I once had a colleague who had an insane desire to have everything red, and she was extremely active online, with her social media platforms populating with posts, reels, clips and images that boldly reflected the colour red on a daily basis.
Shades of red can be found in every element of her life, from her clothes and accessories to her pets' equipment. Similarly, in her work, red is sprinkled in everything from her work room to her presentations. It wasn't a passing whim, it was a full-blown obsession, and nothing was going to stop her from buying anything red. This mania for red even extended to her kitchen, including appliances and cookware.
Just before she left for graduate school, her parents threw her a going-away party at their home, and it was not surprising that it was at her house that I first encountered red lipstick — not the kind you might expect, but a type of aglaonema, a huge variety of beautiful-looking plants.
With its green leaves surrounded by red borders, this plant itself is a treat for the eyes. Also known as the “Chinese evergreen,” it is a favorite houseplant for many due to its ease of care. It can survive in indirect, bright light. Moreover, direct sunlight will practically kill this plant. There is a strong belief among growers of Aglaonema Red Lipstick that plants with darker leaves require less exposure to additional light.
Aglaonemas are a popular houseplant because they are beautiful to look at and easy to care for.
This is a type of perennial plant that thrives extremely well in humid environments, and if the plant and grower encounters dry weather, it is highly recommended to mist the plant with water.
Here's another thing that many gardeners do to combat dry conditions: simply place a bowl of water near your plants to compensate for the lack of humidity and create an artificial environment for your plants. You don't have to water them every day.
A good rule of thumb is to check the first few inches of the top soil in your plant's container. If it is dry, you can water your plant. Watering should be done in a way that keeps the soil moist and allows excess water to drain away. If excess water pools or accumulates, it can cause root rot and ultimately kill the plant.
The soil mix should also be well-drained, with no moisture remaining inside. While most plants require smooth soil for optimal growth, Aglaonema Red Lipstick has slightly different requirements.
For this variety, the ideal soil combination is a mix of nursery soil, vermicompost, any organic compost, a little perlite and coco peat. The advantage of this mixture is that it allows water to drain continuously and does not compact, both of which can be devastating for the plant. If you have difficulty arriving at this soil combination, you can achieve the desired results by simply adding a handful of very small stones or pebbles to the soil in the container.
While some may find the colorful leaves of these plants “plastic and unnatural,” others simply love the beautiful combination of different hues and contrasting colors against the basic green background of the Aglaonema.
The Red Lipstick variety offers an interesting choice with subtle and shocking shades of red mixed with green. This is perfect for those who want to decorate their home with a unique ornamental potted plant that is visually appealing to both themselves and their visitors. It is a plant that requires relatively limited space, low sun exposure and very little maintenance.
Its scientific name is Aglaonema Siamese Aurora, and this lipstick-red variety reaches a height of about 2 feet and usually looks best when grown in a pot.
Every few years new stems will grow, and if the plant becomes too crowded in the container you can move the plant to a larger container or create a new pot.
In the following article, we will show you how to propagate Aglaonema Red Lipstick plants at home using limited resources. We will also share some tips and tricks for transplanting baby plants to create new plants from the parent Aglaonema Red Lipstick plant.
If you have any questions or would like to send an email to doctree101@hotmail.com, the author is a medical doctor and the host of the YouTube channel “DocTree Gardening,” which promotes organic home gardening.
Published in Dawn, EOS, June 9, 2024
