We create comfortable conditions at home for growing a philodendron
Philodendrons are incredibly diverse and are of interest to millions of flower growers. When a philodendron appears in the collection, growing this plant at home should not be intimidating with complexity or laboriousness. People from the humid tropics, despite the exotic look, are completely unassuming and delight their owners for a long time with bright greenery and excellent growth.
To ensure success, before replanting the flower and finding a suitable place for it, you need to find out Philodendron species... Among the hundreds of varieties, there are epiphytes and terrestrial plants, vines and large varieties that look more like shrubs or trees.
Most domestic philodendrons are climbing vines with decorative foliage and aerial roots forming at the nodes. In addition to creating optimal conditions for growth, such plants need reliable support and enough space for long shoots.
Lighting for philodendron
- The optimal location for a pot with a philodendron is west or east windows.
- If the cultivation of a philodendron at home is planned on the north side, you will have to take care of year-round lighting.
- On the south side, in the warm season, most philodendrons are better off arranging shading to protect asthenia from the scorching midday rays.
When choosing the best place for an indoor flower, you need to focus on its preferences and condition.
Philodendron is not afraid of movement.
Therefore, if necessary, you can safely rearrange it on another window sill, carry it a little deeper into the room, or, conversely, bring it closer to the light source.
Comfortable temperature for philodendron
The tropical dweller perfectly adapts to living in the house. A comfortable temperature for a philodendron in summer is 20–26 ° C. With the onset of winter, as in nature, the plant needs a little rest, therefore the temperature background decreases slightly. The main thing is that the air in the room does not cool down to 15 ° C or lower. This, especially without adjusting the watering schedule, is fraught with serious problems:
- suspension or slowdown of food;
- decay of roots;
- the risk of bacterial infections;
- the death of the plant.
Philodendrons do not like drafts, so in the cold season it is better to move them away from the balcony doors and opening sashes of the window. Indoor conditions in winter are not very comfortable for rainforest habitats. The house is too dry and hot. Getting into the jets of hot air coming from the heating radiators, the philodendron loses its tone and decorative effect.
If the grower is unable to maintain conditions close to a tropical winter, at a room temperature of 22-26 ° C, the plant is provided with a backlight extending daylight hours and, as far as possible, an increased air humidity is maintained.
Philodendron: air humidity and watering
Increased air humidity, like watering, for the philodendron - vital conditions for growth and well-being.However, you should not abuse soil moisture in the hope that the evaporating water will create an atmosphere comfortable for the flower.
Excess moisture in the soil is only a real danger of decay of the root system. In addition, the plant receives a lot of moisture not from their soil, but from the air with the help of additional roots.
Regular spraying of the flower with warm softened water will help to compensate for the lack of air humidity. When growing at home, the philodendron loves an outdoor shower, during which the soil should be protected from waterlogging. In winter, do not neglect:
- household humidifier;
- a generously moistened towel on the radiator;
- installing the pot in a pallet with fine expanded clay or sphagnum, well spilled with moisture.
At a constant air temperature, the optimal interval between waterings is until a dry surface layer about a centimeter thick is formed. If the philodendron is kept cool in winter, it is important to reduce watering, and resume the previous schedule in spring, when daylight hours increase and the active mouth of shoots and leaves resumes.
The philodendron signals excessive watering and air humidity by the appearance of small droplets on the leaf plates.
Philodendron transplant and soil selection
Spring is the beginning of active vegetation. In order for the plants to receive a sufficient supply of nutrition and to grow together, they are transplanted. Young philodendrons are transferred to larger pots annually. But adult plants, whose growth rates are much lower, can be transplanted at intervals of 3-4 years.
When transplanting, the choice of soil for a philodendron is one of the most important tasks. The substrate under the canopy of the rainforest is rich in humus, it is moist, well-structured, loose and light. You can recreate the soil of a broadleaf forest at home by taking in equal shares:
- well rotted humus;
- garden or deciduous land;
- low-lying peat;
- coarse sand or vermiculite.
It is useful to add finely crushed charcoal and sphagnum moss to the substrate. Philodendrons are grown at home on soil with a slightly acidic reaction. If the soil was alkaline, high-moor peat or crushed pine bark was added to it. Excessively acidic soils are deoxidized with dolomite flour to a pH level of 5.5–6.5.
A spacious pot for a large plant is chosen according to the size of the root system. A drainage layer is arranged at the bottom. Planting is done so that the roots are evenly distributed over the entire volume of the soil.
After transplanting, the soil has everything you need to feed the flower. The first feeding should be done only after 1–2 months. It is most convenient for these purposes to use liquid complex mixtures for decorative deciduous crops. Then the philodendron is fertilized every 2–4 weeks, acting according to the instructions of the chosen agent.
If the philodendron is really big, there is no need to torment him with a transplant. It is enough to replace the top layer of soil in the pot, cut the roots coming out of the drainage hole and treat them with crushed activated carbon. Fertilizers for philodendron in this case are given immediately, but in half the concentration.