Many of us have grown Princess type philodendrons, only to discover they wound up skinny and scraggly when they started to grow larger. Then they start to make weird side shoots, and people don't understand what the plant is trying to do. Is it dying? Is it time to chop? These pics are what the wild type of Philodendron erubescens looks and grows like. They produce multiple stems, and those grow together in a thick tangle, which is why the internodes are spaced out and a single stem looks strange. They scramble over anything near them, attaching with aerial roots, forming lush, impenetrable curtains of leaves and stems, seeking the sun. They want light and vertical space, and shoots and roots are part of the natural growth pattern of what is actually a really hearty plant. I hope understanding what how they grow in nature will help people a little when they are frustrated with their Pink Princess (or White Wizard, Painted Lady, White Knight, etc.) and are struggling to understand what it needs to look/grow nicer.
by PersephonesChild82
2 Comments
Now imagine those big tangles of vines with pink and/or white spots everywhere. We’ve been growing them wrong friends. We need to let them turn into mini-jungles of color.
I have Red Emerald and it is in my top 3 favourite.