False Aralia Plant Care & Growing Guide

The False Aralia plant’s uniquely beautiful foliage will be sure to make the landscaping around your home look even nicer.

This plant is also great for keeping indoors, making it incredibly versatile. Whether you want to enhance the look of your home’s interior or exterior, this plant has a lot to offer.

False Aralia Plant Care & Growing Guide

1. Light Requirement

You will need to make a point of keeping this plant out of direct sunlight when growing it. These plants need bright but filtered light. If you are growing it outside, you’ll need to keep it in partial shade. 

If you are keeping it indoors, place it near a curtained window that receives bright sunlight during the afternoon. Even brief exposure to direct bright light can scorch the leaves of this plant, so you’ll have to be careful when it comes to the spot you choose.

2. Water

You will need to keep your false aralia plant’s soil moist so it remains healthy. You don’t want to over water it though, as root rot can become a problem. You want the soil to be moist all the way around but not drenched.

Do not allow the soil you keep this plant in to become completely dry. It should be only get slightly dry between waterings. It is crucial that you water it on a regular basis while it is still growing.

Make sure that you lightly mist the leaves of the plant during the winter months of the year. This will keep it adequately hydrated so it doesn’t develop any serious problems.

3. Climate

False Aralia plants prefer warm, semi-humid regions that aren’t too hot. These plants do well in somewhat humid climates.

4. Soil

When you are growing a false aralia plant, you’ll want to use a peat-based potting mix. The soil you use shouldn’t be too soft and absorbent.

5. Temperature

These plants thrive in temperatures from 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. You should not keep this plant outside in temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, as the foliage will begin drooping. It is best to grow these plants in semi-humid conditions, whether it is outside or in a greenhouse.

It is crucial that you keep the temperature around 70 degrees until germination occurs. This typically happens within 20 to 30 days.

Once temperatures get to 45 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, this plant cannot survive. You need to be very careful when it comes to exposing these plants to colder temperatures.

6. Repotting

Because these plants don’t grow very quickly, you won’t have to worry about repotting very often. In fact, this should only be necessary every couple of years.

Do not separate clumped plants, as this will harm the root ball. Some people repot false aralias on a regular basis in order to maintain proper drainage of the potting media. This is ultimately something that you will have to decide.

7. Speed of Growth

Most false aralias do not grow very quickly, which is why regular repotting is not a necessity. Even when grown under the most ideal conditions, this plant is a pretty slow grower.

8. Height and Spread

False aralia plants can grow up to 20 feet outdoors, but only about six feet when grown indoors. You should plant three feet apart to avoid any complications with the roots.

9. Flowers

These plants do not often flower when grown indoors. When it does bloom, the flowers are typically green.

10. Trimming

The only time you really need to trim the false aralia plant is if you want to keep it from growing any taller. You’ll only have to cut it back once every year to maintain a short height. You can trim it up to six inches from the soil level.

How to get False Aralia Plants to Flower

If you want to get your false aralia plant to flower, you will need to keep it outside in bright sunlight. As we mentioned above, it is important to provide these plants with adequate shade so their leaves don’t get scorched.

You also need to grow this plant in a peat moss-based commercial potting mix. Watering it regularly will help with getting it to bloom as well. It is very unlikely that this plant will produce any flowers when kept inside.

A soluble fertilizer can encourage these plants to flower when they are kept inside, but there are never any guarantees.

Common False Aralia Plant Diseases

Some of the pests that can become a problem with false aralia plants include aphids, spider mites, mealy bugs, and scale. These pests can do quite a bit of damage to your plants, but there are numerous insecticide products to help keep them away.

If you start to notice the leaves on your plant drooping, it could be because there isn’t enough humidity. This tends to happen when the temperature starts getting lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit. You can avoid this by taking your plant when fall rolls around.

One of the best ways to increase humidity and keep this plant healthy indoors is by placing the container on a tray with moist pebbles. This could be enough to keep the leaves from dropping.

More like this: Schefflera Plant Care & Growing Guide

Conclusion

• False Aralia plants need plenty of bright filtered sunlight.
• If you are growing this plant outside, keep it in the shade. If you have it inside, keep it a few feet from a curtained window that receives direct sunlight.
• You will need to water this plant regularly while it is still growing.
• Once this plant is established, you can wait until the soil is semi-moist before watering it again.
• A peat-based commercial potting mix is the best soil option for this plant.
• You can use just about any fertilizer with this plant, as it is not very picky.
• These plants do not usually flower when kept indoors.
• The best way to get your plant to flower is to make sure it gets bright but not direct sunlight.
• If you notice the leaves of this plant dropping, it might be because the environment is not humid enough.