Plant Journal – Syngonium Neon Robusta

Summary

My Syngonium Neon Robusta was a present from Elena. She had bought the plant to use in a terrarium and not all of it fitted so I got the leftover baby. <3

This is a pink cultivar of the arrowhead vine family. They are actually climbers and really versatile. Mine is growing into a bushy houseplant but they can also trail. The growth pattern is shaped by the environment.

Quick Facts

Journal

Myself and this pink syngonium had a rocky start to be fair. First of it lived in a large terrarium and … didn’t do much. This is partly my fault because I did not realise plants won’t grow much in winter and also there was way too much space int the terrarium, so I probably shocked it. While I am not the most patient person, plants have taught me to wait and see a bit more.

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So when I re-scaped my terrarium I planted the small plant up in a well draining soil and placed it in a north east facing window. And it is fair to say it loved it which is evident in the comparison picture. In the summer it does get some direct bright light in the morning but the rest of the day it is just getting daylight if that makes any sense.

The soil I use is a mix of premixed succulent and cacti soil with added perlite. I tried adding bark but I found it too messy but many love adding orchid mix and even charcoal to make a good draining soil. But this plant will be happy in anything that doesn’t dry out too quickly. You should try to keep it topped up by checking the top 2-5cms. Once these are dry water it again.

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I keep mine in a terracotta pot. This really suits me because I am an overwaterer and terracotta pots dry out quicker than plastic nursery pots. I also have a small baby plant in a terrarium. It survived being in the terrarium without any care from March until August, as it lived in the office. My boss dropped it round eventually though which I am greatful for.

In regards to humidity, I have several calatheas in my house and mist them twice a day. So the Syngonium gets a misting at the same time. It is recommended to mist them once a day but I have never had dry tips on mine and it is close to a radiator. It is however a tropical plant so misting seems like the right thing to do. Just like other Aroids, this plant slows down in the winter and will need less watering. I am in my second winter with this plant and have already noticed that I now water it every 6-8 days rather than every 4 days. When spring returns I am sure it will start growing again.

Propagation

Syngoniums are very easy to propagate. All of mine so far have been through division while repotting, but you can also take stem cuttings and root them in sphagnum moss, perlite, water or soil. To do this cut a good length of stem below a root node at a 45 degree angle. If you have lower leaves remove these and place into your preferred medium. It should take 3-4 weeks in spring and summer for roots to develop.

Common Problems/Pests

While this is a generally fuss free plant, and there aren’t many reports of pests, mine did get spider mites twice so far. Once pretty badly from a neighbouring plants, but it recovered well enough. I now treat it every 2-3 weeks with a solution of neem oil and horticultural soap. Some people treat their plants every week, but why make more work for yourself if your routine works?

This plant is a dusky pink but the leaves can go dull and more green. This is actually due to too much bright light. It causes the plant to create more chlorophyll and hence it loses the nice pink colour. Try to filter the light more, using a net curtain or place it behind a bigger plant for a bit, or a different window altogether. Mine could propbably do with more shade, but in the winter it will get a fair bit less light, so I will experiment in the spring.