Plant care – Arrowhead / Syngonium podophyllum

Features:

• Tropical perennial shrub or vine in the Araceae family climbing to 6 feet
• Good for interior settings for its low-maintenance
• Both attractive and easy to grow
• Green or variegated, long-petiole leaves and bush-like habit with some cascading stems
• Beautiful variegated foliage flushed with white, cream, silver, pink, or purple
• Blooms are rare in interiors
• An excellent houseplant for low light

Planting:

The ideal location will include a warm setting with high humidity.  

It’s naturally shaded by taller trees and other foliage, so the arrowhead plant doesn’t require direct sunlight, if it is to maintain the creamy white foliage.

The Syngonium is kept relatively in low light conditions unless it has a lighter coloured cultivar.

The arrowhead plant is an aroid, it’ll appreciate a light soil mixture that retains moisture but also lets excess water escape easily to prevent rot.

Syngonium is naturally a creeping plant that can form rather long vines, a hanging plant basket is also a great option. It is good to use a well-draining planter, such as a normal clay pot with a drainage hole.

Maintenance:

Light: Grow the arrowhead plant under low light conditions and under shade, not under direct sunlight

Water: The plant requires humid conditions, especially during dry winter months. Mist the plant daily or place its container on a tray filled with pebbles and water to increase humidity for optimal growth. 

Soil: A light soil mixture that retains moisture but also lets excess water escape easily to prevent rot.

Pruning: The American evergreen is a tropical perennial shrub or vine in the Araceae family climbing to 6 feet. Cut off the stems as they begin to develop. That will allow the plant to keep a more shrub-like habit.

Propagation: 

From stem cuttings: 

These are vining plants. So, it is easy to take stem cuttings, especially from mature specimens. 

Use a clean knife or shears to cut as many stem cuttings as needed.

Make sure that they have few nodes and ideally some leaves each.

Pop these in a vase of water or pot them up directly in the same soil type you used for the mother plant.

Use a well-draining planter, such as a normal clay pot with a drainage hole.

It prefers temperatures between 60 and 75 F (16 and 24 C)

Its flowers are green to greenish white and form on a spike and are encompassed by a green-white sheathing bract called a spathe.  Groups of flowers form in the leaf axils.

As the plant matures, its leaves change shape.  Its juvenile form has ovate, heart shaped leaves up to 5.5 inches long.  They may have a silvery variegation.   

The adult form has arrow shaped leaves.  The leaves will eventually become pedate (having feet) and contain 5 to 11 leaflets.  There are also lobed leaves representing a transition from juvenile to adult stage.

Benefits:

Air Purifier: 

The arrowhead plant helps to lower the CO2 levels and a perfect air purifier for your home. It has a transpiration rate of 7 which makes it a wonderful plant to boost humidity and reduces dry air. This keeps us from airborne microbes and respiratory problems.

An Ideal house plant: 

This plant can be grown in a variety of styles. It is a superb indoor plant which looks stunning with its glossy, textured and patterned leaves. The heavily variegated varieties require bright, filtered light. Average light is the norm for solid green varieties or those with less variegation. It is easy to grow, maintain and looks adorable. A best plant to grow in freshwater, which needs to be changed twice a week. The plant can be grown in decorative, transparent or hanging pots.

A perfect Feng Shui plant: 

The distinct foliage of Syngonium varies from arrow shape to five-lobed pattern with age, which portrays the five elements of Feng Shui – Earth, Metal, Water, Fire and Wood, creating a perfect balance between of negativity and positivity (Yin and Yang). This results in lowering down the stress and anxiety.

Special Care:

The plant contains Calcium oxalate crystals which are slightly poisonous to humans, cats, dogs and horses. It is weedy and causes Oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth, tongue, and lips, excessive drooling, difficulty swallowing.

Care of Plants: 

Watch for aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites.  Bacterial leaf spot and soft rot can occur.