Split leaf Philodendron

I bought one of these last winter; kind of a "random act of kindness" for the plant as it looked kind of crappy. It's looking really good now, in a larger pot, and the leaves/stems are getting big and flopping all over the place. What I'm wondering is................can I put this in a large (20 inch) pot and somehow get the leaves in an obelisk to support them and have more "upward" growth/standing, as opposed to flopping all over the place? The obelisk is 6 feet tall, and rather heavy so it would almost have to be in a 20 inch pot to support it. There are roots about a foot long growing out of the top of the pot it is in right now.

Any other suggestions on to what to do with it would be appreciated.



This message was edited Oct 23, 2013 10:12 AM

What you have right now is the natural growth habit of this plant. I have never considered trying to 'restrain' it to have more 'erect' shape. New growth, I don't believe, would 'follow' this pattern. This one in the corner of my backyard had been in a pot for more than 20 years. I put it in the ground about 20 years ago. I've never done anything to it, except to cut back dead leaves.
editing to add that yes, you certainly could put it in a larger…20" pot.

This message was edited Oct 23, 2013 10:49 AM

Maybe Philodendron bipinnatifidum or Philodendron xanadu (a dwarf).

Maybe I will just repot it, then, and hope for the best. Wish *I* lived in a zone where I could just plop it in the ground. But, it can sprawl in the g'house. My g'house is pretty full this year. Yay...........business is good. :>)

You might have better success training it onto one of those moss-filled stakes. Found some nice step by step photos for a DIY one here: http://allthingsplants.com/thread/view/19584/Need-climbing-stake-for-my-philodendron/

Oh, dear, now I don't know what I want to do with it.................leave it "au natural", or put it on a moss structure.

You won't have any luck with this one on a moss pole, as this Tree Philodendron does not 'vine'.
The moss pole is great for vining plants…Pothos, for example. This one wouldn't work that way.

Sorry, didn't look closely enough at the photo... figured it was flopping around like my Monstera deliciosa, a split-leaf "monster" that I keep meaning to make a big pole for! (Although mine is commonly called "split leaf philodendron" it's not actually a philo, just a close cousin... and it is a climber, although in a less graceful way than pothos!)

Thanks, tim1, I will put it in a big pot and let it grow! Without a moss pole. LOL

I did repot that philo into a 20 inch pot. As you can see in my original post/photos, it was sort of flopping more foreward so when I did the repot, I put it into the new pot so it was straight. I'm hoping this will help it look and grow more mounded and symmetrical as it should.

:-)

Anna, the huge old ones out in my garden have both types of habit. Some have a trunk laying along the ground and others have grown up straight and put down roots from the leaf bases as 'props'.

It's dark out or I'd post a picture . .. darn I miss Daylight Savings time.

Oh, hope you can get one. I'd love to see the differences.

Here's some photos I took previously. Can't see all the trunks but they do tend to be all over the place.

Oh, tropicbreeze, that is just SO not right. LOLOL I love the first photo. Nice if I could get mine to look like that in a 20 inch pot! If not, I DO have a 24.......................:>)

Hi Anna_Z, I got behind my Philodendron, and was able to get these shots…It can be kind of scary…but then again it's been in this corner for better than 20 years.

You could probably stake a potted one (like staking a young tree) to encourage a more upright habit... turning regularly for even sunlight might also help (not something you can do with one in the ground, LOL)

Those are great photos!

If you can 'direct' the prop roots, they will keep the trunk standing up, it seems.

Here are mine in 3 different configurations
- first one has the trunk lying on the ground for nearly 3ft.
- second one is standing pretty straight
- it has prop roots wound around the trunk, interesting
- last one is a younger plant, sort of semi-recumbent

All mine are growing under a massive oak tree, and the first two plants are around 9ft. tall. I don't help them out at all except with a little water in spring and fall when it doesn't rain. They'd be more thick and lush if I fertilized them but I really don't want to encourage them to take up more room than they already are.

"don't want to encourage them" ROFL!

Oh, gads, I am the consummate enabler re: plants growing and getting out of hand. And I container garden completely.

I can hardly wait to see what the Cathedral Bells will do in the 20 inch pot and 6 foot tall obelisk. I have to regularly remove the growing tendrils from other plants up in the g'house and put them over where they are SUPPOSED to be, not where they WANT to be. LOL It is doing really good.