we actually let the cat sniff around it to see if she was interested when we first got it (to see if we should keep it out of her reach) but she ignores it in favor of shredding the spider plant so she's off the hook - for now...

the roots looked excellent, strong and vigorous when I repotted into the gritty mix - maybe on the overly long side though(didn't know to trim), and maybe they have changed since repotting? I'll pull it out to check if all else fails

mix too hard is an idea, I could add some peat

I personally would add peat. These plants like a bit of moisture. But you should go ahead and check the roots. Keep us updated!

Have you fertilized the plant?

Will do as soon as i can lauren, thanks!

Gold - no i haven't

The leaves yellowing could be the beginnings of a deficiency. I would fertilize the next time you water with a 3-1-2 fertilizer.

On a wider note, how has everyone found the longevity of these pink Aglos? They are quite a new/rare thing in Europe, and they seem to have a fairly short life.

"...and they seem to have a fairly short life."

Not sure about their actual "lifespan", so to speak, but I believe (from topics all over the site) that the pink varieties are harder to grow than their non-pink counterparts.

So i watered a few days ago with foliage pro and it looks the same except putting out a new leaf on top, thoughts?

Could this be a light problem? It's in a relatively bright spot but still considered a low light bathroom. Would an LED lamp over it help in that case?

Mine has done the exact same thing as yours! I got it last fall at Lowe's or Home Depot and it was so bright and crisp looking. Now it looks faded like yours. It gets plenty of bright light sitting about 2 feet away from a south facing window.

Marcy - interestingly, mine is also from Lowe's, wonder if there is some conspiracy going on with this particular strain of red agla? hahah

in seriousness, I wonder if this is a problem unique to these Costa Farms-supplied Lowe's aglas, genetic or something, since I can't find a thing like it anywhere on the web

how long after buying did yours start to go dull? and has it gotten worse than mine, or just stayed the same after getting to the look of mine?

Maybe the new-bought plants had leaf polish on their leaves?

see http://www.costafarms.com/plants/red-aglaonema

Hi Leo,

To be honest, I don't see anything wrong with your plant other than it has a single aged-out leaf. The Red Aglaonema I have in my office at my desk looks pretty much the same as yours ---- and has for the past year. I periodically have to remove a leaf at the bottom that yellows from old age, but other than that, there are no big red flags.

At least from what I can tell in the photo...

---Justin, Costa Farms Horticulturist

hey Justin,

interesting - so I guess it's just that it's getting less light here than it was at the hardware store or something? since it was definitely darker green all over when I bought it

also, do you know if your growers use a leaf shine on these aglas, like goldstar suggested? that would explain the lack of gloss now

Hey Leo,

I believe some retailers have us use a leafshine-type product, but I don't think we do it on every plant that goes out. In looking at the Red Ag I have here at my house right now, I'm also noticing the newer leaves have more of a gloss than the older ones. And that there's more gold variegation on the leaves as they age. I have one Red Ag at home here that I don't take as good of care of, and I'm seeing a lot more of the yellowy tones in the leaves than you are in the two bottom leaves pointing to the lower left of your first photo.

As far as coloring goes, it might actually be the opposite --- we see that Siam Aurora actually shows darker, richer coloration in lower light. So if it's getting brighter light in your home than it did at the hardware store (or under the shade cloth where we grow it in Florida), that could potentially be a reason why the foliage isn't as deeply colored as when you first purchased it.

---Justin

The tag on my plant said to keep it 10 feet from window! Also, I don't keep it wet. I've had mine (from Lowes) for over 2 years. When it was watered too much (I was away for 3 weeks) it dropped yellow leaves. It's back to normal now that I'm letting it dry a bit.

susanzone5:

Did one of the Costa Farms tags say you were supposed to keep it 10 feet from a window?

---Justin, Costa Farms Horticulturist

Yes. It says "place 6 to 10 feet from window or glass door." Costa Farms.

Interesting! Mystery solved i guess, thanks Justin

Leo, how is your red agla doing? If you've found the magic light / water / fertilization combo, I'd love to hear it!

Hey Fairy, it looks about the same as in the pic minus pulling off the yellowed little leaf, tho I'm not bothered by it anymore knowing it's healthy! I haven't tried what justin pointed to which is moving to a shadier area to reduce yellow variegation, you might try that

I realized later when it was at Lowes it was actually on a bottom shelf beneath other plants, so not really getting that much light, getting more at my house

I do also think a leaf shine was used on mine, I haven't since used one but I might sometime

Thanks, Leo. I moved it about four feet from a southwest window and cut back on watering some. It is making new leaves, but so far they are outnumbered by the yellowing leaves. And the new leaves are pale, kind of translucent.

I'll give it some time to adjust and see what happens...

Gorgeous Cat!!

Here's mine...I keep it in the East window

Sounds good fairy, I hope it does well!

Thanks debra! She thinks so too ;) had way more bossy attitude than any of the other cats at the rescue

Beautiful agla too! Do you use a leaf shine?

No, never....Thank you Leo.