Syngonium is a genus of flowering plants in the Araceae family and native to tropical rainforests in Southern Mexico, West Indies and Southern and Central America. These plants are commonly known as Arrowhead plant, Arrowhead vine, Goosefoot plant, or Nephthytis. The botanical name of these plants is Syngonium Podophyllum.

There are many varieties of Syngonium Podophyllum plants so when purchasing the plant, make sure that you really like the way it looks. The following are some of the Syngonium plant varieties.

• Imperial White
• Pixie
• White Butterfly
• Emerald Gem
• Variegatum
• Emerald Green
• Albovirens
• Trileaf Wonder
• Atrovirens
• Green Gold

Syngonium Podophyllum plants are elegant and versatile houseplants that are easy to care for. However, Syngonium needs some maintenance and pruning due to its creeping tendency.

As mentioned before, Syngoniums are herbaceous evergreen plants that can reach up to a height of 10-20 metres. The leaves change according to the plant’s growth stage, and adult leaves are more loved than the juvenile forms.

The Syngonium plant is considered a Feng shui plant because of the distinctive leaf that changes from arrow-shaped to a five-lobed form. It matures, and 5 lobes represent 5 elements: water, fire, earth, wood, and metal provide the perfect balance of Yin Yan. This makes it a lucky plant, as per Feng Shui.

Not only this, Syngoniums are considered as Air purifying plants due to their ability to reduce indoor air pollutants such as Benzene, Formaldehyde, Toluene and Xylene. They also reduce Airborne microbes and increase humidity.

SYNGONIUM PODOPHYLLUM CARE TIPS

LIGHT REQUIREMENTS

Arrowhead plant is an extremely low light tolerant plant, but they grow faster and maintain vibrant colours when provided with a medium to bright indirect light. However, exposure to direct sun will burn their delicate leaves.

For a video version of Syngonium plant Care and Propagation, watch the following video.

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WATER REQUIREMENTS

Syngonium is a fairly thirsty plant. Bigger plants need more frequent watering than smaller plants in warm temperatures. Keep the soil moist but not soggy at the same time during the growing season, i.e. Spring and summer. Check the soil before watering. Overwatering can lead to root rot. And if left bone dry, the leaves tend to droop.

HUMIDITY

Average indoor humidity of 40-50% is adequate for these plants. These plants love to be in humid conditions; therefore, even humidity levels up to 60% keep Syngoniums happy. During summers, when the humidity levels are low, Syngonium can get crispy leaves. During Summers, you can mist your plant occasionally or use a humidifier to maintain the humidity levels indoors.

TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS

Arrowhead vines grow well in temperatures between 60-80F. However, these plants do not like temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. In winters, keep them away from cold drafts or windows and doorways.

SOIL

These plants thrive well in the peaty soil mix, which can retain enough moisture. Therefore, a good blend of Peat moss or coco peat or coco coir along with some perlite and compost will be the perfect soil mix for these plants. Perlite helps remove the excess water from the soil to prevent root rot and provide aeration to the roots, whereas compost or worm castings will add nutrition to the soil for healthy plant growth. You can change the soil once a year or top it up with more compost or worm castings.

FERTILIZER

You can feed your plant with half-strength complete liquid fertilizer once a month during the growing period, spring and summer or top dress it with worm castings or compost early spring. Seaweed solution also provides enough nutrients to the soil.

PRUNING AND MAINTENANCE OF SYNGONIUM  

To maintain the compact look of the plant, you can prune it or let it grow if you want it to grow as a creeping vine. The cuttings can be used for propagating the plant. In addition, you can remove the dead or crispy leaves so that the plant does not have to spend its energy on dead ends.

TOXICITY

These plants are known to be toxic to humans and pets if ingested; therefore, keep this plant away from the reach of your inquisitive children and pets if they have a habit of playing with plants.

If you are looking for non-toxic or safe plants for your home, visit this link for all plants which are non-toxic to humans and pets.

GENERAL PROBLEMS IN GROWING SYNGONIUM PLANT

Floppy plant: If the Syngonium plant has not been pruned for a  long time, they become leggy and start flopping down (Floppy). You can add a moss stick to provide support to your plant if you like the creeping look of your plant.

Crispy Brown leaves: This problem generally happens due to extremely low humidity levels or irregular watering. The solution to this problem has been discussed above in the Humidity section.

Pest infestation: You should be careful with common houseplants pests such as Aphids, Spider mites, mealy bugs etc. To get rid of these pests, you can use Neem Oil solution or other readymade pesticides. You can prepare one at home using soda bicarb solution or soapy water solution, or 3 % hydrogen peroxide solution.

SYNGONIUM PROPAGATION STEPS

It is very easy to propagate Syngoniums from stem cuttings and leaves in water. All you have to do is take a stem cutting from below the root node. You can pop your cutting in a jar of water or directly into the soil. Propagating in water has shown more success than soil propagation as you can keep an eye on the growth of the roots. Once the roots are well developed, you can transfer the cutting into the soil. Make sure that you change the water regularly to make sure the roots are healthy.

This is one of the easiest plants to propagate.

Would you please let me know your experience in growing Syngoniumin the comments sections? Also, if you like the article, don’t forget to share it with your family and friends by using the social media sharing buttons on the left.