Syngonium Rayii Plant Care

Last Updated on April 14, 2022 by Admin

Syngonium Rayii is a stunning plant with beautiful leaves. It comes in two different varieties which are the Syngonium Rayii Green Form and the Syngonium Rayii Dark Form.

The Syngonium Rayii Green Form has beautiful deep green color along with the white strips in the middle. Meanwhile the Syngonium Rayii Dark form has very dark green leaves.

The Dark Form also seems to have either no white variegation in the middle or a much thinner white line there.

How do you care for the Syngonium Rayii? The plant thrives in medium to bright indirect light indoors and partial shade outdoors.

It will grow taller if you give it a support to climb. But many growers keep it in pots instead. The plant enjoys warm temperature and high humidity. Avoid overwatering.

Table of Contents

Syngonium Rayii vs. Syngonium Wendlandii

The Syngonium Rayii and the Syngonium Wendlandii are often confused for one another because they look alike.

The shape of their leaves is similar and they have a very distinct white variegation down the middle of their leaves.

However, the two are not the same plant.

Instead, the Syngonium Rayii is a smaller plant. This becomes very obvious if you put the two plants side by side.

Additionally, the Syngonium Rayii has darker green leaves white the Syngonium Wendlandii has lighter green foliage.

Light Requirements

The Syngonium Rayii thrives in bright indirect light. Because of its heavy white variegation in the middle of its leaves, it is important to give the plant plenty of light.

The reason is that the white sections don’t contain or have little chlorophyll. That’s why they are not green.

The thing is, chlorophyll doesn’t just provide the green pigment for leaves, it is also the compound that absorbs light.

Therefore, the plant needs a well-lit environment to make up for the lack of chlorophyll.

This is necessary for it get collect enough light for photosynthesis. Otherwise, it won’t be able to produce sufficient energy to grow optimally if it does not get enough raw material to work with (light).

That said, avoid very strong or very intense light.

The Syngonium Rayii can only tolerate short periods of this kind of light before you see its leaves fade in color. In extreme intensity too much light can also burn the leaves.

Therefore, avoid exposure to direct sunlight during the middle of the day.

This is when the rays of the sun are harshest.

In contrast, it will highly appreciate morning and late afternoon sun because these are much gentler. For this reason, an east or west facing window is ideal.

Temperature

The Syngonium Rayii has an ideal temperature range between 60 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

It can likewise tolerate warmer climates as well.

This stems from its natural habitat which are the tropical regions of Central and South America.

As such, it is used to warm to hot weather.

The good news is that this makes it well-suited for indoor growing, including homes.

However, keep in mind that you still need to be wary about some areas in your home. These include air conditioned rooms, open windows where cold drafts can enter and areas where the temperature can suddenly drop.

Always check nighttime temperature relative to daytime temperature where you position the plant.

It does not like sudden or large drops in temperature which can make these locations problematic.

The Syngonium Rayii has a temperature tolerance of 55 degrees Fahrenheit. It has trouble once conditions drop below this.

Therefore, keep it away from anything cold.

This also means that it is not well-suited for winter weather outdoors. Therefore, make sure to bring the plant back indoors once the climate starts getting colder late in the year.

Humidity

The Syngonium Rayii likes high humidity, ideally between 60% to 80% if possible. This will not only allow it to grow faster but also produce more vibrant foliage.

That said, it has no problem with humidity of 40% to 60% which makes it a bit more manageable to grow the plant indoors.

Humidity is important to plants because it provides them with moisture from the air.

When the air gets too dry, you’ll see its leaves get turn brown beginning with the edges and tips. These before dry, crispy and brittle.

The longer the plant stays in low humidity, the more leaves will turn brown.

Therefore, it is a good idea to check the leaves for any changes every now and then.

If leaf tips and edges turn brown, you need to increase humidity around the plant.

The simplest way to do this is to use a humidifier. Although this may or may not be practical based on whether you want to spend extra cash or not.

If not, you can mist the plant a few times a week, place it on a pebble tray or keep it in the bathroom.

How Often to Water Syngonium Rayii

The Syngonium Rayii needs moderate watering. It usually needs watering once a week. But in the summers this can go up to 2 to 3 times a week.

During winters, make sure to cut down on watering. This may mean watering once every 2 or 3 weeks.

The Syngonium Rayii is fairly resilient and tough. This allows it to take some abuse and neglect.

However, the one thing that can give the plant lots of problems or even kill it is overwatering.

This is why you want to be careful not to water it too often. Excess watering will cause the roots to eventually end up swimming in liquid, which is something they dislike.

If this lasts very long periods of time, the roots can end up suffocating as they’re deprived of oxygen.

When this happens, the roots die and rot.

So, the best way to ensure that this never happens is to wait until the top 1-2 inches of soil has completely dried before adding more water.

If you want to stay even safer, wait until the top 40% to 50% of the soil has dried.

By allowing the soil to dry about halfway, you dramatically reduce the risk of overwatering.

Syngonium Rayii Potting Soil

The Syngonium Rayii needs well-draining potting soil that is rich. A soil pH between 5.5 to 6.5 is likewise ideal.

Good drainage is essential due to the plant’s susceptibility to overwatering.

This allows excess moisture to quickly drain while still retaining some water to keep the roots hydrated.

In doing so, it prevents waterlogging which can result in root rot as well.

This is why you never want to use heavy or dense soils. These tend to hold too much moisture for the Syngonium Rayii.

As such, they will keep the roots wet for longer periods of time.

A simple way to make the perfect potting mix for the Syngonium Rayii is to mix:

1 part potting soil
1 part perlite
1 part orchid bark

This combination gives you water retention from the potting soil and good drainage from the bark and perlite. Additionally, the bark allows for more aeration.

Finally, don’t forget to use a container with drainage holes.

This is very important.

Otherwise, all the excess liquid that drains from the soil just builds up at the bottom of the pot. This leaves you with wet soil.

Fertilizer

Feed the Syngonium Rayii with a balanced houseplant fertilizer diluted to half its recommended strength.

It only requires once a month fertilizing during spring and summer.

This is when the plant is actively growing. As such, you’ll see it make most strides during this time.

On the other hand, once the cold weather comes around, you can stop applying plant food. It does not feed fertilizer during fall and winter.

Only start feeding again once spring comes around.

Fertilizer is very important for proper growth of his plant. It will help it grow faster and produce more foliage.

It also lets you avoid any nutrient deficiencies.

However, note that commercial fertilizers contain salts which plants including the Syngonium Rayii hate.

So, be careful about over fertilizing it. In doing this, you not only give the plant more nutrients but also increase toxicity to the roots as it causes more salt to build up.

Eventually, this can lead to fertilizer burn.

Pruning

The Syngonium Rayii has the potential to grow to as tall as 6 feet high and 2 feet wide. However, a lot of how big it gets will depend on where you keep it.

Its shape will vary significantly if you keep it in a pot, give it something to climb on or let it hang from a basket.

With the former, it won’t grow tall reaching about 1-2 feet at most. But it will get bushy and grow out toe the sides.

With a pole or something to climb on, the Syngonium Rayii will go up the support and wrap around it. Not only will it get taller, but you’ll also see it expand to he sides are its leaves get fuller.

Finally, with a hanging basket, it won’t have much height to it above the pot. But the stems will trail down and grow to about 2 feet in length.

In all cases, it will get bushy with proper care and regular pruning to promote new growth.

But its size and how it will grow out will vary quite a bit.

Therefore, how often you’ll need to prune later on will depend a lot on the look of the plant and how you want to shape it.

How to Propagate Syngonium Rayii

The Syngonium Rayii is commonly propagated from stem cuttings.

Stem cuttings makes it easy to propagate new plants since the mother plant has many of these.

As such, you can grow one or several new plants at once.

You can likewise decide if you want to propagate in water or in soil.

The best time to propagate the Syngonium Rayii is during spring to early summer. This gives it an entire growing season to develop before the cold weather arrives.

Here’s how to propagate Syngonium Rayii from stem cuttings.

Start by taking healthy stem cuttings. You want to select cutting that have at least 1-2 leaf nodes and 2-3 leaves.
Cut the stems just under the node. Use a sterile pair of scissors or pruning shears.
Set the cuttings aside and fill a small pot with well-draining potting soil.
Then plant the cuttings into the soil and water it until moist.
Place the pot in a well-lit area without direct sunlight.

From here, just take care of the cuttings and they will root in about 4 weeks.

You can likewise propagate in water.

Here, place the stem cuttings in a jar filled with water. Ensure that the nodes are submerged.

You’ll need to replace the water every 2 or so weeks to avoid any pathogens from growing.

Keep the jar in bright, indirect light with good humidity.

With water propagation, it takes about 3-4 weeks for roots to develop. Once they do, you can move the cuttings into a pot with well-draining soil mix.

How to Repot or Transplant Syngonium Rayii

With proper care the Syngonium Rayii will grow quite fast. This will allow it to climb a support or drape down from hanging baskets.

Additionally, its growth will mean you’ll need to repot at some point.

With a mature plant, it usually takes 2 years before repotting is required. For young plants which grow faster, once a year repotting is more likely.

Make sure to change the soil when repotting as well.

This gives the plant fresh soil that drains well and has good aeration. It also replenished the nutrients that have been depleted from the old soil.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

The Syngonium Rayii is toxic when ingested. I can cause vomiting and inflammation in people, cats and dogs.

Therefore, keep the plant away from pets and young children who may accidentally consumer parts of the plant.

Syngonium Rayii Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

The Syngonium Rayii is quite resistant to pests. But it can still experience attacks.

Therefore, you do need to do regular inspections especially under the leaves for any of these bugs.

The most common pests that will bother the plant include spider mites, aphids, mealybugs and scale. While tiny, all of these have short lifespans and lay a lot of eggs.

So, they can grow in number very quickly.

This is why early detection is crucial and immediate treatment is needed.

Diseases

As with pests, the Syngonium Rayii does not experience disease much.

However, these problems are often caused by human intervention. That’s because stem rot, root rot, leaf spot disease from bacterial and fungal indirection happen due to overwatering.

As such, it is excess watering, wetting the leaves using soils that retain moisture that cause these issues.

This means it is important to wait until the soil has dried before you add more water. Similarly, avoid watering from above where you wet the leaves.

Don’t water late in the day.

Also, make sure that the plant gets good lighting and ventilation to let any wetness dry faster.

Syngonium Rayii Plant Care – Light, Watering, Soil Mix, Propagation & Repotting

Syngonium Rayii vs. Syngonium Wendlandii