PLANT CARE

• WHAT IS AN AROID? - Aroids are from the family Araceae and include the genus Philodendron, Alocasia, and Anthurium. All aroids have an inflorescence or "flower" they reproduce with. Many have very large leaves they use to absorb what little light that reaches beneath the forest canopy. 
• SOIL: Keep it chunky. Aroids hate soppy mucky soil as many species are epiphytes (grow in trees) and would never see dense soil in the wild. adding chunky perlite, or bark helps oxygen reach the roots and keeps your substrate from growing unwanted life. We use a mix of orchid bark, perlite, coco coir, and worm castings. 
• LIGHT: Bright indirect light. If the only light source in a room is a window and you can comfortably read a book in said room, that is bright indirect light. For the most part as long as they have access to an East, South, or West facing window these plants should be fine. Do not put these plants outside in the hot summer sun. They will brown at the edges of their big luxurious leaves. 
• WATER: wait till the top 2 inches of soil are dry. If you stick your index finger in the soil and only the tip is moist, it is time to water. 1 to maybe 2 times a week if it is really hot. 
  1. We ship our aroids with a layer of sphagnum moss over the top of the soil and you can definitely leave this on the surface of your plant after repotting. Not only does this keep them safe in shipping, but  it is a good way to retain some  humidity and tell when it’s time to water again. When you water the sphagnum it soaks up water and over time it will get brittle and dry (about a week’s time). When the sphagnum is crispy, it's safe to say it's time to water your plant. 
  2. Tap Water: If you can afford it, we recommend watering with distilled water 1 once a month to rinse out the heavy metals in our tap water. Aglaonemas are more sensitive to hard water. 

• HUMIDITY: all aroids appreciate higher humidity, but the species we carry are more forgiving than most in their family. Try to maintain at least 50% humidity. If you can splurge for a humidifier, do it, if not you may experience a little browning on the edges but otherwise your plant will be fine. 
• TEMP: 55-80 degrees F
• FERTILIZER: not much. A little worm castings or a light dose of houseplant fertilizer once every couple months during the growing season.

WATER

Water only once the pot is light (meaning all soil has completely dried out). Over watering will kill these plants much faster than under watering. This could mean once a week if kept outdoors in the sun or once every 2 weeks in an east facing window with little sun. 

LIGHT

For the best leaf coloring keep outdoors, but out of the blazing afternoon sun. A south, East, or west facing window indoors is fine. A sign of too much light is browning leaves. A sign of too little light is elongated growth. Remember, even the toughest succulents need to be acclimated to a new environment and new light intensities. Our E. Francoissi's are more tender succulents and appreciate a sunny window more than a blazing hot front porch. 

FERTILIZER

Not really necessary. In the wild these plants have such poor soil they have evolved to live in nutrient deficient substrates. Over fertilizing can promote fungal and mold growth. 1 dose of succulent fertilizer at the start of the growing season should suffice.

SOIL/POTTING

The key word is DRAINAGE. The substrate should be high in pumice or perlite or pebbles (40-50%) to aid in drainage after watering. Potting soil that retains moisture and has high nutrient content will promote fungal and mold growth, which will kill your plant. 

These plants are awesome because they can stay in relatively small pots. Like most succulents who live in poor soils their roots are ok with being fairly root-bound.