Philodendron Care

Most philodendrons do best in bright indirect light, with water when the top third of the potting mix is dry. They tolerate lower light than many indoor plants, though they grow faster and hold their colour better in a well-lit spot. Philodendron Xanadu is the exception that grows well in the garden.

Philodendron types

Philodendrons grow in three ways, and the type decides where a plant suits and whether it needs support.

Upright, self-heading philodendrons grow from a central crown and hold themselves up without support. They suit a pot on the floor or a table.

• Philodendron Rojo Congo has red stems and grows to about 1 m high and wide.
• Philodendron Prince of Orange opens new leaves in orange that age to green.
• Philodendron Imperial Green and Philodendron Imperial Red are compact, with broad glossy leaves.
• Philodendron Birkin is compact, with fine white pinstripes on dark green leaves, and grows to 50 to 100 cm.
• Philodendron Pink Princess, Philodendron White Princess, Philodendron Green Princess and Philodendron White Wizard support themselves for several years, growing to 1 m or more.
• Philodendron Shangri La forms a compact clump of ruffled leaves to about 1 m.
• Philodendron Little Phil stays to about 35 cm and copes with more shade than any other in the range.
• Philodendron Fat Boy has thick, swollen leaf stems. See Fat Boy below for its watering.
• Philodendron Billietiae has long, narrow leaves on orange stems.

Climbing and trailing philodendrons grow along a stem. Let them trail from a hanging basket or high shelf, or give them a totem or moss pole to climb.

• Philodendron Cordatum, the heart leaf philodendron, comes in a hanging basket, on a totem, and in a variegated form.
• Philodendron Brazil is a cordatum with a lime stripe through each leaf, and copes with lower light and the odd missed watering.
• Philodendron Pegasus and Philodendron Paraiso Verde grow quickly and need a totem or moss pole.

Large-leaf philodendrons grow into big, split-leaf plants for a floor pot or a shaded garden bed.

• Philodendron Xanadu grows to about 90 cm high and 70 cm wide, and is the one to plant outside. See Outdoors below.
• Philodendron Hope grows larger again, with deeply split leaves.
• Philodendron Lickety Split grows to about 1 m high and wide.

Browse the full range in our Philodendron collection.

Light

Indoors, give a philodendron bright indirect light: a spot near a window where the sun does not sit on the leaves for long. Gentle morning sun is fine. In Perth, afternoon sun through glass will burn the leaves, so keep philodendrons out of it.

Most philodendrons tolerate lower light, though growth slows and the plant stretches toward the light. Philodendron Little Phil and Philodendron Brazil cope best with it.

Variegated philodendrons

Variegated philodendrons, such as Birkin, Pink Princess, White Princess, White Wizard, Paraiso Verde and the variegated cordatum, need more light than the green ones. In low light the plant puts out greener leaves, and the variegation fades or disappears. Direct sun, though, burns the pale parts of the leaf first.

The white parts of a leaf contain no chlorophyll, so they cannot make food for the plant. A leaf that comes out all white or nearly all white will usually brown and fall within a few weeks, and a plant putting out several of them is weakened. Cut an all-white leaf back to the stem and keep the plant in bright indirect light so the growth that follows has a balance of green and white. A pink or white leaf with some green in it is healthy.

Watering

Water when the top third of the potting mix is dry. Check with a finger, since the surface dries first. When you water, water thoroughly until it runs from the drainage holes, then let it drain. Never leave the pot standing in water in a saucer or a cover pot.

Water more often through a Perth summer and less in winter, when growth slows. Yellowing lower leaves usually mean too much water.

Fat Boy

Philodendron Fat Boy stores water in its thick, swollen leaf stems, so it needs less water than the rest of the range. Let the potting mix dry out further between waterings, and water less again in winter. Overwatering rots the stems at the base.

Outdoors

Philodendron Xanadu grows well in a Perth garden, planted in full sun to semi-shade. It suits a border or mass planting under trees. Our Xanadu are grown in semi-shade, so a plant going into full sun needs time to adjust: plant it where it gets morning sun, or give it light shade for the first few weeks, and expect some leaf burn while it settles.

Philodendron Lickety Split sits between the two, taking some sun as well as shade.

Every other philodendron in the range needs a shaded, protected spot outside, such as under a deep eave, on a covered patio or verandah, or in a shade house. Midday sun scorches the leaves, and none of them tolerate frost.

Air conditioning and heaters

Keep a philodendron out of the airflow from air conditioners and heaters. Refrigerated air conditioning also dries the potting mix faster, so a plant in an air-conditioned room needs checking more often through summer. Philodendrons like humidity, and Birkin and White Princess benefit from a light misting indoors.

Feeding

Feed through the growing season, from spring to the end of summer, and stop over winter. A liquid feed each month suits most philodendrons. We recommend Growth Technology Foliage Focus or Plant Runner Indoor Plant Food.

Pots and potting mix

Keep a philodendron in its nursery pot inside a decorative pot, where water can drain away from the roots. When the roots fill the nursery pot, pot it up into a larger one with a well-draining premium potting mix. We recommend Waldecks Premium Potting Mix. For smaller plants, a specialised indoor potting mix may suit you better, such as The Home Plant Co Indoor Potting Mix or Searles Indoor Potting Mix.

For philodendrons at 175mm and below, our Trio pots are the range to look at. For 200mm and larger, look at Terreno, and each Terreno listing gives the nursery pot sizes it fits.

Cleaning the leaves

Dust on the leaves cuts the light they take in. Wipe the leaves regularly with a soft damp cloth. Leaf Love Gloves and microfibre leaf cleaning gloves make it quicker on a large plant, and Plant Runner Neem Oil Leaf Shine leaves a clean finish. While you're wiping, check the stems and the undersides of the leaves for pests.

Pests

Mealybug and scale are the pests most often found on philodendrons. Mealybug looks like white cotton wool in the leaf joints and can start below the soil. Scale shows as small, round brown bumps on stems and leaves. If you find either, bring a photo into one of our garden centres, or a leaf sealed in a zip-lock bag or container, and our team will tell you what it is and what to do.

Toxicity

All parts of a philodendron are toxic to pets and people if eaten. Keep plants out of reach of pets and young children, and wear gloves when pruning.