The Syngonium has become one of the most popular trailing /vining houseplants in the past few years. Fair to say I am completely enamoured with these Syngoniums. I just have a few in my collection but I can see my addiction growing day by day.

This subtropical plant belongs to the Araceae family, originating from Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, West Indies, South America and Mexico. They are more commonly known as the Arrowhead vine, Five fingers, Trileaf Wonder, Nephthytis, African Evergreen or Goosefoot Plant. 

 

The arrowhead vine is a pretty trailing or climbing vine which tends to grow quickly under the right conditions. When my plants wake up and grow a bit taller, I have prepared a few moss poles that I will stick into the pot to give them the right support to vine and climb naturally. It’s beautiful how they weave their way up and you can actually decide which direction you want to vine them. 

 

The low-maintenance arrowhead comes in an amazing variety of colours that have the most attractive foliage which changes as the plant matures. Having said that, now that it is winter and temperature is dropping day by day, you must be aware of the fact that they do not like the cold too much hence you have to find a way to make sure they are getting their fair share of warmth through natural sunlight. Too much direct sunlight on the other hand will burn the plant so try and place them in a well-lit spot in your rooms. Honestly, all they want is some indirect sunlight and a little love.

 

The best potting mix that has worked well for my Syngoniums has been a good mix of coco peat, sand and vermicompost. This makes a rich well drained base for the plants and prevents the roots from getting too soggy. During these colder months I have reduced the watering to every 4 /5 days. I let the soil dry out well before watering them again. Nearly all plants go dormant in winter whether they’re growing indoors or out in the garden. The plants get less light which means less growth which automatically means less watering. Bottom line is they need less water and fertilisers during the cold winter months. 

 

Syngonium plants have also been approved as an air purifier which makes you want to have more of these inside your homes and offices. They clear the air from toxins and give you a cleaner indoor environment. 

 

As far as propagation goes, you couldn’t have it any easier. They can be easily propagated from stem cuttings or you can root the cuttings in water and plant them into pots once they have thrown out strong roots. 

 

Repotting these plants is very important because they have the tendency to grow really fast hence, they outgrow their pots quickly and use up all the soil nutrients while doing so. Ideally, it is recommended to re-pot your Arrowhead plant every 2 years.

 

Now that you have read all the good things about these amazing lush beautiful indoor plants, it is equally important to remember that they are poisonous if ingested. Please be extremely careful where you place your plants especially if you have small kids and animals in your house. 

 

There is so much to this one plant, Syngonium. One of the most beautiful foliage plants to have indoors, the easiest to care for and not to undermine its air purifying qualities. 

 

Happy vining folks. Wishing you a plantastic New Year ahead.