In this guide you'll learn: How & where to buy the Aglaonema commutatum "Crete", how to care for your plant and answers to FAQs to keep your plant happy
About the Aglaonema commutatum “Crete”
The Aglaonema commutatum “Crete” is a cultivar of the popular Chinese Evergreen plant, with vibrant hues of pink and red on the stems and through the veins of the leaves on this attractive, easy to grow houseplant that brings a touch of tropical colour to any living space.
The Crete cultivar is incredibly beautiful, and one that we have in the Outplanted office for its attractive variegated foliage. Long slender leaves sit upon a light pink hued stem, with red leaf edges and veins. It really is a wonderful and compact plant that thrives in bright home environments and unfurls new leaves regularly in the growing season.
Cultivated from the Chinese Evergreen plant that is native to the Philippines under a tropical rainforest canopy, it requires consistently moist soil, warm temperatures, dappled light and while it prefers high humidity it will still thrive with typical indoor levels.
This is a quick growing house plant that during the summer growing season can put out several new dark green leaves at once, multiplying in size during its first few seasons given the right conditions.
This is one of the easiest and most colourful plants that we’ve grown indoors, and with surprisingly little maintenance needed it grows quickly. We would be happy to recommend it to beginners or those who need a low maintenance plant for their space.
If the Aglanonema commutatum “Crete” seems like the plant for you, read on to learn more about how to care for it, and see our buyers guide below to get the plant delivered direct to you.
Aglaonema commutatum “Crete” in the House & Office
As long as you can provide this plant with consistently moist soil and bright but indirect light, with typical indoor temperatures, it should produce lots of bushy leaves throughout the year.
Unlike some indoor plants, this requires relatively little maintenance and will be happy in most circumstances, making the chinese evergreens a great option for homes and offices.
We have a this plant at Outplanted HQ, kept in a sunny position in our office. Our plant is extremely easy to look after and requires very minimal watering at maximium once per week and once every other week during autumn and winter.
As such a colourful plant, it does attract a lot of attention, so we often get asked about our “firey plant in the corner”. It does make a great conversation starter and is especially good at convincing others to join the indoor plant movement.
Aglaonema commutatum “Crete” Size
Height: 45cm / 17.7in / 1.5ft
Spread: 30-45cm / 11.8-17.7in / 1-1.5ft
Aglaonema commutatum “Crete” Care
Light: Bright but indirect light is necessary, as very strong direct light will burn its leaves and low light may not provide enough energy. This plant’s wild ancestors would be shaded at the forest floor so would rarely experience direct light. Keep it within five feet of most bright windows, except for south facing windows where it should be kept a little further away.
Soil: Provide a well draining soil that maintains a good level of moisture. You can increase drainage of potting soil using rocks, perlite and similar materials, while increasing water retention using sphagnum moss.
Watering: Watering the Aglaonema commutatum “Crete” should be done at least weekly and more often during the summer. Keep the soil moist as consistently as possible and water when the top inch of soil is starting to dry out. Do not allow the soil to remain waterlogged, as it should be light and moist but not heavy and saturated.
Humidity: While this plant prefers high humidity of 60%, it will still thrive down to about a 40% humidity level and may still survive at levels below this. Our Aglaonema sits in a 40-45% humidity room and still puts out plenty of new growth, but we provided it with an inch of sphagnum moss above the soil to increase the local humidity levels.
You can also increase humidity using a humidifier, setting the pot on top of a plate of pebbles and water, or by grouping the plant together with several others, as well as by misting the area daily.
Feeding: Feeding with a standard houseplant fertiliser twice per month during summer, once per month at other times and not at all during winter is a standard but effective strategy to keep your plant thriving and growing beautiful new foliage weekly.
Temperature: Typical indoor temperatures are suitable for this plant, with 18-27ºC (65-80ºF) being ideal. The plant may begin to suffer at temperatures below 15ºC (60ºF) and could experience tissue damage if temperatures approach freezing.
Ailments: This plant is susceptible to aphids, whitefly and similar bugs which can rapidly multiply and extract moisture and energy from it. To remove, wipe away with a damp cloth after spraying with a light soap solution, and repeat with a light oil solution if there is no improvement after a couple of days.
A common problem is ‘tipping’, where the leaf tips can brown if watering is too inconsistent. To remedy this, try to determine whether you might be watering too much or not enough. For most plants, you may only need to provide a small amount of water once per week, or a tiny amount every few days; just enough to keep the soil very lightly moist but not dripping wet.
Further care: Read our full care guide to keep your plant happy and healthy with beautiful, full foliage.
Where To Buy Aglaonema commutatum “Crete” Online
- Ebay (UK) / (USA)
- Etsy
- Bloombox Club (UK) / (USA)
- Local Facebook Groups
This is a very popular cultivar but can still be difficult to find in person at most plant stores and garden centres, so we do recommend to look online instead where you can often choose the exact plant you receive through marketplaces like Ebay and Etsy.
When buying indoor plants, we recommend to read testimonials and reviews from other customers, both for marketplace websites like Ebay and Etsy, as well as with standard online plant stores.
Always ensure that you are happy with the reviews from other customers so that you are buying from a reputable source, and be aware of their return and refund policies.
If you receive a plant that is infected with a virus or pests, do not introduce it to your other plants as it may spread. If the plant arrives damaged or in any way that you are unhappy with, contact the seller and arrange a return and refund.
FAQs
How do you care for Aglaonema commutatum?
The main needs of this plant are; typical warm indoor temperatures, bright but indirect light, typical indoor humidity levels with a minimum of 40%, well draining soil that maintains consistent moisture and light waterings when the soil begins to dry. This plant is very forgiving and will survive most conditions as long as it doesn’t dry out completely or get too cold.
Is Aglaonema commutatum toxic?
The roots, stems and leaves are all somewhat toxic if consumed, so this plant should be kept away from children and animals that may try to nibble. If the sap gets on your skin, remove it immediately with soap and water.
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