and variegation.

Aglaonema Silver Bay Houseplant — **Aglaonema “Silver Bay**” **Houseplant**

How to Water Aglaonema Silver Bay

If your Aglaonema Silver Bay is in high light, you can allow the potting mix to dry down 1/2 to 3/4 of the way out before watering thoroughly. In a lower light situation, allow soil to dry almost completely between watering. Please read the section on watering for more on the most important part of your houseplant care.

If you think you may be over watering or under watering your Aglaonema Silver Bay or any of your houseplants, you might want to try using a moisture meter. These can help you determine if your houseplants are getting too dry or are being kept overly wet. I often use one of these at work while caring for plants and they are especially helpful for checking plants that are in large pots.

Other Care Aglaonema Silver Bay

This is a great house plant for just about any location except full sun. Full sun, especially through glass, can scorch the exposed leaves. Aglaonema Silver Bay plants will survive in low light if carefully watered but will become thin and leggy over time.

To keep your Aglaonema Silver Bay plant looking as nice as possible, try to provide bright, diffused natural light or some artificial fluorescent lighting or grow lighting. The Aglaonema Silver Bay plant will do quite well with just artificial lighting. For this reason, the Aglaonema Silver Bay is ideal for use in professional office space.

Temperatures for Aglaonema Silver Bay should not be allowed to drop below 60°F. Aglaonema Silver Bay are NOT cold tolerant plants.

To keep your Aglaonema Silver Bay plant full and bushy, remove some of the new leaves as they appear. Do this by firmly grasping the stem the new leaf grows from and hold the new leaf near its base and gently pull. It should come out entirely and this is preferred.

There are a few problems you may encounter with this plant. Aglaonema Silver Bay is prone to stem rot and root rot if over-watered. This is especially true if your Aglaonema is in low light. The light your plant receives is one of the biggest factors in determining the watering of your Aglaonema Silver Bay.

Mealybugs are one of the insect problems that you may have with Aglaonema Silver Bay. An oval-shaped, somewhat flattened body and six legs distinguish this insect, although they can appear to have more legs because of their “antennae” and “tails”.

They also have a fringe around the body. A waxy, protective substance covers the body of adults and egg sacs giving them a cottony appearance. Normally mealybugs are found in hidden areas, undersides of the leaves or in the leaf axil. They also excrete a sticky substance called honeydew. Keep an eye out for this pest, especially when you first bring a new plant home from the store or nursery. Here is a picture of mealybugs on indoor plants.

Apply to top and lower leaf, stems of your house plants, being careful not to saturate the soil. You can clean by hand or use a spray bottle to apply your house plant cleaning solution. I use a sponge moistened with my cleaning solution to gently wipe the top and lower leaf surfaces. Cleaning of your houseplants should be a regular part of your houseplant care.

Do not apply anything to the leaves of your plant while it is in the sun or when the soil is dry. Water your houseplant first and then move to a shady location.

How to Prune Your Aglaonema

When your Aglaonema Silver Bay plant gets leggy and has lost many lower leaves, you can prune back the stem above a leaf node. Cut a few inches above the soil level and the stem will put out some new shoots from the side of the stalk. Be patient, it will take some time to grow a new shoot.

You can root the cutting in moist sand, using rooting hormone. Plant in potting media when the roots are a few inches long. You may need to support cutting with a small stake until the roots can do the job alone.

Houseplant Care Questions?

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Before you send a question, please read this page and further information on watering your indoor houseplants, how to help keep your house plant’s root system healthy and lighting for your houseplants. These are most important for your house plant’s health and this is some of the information I may refer you to if you send an email.

Thanks for visiting and come back soon as information on indoor plants, pictures and more are being added all of the time. I hope that your indoor tropical house plants and all of your plants and flowers are happy, green and growing because that is why I started this site, PlantAndFlowerInfo.com.

Indoor House Plants Care

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Light for Dracaena Warneckii Houseplant

Warneckii does best in a bright light situation. Most Dracaena will do quite well under artificial lighting alone or a combination of natural light and artificial light. Keep your Dracaena Warneckii in bright, filtered light if available. Direct afternoon sun is not recommended as it can burn the foliage. Bright light is preferred and some morning sun will help keep your Dracaena looking good.

Most dracaenas can be maintained in lower lighting with reduced watering and Warneckii is one house plant that will tolerate lower light levels. It is prone to root rot if over-watered in lower light.

For more information on proper watering of your Dracaena Warneckii houseplant, see below and check out the page on general indoor house plant watering practices.

Watering Dracaena Warneckii

Houseplants should be checked for watering needs once a week. They may not need water every week but it is best to check the soil and groom your plant on the same day each week. That way you are less likely to forget about your plant. In lower to medium light, water when potting soil has dried down at least 3/4 of the depth of the pot. In bright light, allow Dracaena Warneckii houseplant to dry at least 1/2 – 3/4 of the way down and then water thoroughly. Please see watering indoor plants and information on importance of light for your houseplants as these two things will most impact your plant’s health.

Dracaena Warneckii Care Tips

Despite my story about not watering a Dracaena Warneckii for three months, I do not recommend this as a common watering practice. Dracaena can be let to go almost all the way dry but you also risk damaging the foliage by leaving your plant too dry for extended periods of time. You may find bumpy, yellow spots or blotches on your Warneckii houseplant’s lower foliage when it has been allowed to dry too much.

A few notes about Warneckii. It is best placed in a low traffic location. The foliage of Dracaena Warneckii is much more easily damaged than other Dracaenas. Handle with care. Dracaena Warneckii is also prone to damage from excess soluble salts (fertilizers) and fluoride (often found in your water). This can cause yellow blotches, brown tips and leaf margins. This is often made worse by allowing plant to dry too much. Leach plant occasionally and replace soil with fresh media to help alleviate the problem. Dracaena Warneckii can also have root and stem rot problems if kept too wet in low light.

Remove lower leaves as they yellow and trim brown tips to the original leaf shape using sharp clean scissors. It is normal for a new plant to shed its old foliage when it is moved to a new and different environment, so expect new additions to your plant family. Warneckii will lose some of its inner and lower leaves as time goes by.

Trim the leaf edges as needed but once you have lost more than half of the leaf it is best to remove it entirely. This will help encourage new vibrant growth for a great looking plant. Given the proper care, it should acclimate and become a beautiful, trouble free plant.

As your Dracaena Warneckii plant grows taller and loses its lower leaves, you may want to cut the stem or stalk back before the plant becomes too tall. When you cut back the stem, your Dracaena Warneckii will produce new “heads” or shoots from the stem from the leaf nodes below your cut.
Keep your Warneckii house plant’s foliage clean and initially keep an eye out for insect problems. Mites, mealybug, thrips and scale can sometimes be a problem but Warneckii is, for the most part, not prone to many insect problems. Mealybugs are the most likely problem. A good wash down with soapy water should be sufficient to control any pests. If you do notice insects, be sure to address immediately to prevent population growth.

Apply to top and lower leaf and stem surfaces being careful not to saturate the soil. You can clean by hand or use a spray bottle to apply your plant cleaning solution. I use a sponge moistened with my cleaning solution to gently wipe the top and lower leaf surfaces. Cleaning of your house plants should be a regular part of your house plant care. Be extra careful cleaning Dracaena Warneckii as the leaves can be easily damaged.

Dracaena Warneckii Plant Care Question?

If you have a question about your Dracaena warneckii houseplant or other houseplants, you can send me an email and I will do my best to help you find an answer to your question or a solution to your problem. You can contact me here. Thanks for visiting!