Friends,
I want to let you know about a new plant I’ve discovered, called the Milk Confetti Syngonium. If you know me, you know I’m a total pastels person. I looooove pastels, to the chagrin of many (a highly unpopular color palette until very recently), and pink in particular. Someday, I will have a room dipped in pink - think Gray Benko’s iconic South Carolinian rooms. So many dreams!
But a pastel pink plant, man…it gets me. And I can afford it. 😂
The Milk Confetti Syngonium is a member of the Araceae family and is found as a climbing plant in the wild in Central and South America. Baby Milk Confetti Syngoniums typically have creamy light green leaves, with little splotches of pastel pink all over the surface of the leaves in random patterns. Some leaves have more pink than others. As the plant matures, the splotches may become larger and more prominent, depending on how much sunlight it’s getting.
The Milk Confetti arrived from our supplier this last Saturday, and it did not disappoint:
- It looked exactly like the picture on our website - yes!
- The packaging protected the plants quite well, given the delivery service slightly dented the box. - Gold Star for our supplier here! (Please send me feedback if you have it on delivery.)
- The plant arrived very healthy, with new growth visible, and the soil was well watered!
I must admit, I was not expecting the soil to be moist (sorry - we have to use that word a lot) when it arrived. I am so impressed and can’t wait for you to try this beauty for yourself, with its creamy-colored leaves and light pink variegation that really does look like confetti. It’s a sweet little plant that will do nicely on your kitchen windowsill.
So, let’s talk about some care tips:
Placement
One of the most important things about variegated plants is that they often require more light than they would typically if they didn’t have those beautiful patterns. More light on plants with pink variegation, like the Milk Confetti Syngonium, allows the pink to become more prominent. I have all of my pink variegated plants (all babies) sitting on a North-facing windowsill, and they are sublimely happy there, producing some beautiful pink foliage for us this summer! With the North-facing window, I don’t have to worry as much about my plant leaves getting their edges burned from too much sunlight. Here in Arvada, Colorado, we’re a mile above sea level, and we do have to watch our plants that are exposed to sunlight, pretty much by the hour in the summertime. 🌵 However, the North-facing window is a good idea at any elevation, because the plant is never in the direct path of the Sun yet still receives high indirect sunlight.
Plant Jewelry - The Pot
In terms of the pot, I always recommend leaving the plant in the nursery pot as long as you can. Until you start to see a plant’s roots come out of the bottom of a nursery pot, the most nutritious place for it to be is in the soil from the nursery. To give it a proper home, I recommend placing that nursery pot inside the actual pot you eventually want to plant it in. Ceramic, composite, or even a plastic pot will support the moisture level the Milk Confetti will need to thrive. I wouldn’t say don’t pot it in terra cotta, but you would want to monitor its moisture levels more closely (probably daily in the summer and weekly in the dormant season).
Watering
Speaking of watering, I favor the fingertip test method. This is the best way to understand for yourself the moisture level of the soil - through your senses. The depth of where you should feel for dryness depends on the type of plant, but most are either:
- 1 inch
- 2 inches
- Halfway
- Fully dry (but before soil pulls away from edges, always!)
Specific to the Milk Confetti Syngonium:
As a baby, water when the top 2 inches of soil is dry. When it becomes a more mature plant, seek the 60% mark.
Place your index finger into the soil and feel down to see how far the moisture goes. If it gets dry at or around the recommended length, it’s time to water.
The way I water is connected to that test method - if you let your plant dry to the proper level, it’s best to:
- Take your plant to the sink, bathtub, outside, etc.,
- Water it gently (low flow - like rain, y’all) until an itty-bitty stream of water comes out the bottom holes.
- Balance it on the edge of the sink, bathtub, etc. and let it drain for a couple of hours (overnight is fine, for most).
- Place it back in its spot to soak up that sun!
Fertilizing
For most plants, I recommend a gentle liquid organic fertilizer that you can mix in with your watering. Typically, those fertilizers just require a cap-full for a whole pail full of water, and plants really love the ingredients. During the summer months, fertilize the Milk Syngonium every 2-4 weeks. In the dormant months, leave it be.
Repotting
Again, I recommend keeping your baby Milk Confetti Syngonium in the nursery pot until you see little roots coming out of the holes on the bottom. Then, choose an indoor potting soil with good drainage materials included.
*Tip: If you go to the mom and pop nurseries, they typically have their own soil mixes. These are the best choices, in my opinion, because it’s already calibrated for the type of plant and your local climate.
I tend to put a few rocks on the bottom inside all my pots to allow for good drainage. For the Milk Confetti Syngonium, I’d do a small handful of pebbles. Additionally, I mix a bit of sphagnum moss into the soil before potting.
Your Milk Confetti Syngonium will likely want to be repotted every year. I recommend sizing up 1-2 inches each time you repot.
*Tip: A good indicator that your plant is not ready to repot is if it’s growing rather slow. This means that the roots are trying to fill the space the plant’s been given. giving all its energy to that effort. The result is slow growth up top. If you overshot the size of the pot, simply repot into something no bigger than 2 inches larger than the plant.
I hope you get to try the relatively easy-to-care-for Milk Confetti Syngonium in your own indoor landscape. I really love its creamy and delicate, arrow-shaped leaves with those distinctive, yet soft splotches of light pink. They nearly look hand-painted and so cute on the windowsill.
Share your Milk Confetti brag pics with me! Send them on over to info@junemoonhomescapes.com, and I might feature your plant baby on social. Make sure to include your plant’s name! 🌿
