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Leggy Philodendron
Philodendron are relatively new plants to the houseplant world but they are becoming more popular by the day and are seen in more instagram posts, in more plant shops and in more people’s homes. Because they’re so new to the mainstream, people don’t always know how to properly care for their Philodendron. One of the things we get asked about is a leggy philodendron. People want to know why this happens, if it can be prevented and what they can do about it once it has occurred.
Low Light Causing Leggy Philodendron
The main cause of a leggy philodendron is low light. Philodendron tend to grow best in medium to bright indirect light. They don’t enjoy the strong sunways from direct light but if the light is too low this will cause the stems to elongate, making the spaces between the leaves greater giving a leggy appearance. A big clue that this is happening is that the stems themselves will start to grow towards the light.
If you notice your plant doing this then the simple thing to do is move it closer to a light source. Whether that’s a window, sky light or grow light. Once you’ve moved your plant close enough it should start to push out new leaves quicker creating a healthy fuller look. Be careful not to move your plant into full sunlight as this can cause the leaves to burn and they may start curling in on themselves to conserve water.
What If I Don’t Have Natural Light?
If you don’t have natural light in your home or windows are a shortage then you can try using grow lights instead. Grow lights are great and can be used when you don’t have a lot of natural light options. They can also be used to provide light for several plants at the same time and should be a great solution for your leggy Philodendron if you can’t find space for it near a window.
Can I Trim A Leggy Philodendron?
Yes you can trim a leggy philodendron. Even after you’ve moved your plant to a brighter spot this won’t undo the legginess that’s already occurred. If you’re not happy with how your plant looks then the only thing to do is to trim it. If you’re going to do this make sure you use a pair of sharp clean scissors and don’t let dirt get into the fresh cut. It’s also important that you don’t cut away more than half of the plant in one go as this can cause the plant to go into shock. And never cut away every single leaf.
The great about vining Philodendron is that they propagate easily so you don’t need to throw away your cuttings, you can use them to make a new plant. If you’ve ever propagated a Pothos then these propagate in a very similar way. When you take a cutting, look on the stem for the nodes. Make sure each cutting has at least one leaf with the stem attached and a node at the bottom. You can then take these cuttings and place them in water. Over time the cutting will start to grow roots and you’ll be able to watch this through the glass. Once the roots are about two inches long you can take your cutting and plant it. This way what started off as a problematic leggy Philodendron has resulted in several new plants and a healthy bushy mother plant.
Article: Leggy Philodendron
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