I got this philodendron about a year ago from Home Depot and didn’t really give it too much thought when I scooped it but it has not been doing well. It’s basically looked like this for the last year. It leans HEAVILY, which is why it’s bound to the moss pole. If I don’t have something supporting it, it just topples over. It’s never grown a new leaf and the current leaves look… bad. The base of the stem seems fairly solid and there’s a lot of roots poking out every which way. Soil is a mix of perlite, potting soil, and orchid bark I make myself. I have a moisture meter and when it says dry, I douse the soil, let it drain, and then put it back in the ceramic. It sits with my monsteras under a grow light for about nine hours a day, with a warm humidifier as well because I live in the frigid, dry northeast US.
My main question is: should I chop off the top of this plant and let new growth from the stem take over? It just looks so sad and I haven’t been able to get it to bounce back. It’s obviously not dead, it’s just… tired? Over it? Plotting my demise because I’m a bad plant parent? My bigger monsteras are currently putting out three leaves between the two of them so I don’t want to necessarily BLAME the philo…. But…. I’m lowkey kind of blaming the philo (its name is Pod, in case y’all were curious).
by __irezumi
2 Comments
So, there’s actually new growth on this fella already. You can see it right there – the little claw-like thing, reaching over the gardening tape. Clearly a node has activated at that point on the stem. It’s not completely clear to me what’s stopping the growth higher up. Could be a lot of causes. One of the leaves is bleached, which could indicate nutrient issues or root issues. It may also simply be underwatered. I have one of the same kind, and she’s a pretty thirsty girl.
My recommendation would be to take a cutting above that point and propagate it (though definitely remove those leaf stumps when you do it – they’re going to rot and fall off anyway, and you’ll get better results on the propagation if they’re already gone). Let the new growth take over the old stem. If all goes well, you’ll soon have two Pods.
Honestly, if you’ve tried everything else and nothing seems to work…yeah, I’d try the chop-and-prop.
But tbc I’m a bit of a philo noob *and* actively learning prop techniques for a variety of plants at present, so maybe someone else here can actually help you revive it 😅
I just say – respect for taking on that project and trying all the things! You’re giving it a better shot at life than at HD, that’s for sure.