Aruzinsky, I collect aglaonemas and look forward to seeing which one you saw.

When someone says 'red aglaonema' I usually think of 'Siam Aurora', but there are several other fairly common ags with mostly red leaves. That said, most of the others are shorter growers and I've seen 'Siam Aurora' plants in Home Depot that were 2 feet tall and very bushy.

Russ

It is a fake and I didn't realize it until I saw the dithering in the last photo:

http://www.general-cathexis.com/images/BigRedAglaonema1.jpg
http://www.general-cathexis.com/images/BigRedAglaonema2.jpg
http://www.general-cathexis.com/images/BigRedAglaonema3.jpg
http://www.general-cathexis.com/images/BigRedAglaonema3CloseUp.jpg

My bad.

It looks real to me in the first pic. It looks like it has a leave trying to unfurl.

But the close up leaves look fake so......

Yup, the close up gives it away with the texture of fabric. Looks like a huge copy of the Thai ag Anyamanee aka Red Valentine. It's a pretty ag but would be the proverbial knockout if it grew leaves that big and grew that tall.

Russ

Can't blame you aruzinsky, if it had been real it'd be a real find. Especially if you could have gotten a cutting or found out where it came from. I wonder if the Thai's or anyone are crossing rotundum hybrids with larger regular ags to try and get a big grower with reds or pinks in the leaves. I don't see why it couldn't be done and commercially it would be massively lucrative. A big ag like B.J. Freeman with red leaves would be something else.

Russ

" I don't see why it couldn't be done and commercially it would be massively lucrative. A big ag like B.J. Freeman with red leaves would be something else."

Well, there could also be gene spliced ornamentals. Or, the discovery of a Plant Growth Regulator (PGR) that substantially increases the size of leaves without increasing the lengths of stems and petioles more.

I have several aglaonema 'Red Emerald' s that I am using in PGR experiments. So far, I can only tell you some PGRs that don't work.

I know PGRs are used by the industry but don't know much about them other than I thought they retarted growth to make plants shorter and more compact than they normally grow.

I recently bought an ag that I think is Red Emerald, a very pretty ag. I'll post a pic of it to see if it's the same one you have and can confirm that ID. I have many Thai ags, always looking for a trade for them or any other ags I don't have.

Russ

"I thought they retarted growth to make plants shorter and more compact than they normally grow."

Those particular PGRs work by inhibiting a plant's natural synthesis or utilization of plant hormones, a subcategory of PGRs, gibberellins (GA) and/or brassinosteroids (BR). Spraying most plants other than aroids with GA solutions causes them to increase stem and petiole lengths more than leaf size. For aroids, GA typically just causes flowering. Spraying with BR solution typically only causes subtle effects.

I think the great aglaonema explorer, collector and hybridizer Dr. Frank Brown used gibberelic acid to increase seed production. Probably some other stuff too.

I have two seeds I'm growing out from an old vintage hybrid ag Tricolor X Manila, the first several seeds from this hybrid didn't make it. One seedling looks like it will be a typical patterned and colored leaf, but the smaller one is very dark green and might be different from the parents.

Pretty sure this is the hybrid Nat DeLeon crossed in the very early 1960s. It has two clones, one has pink petioles and a leaf with a narrow streak of yellow down the midvein and often in laterals. The other has russet colored petioles with darker green leaves and no yellow. Interestingly, the pink petioled clone sometimes produces offsets of the russet type but I've never seen a russet produce a pink.

Aruzinsky, I think you're the grower who posted in another thread pics of ags you grew from seeds. I know they were a commutatum-type, but have you identified it? I didn't recognize the leaf pattern, maybe Maria aka Emerald Beauty? I have quite a few larger seedlings of commutatum Elegans, it's a fairly reliable producer of seeds but they're all like parents so apparently selfed and unfortunately not crossed with another variety.

Russ

"Aruzinsky, I think you're the grower who posted in another thread pics of ags you grew from seeds."

No, I previously posted:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3815423/small-problem-grievance-with-costa-farms-red-aglaonema?n=35

with this photo:

http://www.general-cathexis.com/images/RedAglaonema1.jpg

Some are in bloom right now but the flowers are inconspicuous.

Sorry Aruzinsky, I remember now it was Asleep In The Garden that posted the ag seedlings I was interested in, it was a thread with Petrushka who also grows ags from seeds.

Russ

I don't think you could enjoy a beautiful Ag in that much light, either. In my experience, they look dreadful if they get much direct sun like that.

Russ1023: Do you have all five of the Colorful Aglaonema varieties Costa Farms is selling commercially? PS: We have more on the way!

---Justin, Costa Farms

"I don't think you could enjoy a beautiful Ag in that much light, "

I don't either, but, at the time, I rationalized that it was recently placed at that location, before it would become sun scorched.

Hi Justin, good to hear from you. I have Siam Aurora and an ag that looks similar to your White Calcite. I'm looking for the other three at the several stores in my area where Costa provides plants.

I'm glad to hear Costa Farms is going to provide some other ags, can you reveal what they are? Aglaonemas are one of my very favorite aroids. Their ease of care and generally smaller size, not to mention how beautiful they are, makes them a great plant for the house and patio.

Russ

Russ1023: We have a good number that are still undergoing the R&D process --- until they officially clear and get a thumbs up to move to production, I can't talk about specifics. Sadly, we've had some wonderfully cool varieties fail the testing process (either the fact that they don't have good performance as a houseplant or they don't produce well on our end), for example.

---Justin, Costa Farms

Thanks for the info Justin! I hope Costa comes up with some nice ones that do pass the performance tests and can be marketed. Many of the so-called 'Thai Ags' have Aglaonema rotundum heritage in their genes which can make them a bit difficult to grow. Those that are easier to grow either have no rotundum genes or they are reduced through multiple crossings with other ag hybrids or species. India and Indonesia hybridizers are producing some wonderful aglaonema hybrids as well as those in Thailand.

Russ

I cannot imagine a Red Ag more beautiful than Siam Aurora.

Pat, I've seen Siam Aurora in big pots at Lowe's that were at least 1 1/2 feet tall, so it's not a low grower. They were also very bushy and at that size looked like they'd had a bad hair day.

Red Valentine aka Anyamanee with its dark red color and wide leaves is probably more popular, and I'm sure Red Emerald will be a big seller. I think the latter two are a little easier to grow than Siam Aurora, it may have a few more genes from the species rotundum, which is very difficult to grow.

Do you have aglaonemas other than Siam Aurora?

Russ

with the exception of at my house where they stay fairly small, LOL

I'm sure they stay fairly small for almost everyone Fred. I wondered how long the wholesaler had to grow those to get them that big, and how much fertilizer or whatever other growing techniques they used.

Of the Thai ags I have, I think my favorite is Masterpiece which is shades of green with cream and only blushes of light pink here and there and on petioles. It's a small upright grower and produces a lot of offsets. I like Sapphire Suzanne a lot too. Kaew Kanjana is a much bigger grower and probably doesn't have A. rotundum in it's heritage, I like the simplicity of its dark green leaf and thin white edge.

Russ

Russ, I only have Siam and cannot wait to see e the new ones. Siam is my first Ag, but it won't be my last. Saw it in Lowe's in the Spring and couldn't resist. Have not fertilized it yet and just repotted yesterday into more cactus/palm mix == had too much perlite in it before. Will wait a couple of weeks to fert with Foliage Pro or Osmocote if I can find it. Hope you post pics of your Masterpiece and Sapphire Suzanne, PLEASE.

Pat, here are some of my Thai aglaonemas.

Emerald Holiday

Unknown variety

Unknown variety, possibly Pink Valentine

Anyamanee aka Red Valentine

Kaew Kanjana, grows quite large and is not an Ag rotundum hybrid like the others

Sparkling Sarah

Gem Series #5, seems to be same as Sapphire Suzanne

Supposedy, Elephant Ear. Another one that is not a species rotundum hybrid.

Unidentified variety

Unidentified variety

Various plants of Masterpiece, offsets from one original plant from about 2010. Some have more green, others more creams and whites.

Few more.

Unidentified, seems to be very close to the species rotundum which imparts the reds and pinks to Thai ags on the market with those colors. It also passes on the roundish shape to leaves of most of the hybrids.

Siam Aurora aka Crete aka Creta aka Red Aglaonema, and others.

Unidentified from Ace Hardware

Unidentified variety

Wowie-wow-wow.

Thank you!