How to Care For and Grow Your False Aralia — Plant Care Tips and More

False Aralia

*AKA Dizygotheca elegantissima*

A beautifully unique houseplant with wispy, textured foliage, the False Aralia (also known as Threadleaf Aralia and Spider Aralia) is a wonderful plant for any level of green thumb. Read up on what it takes to care for a False Aralia, from watering and light needs to problems and more.

What type of light does my False Aralia need?

The False Aralia does best bright indirect light. Be sure to keep it out of harsh direct sunlight as this will cause its leaves to brown.

How to water your False Aralia

Let your False Aralia dry out between waterings. Water thoroughly when topsoil is dry, usually once a week. Avoid overwatering, and note that your watering schedule may change during winter months. False Aralias also love an occasional bottom watering. Consider using a tool like a moisture meter to take the mystery out of your watering schedule.

How fast does the False Aralia grow?

False Aralias are relatively slow growers, but can reach a height of about 6ft when grown in a container.

Common problems with False Aralias

Leaves drooping

The most common cause of leaves drooping on a False Aralia is underwatering. Check the soil: f you suspect your plant is dry, give it a healthy watering and wait 24 hours to see if it perks back up.

Leaf shedding

False Aralias can be sensitive to change. When this plant begins to loose leaves, it is usually due to a change in its environment, whether that’s light, humidity levels or both. Be patient, sometimes it will take a few weeks for plants to adjust to their new home.

Another thing to keep in mind with leaf drop on False Aralias is that this plant typically loses its lower leaves over time. If you’d like to maintain its bushiness, prune it back once a year.

How to maintain a beautiful and healthy False Aralia

Take care of your Aralia and it will take care of you! Below are simple tips to continue caring for your False Aralia over time.

Pruning Your False Aralia

The False Aralia is a slow grower that requires very little pruning and maintenance over time. You will only need to prune your plant if you’d like to control its height or to encourage bushiness. If you’d like your plant to maintain it’s bush-like form, prune it back in the spring for fuller growth. Otherwise, it will slowly lose its lower leaves and take on a more tree-like appearance.

Cleaning Your False Aralia

With so many thin leaves, the False Aralia can be difficult to clean! We recommend regularly misting to keep dust off, and occasionally cleaning the leaves with a moist towel and L’Original black olive oil soap for plants.

How To Repot A False Aralia

Houseplants grow much slower than they would in the wild. Depending on the size of your plant and the density of the roots, this is nice to do every 1-2 years to provide fresh nutrients and encourage new growth.

When to repot - Aralias are particularly slow growing plants, but repotting them once a year in the spring will help them grow faster.
Pot sizing - if you want your plant to grow taller, find a nursery pot that’s 2” in diameter larger than the current pot. If you want your plant to stay the same height, you can reuse the same pot and simply change the soil. You may need to cut back some of the roots to do this.
Get your hands dirty - spread out newspaper on the floor, remove the plant from the pot and shake off as much of the old soil as possible so that you have clean roots. Place the plant in the center of the pot, add new soil and pat down firmly. Water the soil thoroughly and place the plant in an area with bright indirect light. Your plant will take 2-4 weeks to settle from the shock and adjust to its new home.

Need help repotting? Check out our Deluxe Repotting Kit which includes everything you need to repot your plant, including step by step instructions and a video tutorial with our Plant Doctors.