Philodendron Cordatum Care

Houseplants
Philodendron Cordatum Care

Philodendrons are popular indoor plants that have been a common sight in homes for generations. They are great plants for beginner gardeners and those who are too busy to invest a lot of time in gardening: Philodendrons will typically signal all of its needs. It means that even those unfamiliar with gardening will be able to grow Philodendrons successfully and without much trouble.

Another great thing about Philodendrons is that they can readily adapt to the indoor conditions in an average home. They can easily thrive in these circumstances, with means that even beginners can grow them without a problem.

To make your Philodendron thrive, here are some useful tips:

Take Your Philodendron Outdoors

Keep in mind that Philodendrons can thrive inside of your home without a problem year-long. However, to make it thrive, you should give them some time outdoors when the weather is warm enough. This occasional outdoors stay will benefit your plant a lot, just make sure to keep it in a shady spot.

Taking your plant outdoors also allows your Philodendron to clean the leaves and flush the soil with fresh water. The good news is that Philodendrons, unlike so many other plants, take moving from indoors to outdoors easily. They generally don't experience much stress, as long as you do it carefully and as long as you wait for warm weather to move your plant outdoors.

Philodendron Care: Three Basic Needs

In order to grow your Philodendron plant successfully, you need to provide it with three basic needs: sunlight, water, and minerals. Here is what you need to do to adequately address all three:

Sunlight

It is best to keep your Philodendron in a place that receives plenty of bright but indirect sunlight. A position near a window is a good one, as long as the sunrays never touch foliage directly.

Keep in mind that it is normal for old leaves to go yellow, but if you notice this happening to different leaves at the same time, it might be a sigh that your Philodendron plant is receiving too much light. If you notice this, you must move your Philodendron to a place without direct sunlight. Remember: the light should be bright but indirect.

It is also possible not to provide enough light for your plant, so you need to pay attention to this, too. A telling sign of a plant that doesn't have sufficient sunlight are long and leggy stems. They often have several inches between leaves. Such a plant looks limp and weak. If you notice this, you must move your Philodendron to a place with more light.

Watering

It is important to provide proper watering to your Philodendron plants. When watering, make sure to always allow the top inch of the soil to dry out before you water it again. To judge this properly, insert your index finger into the soil to the first knuckle. This is the depth that needs to be checked for moisture. If you feel that the soil has dried out down to this level, make sure to water again. If not, wait until it is dry to give more water to your Philodendron plant.

It is also important to monitor your plant for signs of inadequate watering. Droopy leaves are often a good sign that something is wrong with your watering regime. However, they can appear with both too little and too much watering. Because of this, you need to be aware of your watering habits if you notice droopy leaves so you know how to solve this issue. If you know you are prone to watering too much, droopy leaves mean that you should cut back and water less frequently. If you tend to wait for long periods between waterings, droopy leaves mean that you should water more often.

The good news is that Philodendron leaves recover quickly once you correct your watering regime. This is generally an easy thing to improve, but you need to monitor your plant regularly to notice any droopy leaves or other signs of inadequate watering.

Minerals: Fertilizing

Your plant needs adequate amount of food to thrive. This food, minerals and other beneficial matter are easily obtained through fertilizing. Because of this, you need to make sure to provide adequate fertilizing regime to your Philodendron.

The best fertilizer for Philodendron plants is a balanced liquid foliage fertilizer with macro-nutrients. It is important to water your Philodendron with fertilizer once per month during the spring and summer. During the fall and winter, you should cut this regime back to once in 6 to 8 weeks.

There are ways to tell that your Philodendron is not getting enough fertilizer. Above all, these include small leaf size and slow growth of your plant. There are also specific signs of mineral deficiency. If you notice pale new leaves, it is typically a sign that the plant is lacking calcium and magnesium, which are vital macro-nutrients for Philodendron plant well-being. This is the best sign to monitor. If you notice it, make sure to feed your plant with some balanced fertilizer that contains calcium and magnesium.

Care for Different Philodendron Varieties

There are several popular types of Philodendrons that are grown in homes. The two main types include vining and non-climbing varieties. The care you provide will be similar to both types, but there are some notable differences you need to pay attention to:

Vining Philodendron varieties will need some soft of a supporting structure or a post to climb on. Keep in mind that these varieties also include Heartleaf Philodendrons and Blushing Philodendrons. If you have one of these varieties, make sure to provide a supporting structure for your plant.

Non-Climbing Philodendron varieties have an upright and spreading growth. Their width can be twice as much of their height. It means that these varieties require a lot of elbow room to grow properly. Varieties in this group include Bird's Nest Philodendrons and Lacy Tree Philodendrons.

Differentiating Between ad Pothos and a Philodendron

Finally, it is important to note that there are some plants that are commonly mistaken for Philodendrons. In order to provide the best care for your houseplants, you need to make sure what they are. In other words, to care for your Philodendron properly, you need to know that it is indeed a Philodendron.

Philodendron plants are commonly confused with Pothos plants. The mistake probably comes from similarities between these leaves. However, there are notable differences. For example, the stems of Pothos plants are grooved, while those of Philodendrons are not. Another difference is that new leaves emerge surrounded by a leaf sheath on Philodendrons. This sheath eventually dries and falls off, which doesn't happen for Pothos plants. Pothos plants lack this sheath.

There is also a notable difference in care regime. Pothos plants need brighter light and warmer temperatures than Philodendrons. Pothos plants are often sold in hanging baskets, unlike Philodendrons. All these differences are important to note, so you can differentiate between a Philodendron and a Pothos plant.

Photo credit: technicolours

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