Plant rescue time!! This Split-Leaf Philodendron was maybe one of the saddest plants I have seen. It was leaning over and, at the time, seemed to be broken at the base. I wasn’t sure what to expect but the nice man in the plant section said I could have it for $2 dollars, which for a plant of this size, was a steal.
On further inspection, I found some root rot and decided to pull or cut away the dead and empty roots. After a repot and a trellis for support the sad Split-Leaf Philodendron was still sad but looking like a plant at least. Honestly, I didn’t have much hope. One silver lining is that a little piece fell off of the plant and will make the perfect little propagation.
It is pretty common to confuse the Split-Leaf Philodendron with a Monstera deliciosa. If you check out my video you will hear me make this slip numerous times. This Philodendron grows similar to the Monstera deliciosa, but are very different plants. One thing that makes them different is that the Monstera leaves have fenestration while the Philodendron, while split, does not. Fenestration refers to the “holes” in the Monstera leaves.
Since it is summer, the humidity and lovely morning sun were a huge helper in getting this plant to bounce back. The first sense of health was a new root that popped out at the base of one of the stems. Then a week later a new leaf is seen opening up. A quick pull test proves that we have roots, although there is a portion of the plant still battling to root in, I am confident that it will come along.
For more details on this plant rescue, check out the full video on YouTube.
Split-Leaf Philodendron Care:
- Well-draining soil
- Keep soil evenly moist and water when the top inch or so is dry
- Morning sun afternoon shade. Keep out of the hot direct sun for long periods of time.
- Feed during the growing season of spring through fall
- Possible skin irritant
- Propgate cuttings in water
