The Ultimate Pink Syngonium Care Guide

Pink, pink, pink... and easy care! And did I mention pink? The Pink Syngonium is just a beauty. I love those heart-shaped leaves (that shape is what gives the Syngonium their 'arrowhead' name). They grow so fast, and are super easy to propagate. Pretty as a princess but definitely not a drama queen. Those delicate pink leaves are fooling you - they are actually super low maintenance once you get the hang of what they love. Find out more below...

Where do Syngonium come from in the wild?

Think of Syngonium as a rainforest weed and it'll give you good clues to their preferred conditions. Their natural habitat covers a wide region. Native to Mexico and tropical Central to South America such as Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica and Guatemala, and parts of the Caribbean such as Trinidad and Tobago.

In their natural habitat outdoors, they prefer moist, shady conditions and rich, fertile soil. That doesn't mean we should keep them in low light in wet soil when kept indoors however. More about light and soil coming up.

Syngonium tend to start off more compact and bushy with initial leaves being arrowhead- or heart-shaped. As they mature, they will often start to shoot off vines in search of something to climb. Mature leaves usually change their form into 3 or more segments. Once they climb, the leaves can get MUCH bigger and reach their mature leaf shape faster. Without something to climb they tend to spread as ground cover. They root really easily. In the wild they readily put out advantageous roots as they crawl or climb.  

How much light do Pink Syngonium need?

The whole Syngonium family are surprisingly tolerant of low light due, but I recommend medium to bright indirect light for the pink varieties in particular. I'd avoid direct light though, or you may burn those gorgeous but thin leaves. Keep in mind also that brighter light helps leaves become more pink, but only to a point. Too bright and leaves can fade to green (or too dark and they can revert to green too). I also find mine dry out much faster than they prefer in brighter light, and with their preference for always-lightly-moist conditions, the brighter the light the higher the watering (and the higher the chance of crispy leaves!).  

What temperature range do Pink Syngonium prefer?

Syngonium are not huge fans of draughts, or being in the path of your air con or heat pump. Other than that, they're pretty tolerant of a wide range of indoor temperatures. Ideally 15 to 26 degrees Celsius or around 60 to 78 Fahrenheit, but if you get the rest of the conditions right, they do tolerate cooler and warmer. I'd aim to stay above 10 degrees though

If you recall their natural tropical rainforest habitat, it'll come as no surprise to hear Syngoniums LOVE higher humidity. Ideally above 50% humidity, but 60% to 70% will be really appreciated. If kept in an air conditioned or artificially heated home, you may want to invest in a small humidifier (I love my cordless H2O 750 in particular for mine) but before you do, grab a cheap hygrometer like these. I've found misting and pebble trays don't make enough of a difference for my Syngoniums. 

What's the best soil for Syngonium? 

Syngonium are part of the Araceae family, related to the Philodendron. Their soil preferences are similar but I find mine like it more moist than my Philodendrons. They thrive being maintained lightly moist, and can be very thirsty when in a brighter light position, so it's best to pick soil that allows for that.

I prefer a relatively rich, soil-based mix for mine. Something with a medium level of moisture retention. Still free-draining and airy so those roots don't get waterlogged (pure potting mix would be a no for that reason).

My favourite for my Syngonium is Wildvine's Houseplant Blend. If you're an over-waterer and need your substrate to protect you from waterlogging those roots, Bio Leaf Indoor Fine would be a better choice for you as it's a fine-grade, soil-free aroid mix. I tend towards being an under-waterer myself and keep most of my Syngonium in medium to brighter light, so I prefer a mix that holds a bit more water. Otherwise my Syngonium tend to go crispy far too fast.

Syngonium are also great candidates for hydro and semi-hydro. Have a read of the beginners guide to growing in Leca if you're interested in giving it a go.

What water requirements do Pink Syngonium have?

Not too dry, not too wet, evenly, lightly moist is just right. Better too dry than too wet though if you have to choose, but they won't like being left dry for too long. I am guilty of a 'wet and forget' approach to watering myself, so I tend to underwater, which these girls handle well once I got the right substrate for them. I water again when the soil is dry down to about half way but if you have yours in a soil-free, aroid-type mix you'll normally want to water when it's dry only about a quarter of the way down.

If you leave it too long they will droop and wilt, sometimes very dramatically and suddenly, and leaves can curl and go crispy very fast. If caught in time they recover fine. I've even had them lose all their leaves, cut them back to little stumpy stems, and they've come 'back from the (almost) dead'.

Which fertiliser is best for Syngoniums?

Although they can be fast growers, I prefer to fertilise 'weekly weakly' which just means fertilising lightly, every time you water. I don't find Synognium to be heavy feeders, but that doesn't mean they should be 'starved'. If you do grow in Leca, fertilising is a must as Leca doesn't provide any nutrients like organic mediums do. 


My current go-to is GT Foliage Focus or Plant Runner Indoor Plant Food. Both are higher nitrogen to support foliage growth. I feed 5mls GT per 1 litre water, or 1ml per 1 litre of Plant Runner. Plant Runner combines both fertiliser and seaweed, but you can also give yours a monthly boost with seaweed (I use the BioPower organic seaweed at half-strength about monthly or when I remember).

Pink Syngonium Pro Tips & Problem Solving

Fading pink leaves / more green leaves

Look at your light conditions to solve this one. In my experience those pretty pink leaves will fade if there's too much light. Too little light and I also find my girls revert to more green leaves. Try a new spot for a while and see what the new growth does. I find around the medium end of bright is ideal. It is normal to get a mix of some purely pink, some green, and some in-betweener leaves.

Keep in mind also that there are variations of pink. My original girls are overall pinker, but paler pink, compared to the newer ones with a deeper pink colour. You'll mainly find the Syngonium Neon in NZ, and there's also the Syngonium Robusta and Syngonium Red Heart. I've also seen the Syngonium Mickey in NZ (which is a paler pink with cute, smaller, much longer, pointier leaves).  

Vining or climbing?

Not sure if I'd call this a problem as such, but make your Syngonium happy and she'll likely start vining if not given something to climb. One of mine in particular just loves life and is determined to vine with really short spacing between nodes (brighter light also helps them grow more bushy). I chop and prop a lot when a vine gets too heavy and starts to droop (I'll often cut off a vine below a node and put it directly back into the soil). 

Leggy stems

Without enough light these girls can get a bit leggy trying to reach for more light. Try a brighter spot to get more compact growth with shorter stems and more leaves. If you have to, trim off those leggy bits and propagate. New growth should come through nice and bushy in the right spot. 

Pet safe?

Sadly no, like her Philodendron cousins, all Syngnonium are not pet safe. Same as the Phil fam, Syngonium have calcium oxalate crystals which can irritate the lips, mouth, throat and tummy if ingested. No nibbling or eating those leaves! Keep them up safely out of reach of curious pets and kids (they irritate us too if eaten). Not likely to be serious, but any irritation could cause swelling, and swelling and breathing don't really go together. Best kept safely up high.

Is the Pink Syngonium for you?

If you can keep a Philodendron happy you should feel confident moving up to a Syngonium. Although they can be slightly fussier with light and water, don't let those delicate looking leaves put you off. They are easier than they look.