Not my first plant, just my first philodendron!
ID tag says P. brandtianum
Picked up this sad guy while grabbing other plants 😅. I've had it for about 10 days and the newest leaves are looking better, but the main stem looks pretty rough/nakey.
It's currently potted in sphagnum moss, which I plan to change to a more appropriate substrate when it's ready to come out of bathroom jail (quarantine). But I'm wondering if it might be better to chop and prop? Or what would be your next steps for this specific plant?
Thanks!
by kingtrashmouf
2 Comments
1. Please put her in a 4 inch pot and place the stem deeper into the soil, it will look better. 2. you need a LOT more light. They should be either right next to a window or a grow light nearby. Just no direct exposure unless you build up to it. She looks a little lanky. My pothos gets 4-6 hours of direct light and she produces a ton of large leaves recently.
https://preview.redd.it/i2oyhyq4hjyg1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ec2cd6c098d443a7223abf69f9b999ef5a714ab
Hope this helps!
Oh, you’ve skipped “casual” mode and gone straight for mid-level difficulty.
Brandi can be a little fussy about humidity, and is prone to getting stuck leaves if things are too dry. A proper moss pole can help, and more mature plants generally outgrow the worst of it, but be prepared to monitor new leaves emerging. Make sure your plant is getting enough light and the media never 100% dries out (aim for 75% dry before watering), as that also helps reduce stuck leaves. A window with morning sun and bright light the rest of the day is great, or an window with a couple hours afternoon sun is also good. I keep mine in a west window.
The moss, provided it isn’t tightly packed, is actually fine as a substrate for a pot that size. I often do the same when transitioning cuttings, and it’s not an issue provided the moss isn’t packed tightly because moss can hold a crazy amount of water without becoming anerobic, so it’s ideal for getting newly rooted plants accustomed to being out of a water-filled prop jar.
When roots are clearly beginning to circle the pot, remove them from the moss and pot into a well aerated but moisture-retaining houseplant substrate (do not use a super dry aroid mix unless you intend to water very often, as philodendrons do *not* like to dry out like a monstera or pothos). Usually, just adding a couple handfuls of perlite to help aerate normal houseplant potting mix works well.