Syngonium Secrets: Unlocking Growth

The Syngonium plant (AKA: Arrowhead Plant or Arrowhead Vine) is a delightful addition to any indoor gardening collection. First and foremost, it’s known for its adaptable nature, making it a top choice for both seasoned plant enthusiasts and beginners.

With a multitude of leaf colours and patterns, you can choose the perfect palette for your space — do you like dark green and white? Pink and white? Or how about pink and light green? You get the pick of the bunch. Another pro about the Syngonium plant is that it acts as a natural air purifier, helping to improve air quality by filtering out common pollutants.

Whether you decide to grow Syngonium for its striking foliage or aim to create a tropical oasis, we’ve got the secret to growing success.

5 No-Fail Growing Tips

• Tip 1: Get The Light Right: The Syngonium plant typically thrives in medium to bright diffused light — keep the plant away from direct sun to avoid burning or bleaching of its leaves. Also, being the versatile plant it is, varieties that are deep green can adapt to low light and lighter-colored ones can adapt to more light.

• Tip 2: The Dirt on Soil: You’ll want to go with a well-draining potting mix like Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix since Syngonium is prone to root rot. Another upside to this mix is that it’s designed to avoid those pesky fungus gnats you can sometimes get with indoor plants. 

• Tip 3: H20 Hacks: Water your Syngonium about once a week, but make sure the top 1 inch of soil is dry before watering (just stick your finger in the soil, if it feels dry it’s ready for a gulp). Avoid keeping the soil too wet since root rot is common with this plant.

• Tip 4: Degrees of Comfort: Since Syngonium are tropical plants, they like warm, humid conditions. Find a spot for your Syngonium that's 60-80F and ideally, but not necessarily, with 40-50% humidity. Bright kitchens and bathrooms are good choices since they’re typically the most humid spots in your house; otherwise, you can sit your plant on a water-filled tray of pebbles or place a humidifier nearby.

• Tip 5: Food for the Soul: Just like humans, the Syngonium needs to eat too. Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food will feed instantly giving it the nutrients it needs to flourish. For beautiful foliage, use Miracle-Gro® Leaf Shine, a water-based plant cleaner that’ll leave your potted pal with a glossy shine.

Proper Plant Care

Pruning your Syngonium

This tropical wonder may start compact, but here’s the plot twist: Syngonium will eventually vine. You can train its vines to climb up a shelf, dangle from a hanging basket, or wrap around a windowsill — it’s all in how you prune it.

Want to keep it bushy and upright? Just pinch the new growth and you’ll tame its wild side. But be sure to wear gardening gloves, Syngonium vines may irritate your skin with its sap.

Propagating your Syngonium

Because one Syngonium is never enough, create a squad of green all-stars by propagating the stem cuttings. The best time to sprout new growth is in the spring and summer when the plant grows faster. Follow these steps and you’ll nurture new beginnings in no time.

1. Using a clean pair of scissors, snip off a stem just below a node (the area where the leaf joins the stem).
2. Place the cuttings into a glass of water.
3. Make sure there are no leaves submerged in the water (cut off if so).
4. Change the water every 2-3 days and top off as needed.
5. Roots should begin to form in a few weeks.
6. Once the roots are large enough, plant them in a container with Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix.



Potting & Repotting your Syngonium

Choose a container with drain holes so water can seep out. Terracotta or unfinished clay pots are a good choice because they soak in excess moisture from the soil, helping prevent root rot. Typically, you’ll want to re-pot your Syngonium every other spring in a container that’s no larger than 1-2 inches in diameter than its current container. If your plant hasn’t outgrown its container, you’ll want to freshen up the soil, so it has the nutrients it needs to thrive.

Shopping List

Now that you have the know-how for growing Syngonium, kickstart your green journey with all the essentials you’ll need.

Syngonium plant (of course!)

A container with drainage holes

A well-draining soil: Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix

Liquid plant food: Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food

Water-based plant cleaner: Miracle-Gro® Leaf Shine