How to Care for Heartleaf Philodendron?

Philodendron has a special place among houseplants for many years. The beautiful leaves of this plant have a heart-shaped appearance. Caring for this plant is not difficult because it responds to changes in storage conditions and notifies you quickly. Continue reading this article in TooPlant in order to learn more about how to grow and care for Heartleaf Philodendron.

Introduction of Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron Scandens)

Before addressing how to care for Heartleaf Philodendron, please allow us to give you a brief introduction about this houseplant.

At the beginning of the introduction of the Heartleaf Philodendron plant, we must say that it has been a permanent member of most homes for many years. This beautiful houseplant is famous for its heart-shaped leaves. This plant shows good symptoms against the type of maintenance. That is, it reacts quickly to favorable or unfavorable conditions and notifies you quickly. This makes it not difficult to maintain.

This houseplant is hardy and has a strong body and roots, so it can grow easily and grow tall. Philodendron Scandens can grow up to about 1.5 meters. Whenever you feel the need, you can prune it a bit to make it look better.

In this article, we want to provide you with information about how to care for Heartleaf Philodendron, so stay tuned with Tooplant.

Care for Heartleaf Philodendron

In this part, we will focus on the most important aspects which you need to take into consideration while treating this houseplant. The best methods of how to care for Heartleaf Philodendron include as follows:

Light

Light is among the first important issues to care for Heartleaf Philodendron. One of the reasons for the popularity of Heartleaf Philodendron is its lower need for light compared to other houseplants. This plant originally belongs to the rainforests of South America, where a small amount of direct sunlight meets the needs of all plants for light.

Place your Philodendron Scandens in a place that receives at least 3 to 4 hours of indirect but bright sunlight a day.

This plant can tolerate and adapt to different amounts of light received, can grow in a well-lit or well-shaded place, and can even survive in the light of fluorescent lamps. Never expose the Heartleaf Philodendron to direct sunlight, as it will burn the leaves quickly.

The point to keep in mind is that the less light that shines on the plant, the slower the growth rate. Small leaves or increasing the distance between the leaves and the elongation of the stems are a sign of not receiving enough light.

Sweetheart Plant is native to tropical, frost-free regions. This plant receives a lot of light in its natural environment, but indirectly, therefore, due to this position inside the house, it needs such an environment. It should be noted that placing the Heartleaf Philodendron where the light reaches it filtered (for example, from behind the curtain) can help a lot; Direct sunlight can also burn the plant’s leaves.

So, as shown above, light plays a significant role to care for Heartleaf Philodendron.

Water

In the rest, concerning the tips of caring for a Heartleaf Philodendron, it is better to know that always keep the soil moist during the active growing season (spring and summer). As winter approaches and plant growth slows, allow the soil surface to dry completely before watering. Therefore, watering is another important aspect in order to care for Heartleaf Philodendron. Yellow leaves indicate overwatering and brown leaves symbolize underwatering. Use regular tap water for watering. It is better to put this water in an open container for a few days to remove all its chlorine.

This plant needs watering about once a week. This time may be more or less depending on the temperature and environment. As a result, no exact criteria can be considered for it. Pay attention to the exact time of watering to the plant soil. Between waterings, the top quarter of the soil should be completely dry, then pour water until all the soil is wet and the excess comes out of the pot. It should be noted that during the winter, it is better to reduce the amount of watering the plant and increase the intervals between waterings.

In this way, to care for Heartleaf Philodendron, watering is considered to be of great significance.

Soil

Intending to care for Heartleaf Philodendron, the other crucial matter is soil. Heartleaf Philodendron prefers soil that performs drainage operations immediately and provides good air circulation around the roots.

In our experience, a multi-purpose potting soil (ordinary potting soil) is quite suitable for it. Do not use soil specific to plants (such as succulent soil, cactus soil, etc.) for philodendrons.

Industrial potting soil is a “soilless” combination of perlite, coal moss and coconut fiber. Therefore, it is not necessary to use each of these items separately in the pot, as it can lead to the accumulation of water in the soil. But to improve drainage, adding more perlite is not forbidden.

Thus, it can be said that, soil is another basic and important issue so as to care for Heartleaf Philodendron.

Temperature

Now, we come to temperature which is assumed to be principal to care for Heartleaf Philodendron in addition to light, watering and soil that are mentioned above. One of the reasons for the good growth of Philodendron Scandens houseplants in homes is that their preferred temperature is almost the same as the temperature range desired by us humans.

For best performance, always keep the plant in the temperature range of 24 to 27 °C during the day, and above 13 °C during the night. Do not place the plant near window sills or heating or cooling devices.

Humidity

Moisture is another thing which we need to inevitably pay attention to when talking about how to care for Heartleaf Philodendron. Heartleaf Philodendron will grow unparalleled in humid homes. According to this description, the bathroom is one of the best places to place it, provided that it receives enough light there.

Hot and humid weather is reminiscent of their natural environment. The higher the humidity in the air, the bigger and more beautiful the leaves will be.

Although Philodendron Scandens prefers moist air, like other houseplants, it can grow well in normal indoor air.

Note that if the tips of the leaves turn brown, it means that the air is very dry. In this case, you can spray the plant with water several times a week to provide the ideal moisture. Another way is to place multiple plants side by side or place a pot of Philodendron Scandens on a tray of water and pebbles.

The plant comes from the tropics, where the humidity was almost high. Philodendron Scandens do not need very high humidity and can be happy with the same amount of normal humidity in the house, but you should know that very low humidity can damage the plant and make its leaves brown.

Therefore, please do not forget to take humidity into consideration in order to care for Heartleaf Philodendron in the best way.

Fertilizer

When you want to care for Heartleaf Philodendron, one of the important questions that may come to your mind is “what is the best fertilizer?” In what follows, we will address how to fertilize this plant:

Philodendron is a plant that grows rapidly and must be nourished. During the growing season, you can fertilize the plant a little every 3-4 weeks. Choose a water-soluble fertilizer or liquid multifunction plant food and add it to the plant according to the instructions written on the package. It is even better to dilute it a little. During the winter, feeding can be done every other month using a plant-based food.

To fertilize Sweetheart Plant, use a balanced fertilizer that is high in nutrients. Fertilization should be done monthly in spring and summer and every 6 or 8 weeks in autumn and winter. When fertilizing the plant, be sure to water the plant with each fertilization so that the roots of the plant do not burn and salt does not form in the soil.

As a result, we could say that fertilizer is regarded as one of the fundamental issues when someone wants to care for Heartleaf Philodendron.

Toxicity

In order to care for Heartleaf Philodendron, toxicity is considered to be a major issue because it directly relates to your health especially children and pets. Heartleaf Philodendron leaves are toxic to both if eaten. So keep it out of the reach of children and animals.

How to Propagate Philodendron Scandens?

When you want to care for Heartleaf Philodendron, another important question that may come to your mind is “how to propagate it.”

The best time to cut the stem is in spring or early summer. Place the stem in water or moist soil. It is easily rooted.

To propagate this plant, you can use the method of cutting the leaves. To do this, separate the healthy branches about 15 cm from the plant. To do this, use a sharp, sterilized tool and make your cut from under the leaf knot. Then remove a few lower leaves from the plant and place them in water. After about 10 days, the stem begins to take root and is ready to be transferred to the pot.

Caring for Heartleaf Philodendron: Common Diseases

After a description of taking care of a Heartleaf Philodendron, we will explain the problems and their solutions:

Why Are Philodendron Scandens Leaves Turning Yellow?

As “leaves turning yellow” is one of the common problems that you may face when you want to care for Heartleaf Philodendron, we tried to describe the reasons and the ways to solve it in details. One of the most important reasons for yellowing of Heartleaf Philodendron leaves is improper soil moisture and especially overwatering. Therefore, water the plant in a timely and correct manner. Therefore, whenever the upper quarter of the plant soil dries, it is time to re-water it. You also have to be very careful with the water coming out of the pot. This water that collects in the plant pot can damage the plant in the long run and prevent the soil from drying out naturally. Therefore, drain this drained water after each watering.

Why Are Heartleaf Philodendron Leaves Turning Brown?

Since “leaves turning brown” is another common problem that you may face when you want to care for Heartleaf Philodendron, we tried to describe the reasons and the ways to solve it in details. The most important reason for the browning of Philodendron leaves is dehydration. In general, the edges of plant leaves that receive little water begin to turn brown and after a while spread to the entire leaf. Inadequate humidity and excessive dryness of the environment also cause the leaves to turn brown. This problem occurs especially in winter when indoor heating appliances are working and remove moisture from the house.

Infographic Of How To Care For Heartleaf Philodendron

In this article, we tried to explain to you in an infographic the essential tips in the care of Heartleaf Philodendron, so that you can briefly and usefully learn the methods of caring for this plant.

In The End

In this article, we tried to provide you with the necessary information about the methods of caring for a Heartleaf Philodendron.

However, if you have any questions regarding this indoor plant or you need to get advice from our houseplant experts, please share your questions with us through the comments section below.