Philodendron Care guide

Philodendron

Family: Araceae
Latin name: Philodendron

Extremely popular indoor plants, very easy to maintain. There are over 400 varieties of Philodendron!

First classified by Schott in 1831 during a visit to America. It was introduced to Europe in 1693 by the Charles Plumier and quickly found a very large response. A few years later, in 1860, the Austrian botanist Heinrich Schott It had described 135 species, while today at least 489 species have been classified.

Based on their development method, they are divided into 3 categories:

• Epiphytic (growing on other plants)
• Terrestrial (developed in the soil)
• Semi-epiphytic (developed in both of the above ways)

They can adapt to a wide range of lighting, are not very demanding in terms of watering and humidity conditions. They prefer regular cleaning of their leaves, as this significantly helps with better photosynthesis.

Easy and beautiful plants also provide air purification from toxins.

They can grow upwards with the right support or hang impressively.

Attention! The leaves are toxic (contain calcium oxalate) if ingested, keep the plants away from small children and pets.

Lighting

Philodendrons prefer moderate to bright lighting conditions, but they can also adapt to low light. In this case, however, their leaves will be smaller and the plant will not be very compact.

Watering

They require moderate watering and only after their soil has dried well. Watering is increased during the growing season and much less during the winter months. Ideally, they prefer rainwater as it does not accumulate salts in their roots.

Temperature

Room temperature is satisfactory for their growth. At lower temperatures, growth is inhibited, and at very low temperatures, the plant may dry out.

Humidity

As with all tropical plants, the Philodendron thrives in high humidity, but it does not have issues with the usual humidity conditions that prevail in the indoor spaces of homes or offices.

Fertilization

Frequent fertilization dramatically favors their proper and rapid growth. It is applied with a diluted dose every 2 weeks during the growth period and stops in the winter months.

Tips

• By providing support for the plant's upward growth, it encourages the creation of larger leaves.
• The more intense the colors of a variety, the more essential a bright location is for the plant.

Problems and solutions:

The plant has brown leaves: Sample that the plant is not at the moisture levels it needs. Humidity should be increased either with a saucer (with pebbles and water) or by misting the leaves. Attention! Misting with tap water contains many salts and chlorine and can damage the leaves. Ideally, rainwater or filtered water should be used. If tap water is the only option, it should be collected and used after 2-3 days to allow most of the chlorine to dissipate.

The plant shows yellow leaves that are drying out: Peripheral yellowing of the leaves and drying is a sign that the plant is being overwatered. Check the soil before watering and make sure it has dried out between waterings. If there are also small spots on the leaves at the same time, then the plant has been infested with spider mites and needs to be sprayed with the appropriate insecticide. Regular cleaning of the leaves with a dry cloth reduces the likelihood of spider mite infestation.