Houseplants offer a variety of benefits to their owner. Some of the benefits of owning a houseplant are improved air quality and natural mood-boosting, to name a few. So when choosing a houseplant for our homes, it is an excellent idea to know how to care for them.
The Philodendron Domesticum, also known as the Spade-Leaf Philodendron or Burgundy Philodendron, is the easiest and best philodendron to use as living decor in your home. Their long spade-shaped leaves and reddish-purple stems make them a beautiful addition to any room in your home.
In this article, I will help you learn the best way to care for your Philodendron Domesticum. I will advise you on the best ways to propagate your Philodendron Domesticum. I will advise you on the best time to plant a new Philodendron Domesticum.
Contents
Identifying the Philodendron Domesticum
The Philodendron family is a huge one, with an estimated 450 to 489 members in it. This number fluctuates throughout various sources because some count the hybrids and some do not. Either way, with such a large number of plants that fall into this plant family, it can be confounding to know which one is which!
The Philodendron Domesticum can is identifiable by its long, glossy, and textured green spade-shaped leaves and reddish-purple stems. They are pretty long and thin, allowing them to bend without snapping and allowing them to grow in any direction they please.
However, The Philodendron Domesticum is the perfect climbing plant. So if you want to give your home a more jungle feel, providing them with a climbing pole or placing them on top of bookshelves will help you achieve that aesthetic.
Caring for Your Philodendron Domesticum
Now that you have identified The Philodendron Domesticum amongst its family members, the next step is knowing the best way to care for your new plant baby. The good news is The Philodendron Domesticum is an easy to care for houseplant, so caring for it should be easy.
But being easy to care for does not mean simply giving it water and sun and calling it a day. Even the easiest to care for plants need the right tools to grow. So let us dive into the care instructions for your Philodendron Domesticum!
Light
The Philodendron Domesticum lives its best life in bright, indirect sunlight, though some members of the plant community have seen their Philodendron Domesticum thrive in medium to dim lighting. It depends on how rapidly you want your plant to grow and how much time you can devote to its maintenance.
Keeping your Philodendron Domesticum in bright, indirect sunlight will allow it to grow faster and need extra water to aid in its quick growth. Quicker growth also means it will require more maintenance with fertilizing and pruning. Keeping it in medium to dimmer lighting will prevent it from growing too fast, which will cut down on its maintenance. But be careful- leaving The Philodendron Domesticum in dim lighting for too long can lead the plant to become leggy, which you will want to avoid.
However, the plant community agrees that you need to keep your Philodendron Domesticum out of direct sunlight. If the plant is in direct sunlight for too long, its leaves can become yellow and scorched. Prolonged sunlight exposure can also lead to improper growth.
So whichever lighting you choose is entirely up to you and how much plant maintenance you are willing to do. Keep a close eye on your plant to assess which lighting situation is best for them and make changes as needed.
Humidity
Being a tropical plant, The Philodendron Domesticum thrives best in conditions resembling the South American rainforest from which they originate. So this means that high humidity is a must for them to grow their luscious and vibrantly colored leaves.
So keeping your home’s humidity at 60% or higher is recommended. However, the average home’s humidity is at 40%. But the good news is The Philodendron Domesticum does fine with 40% humidity.
If your humidity starts to drop into the 30s, you could begin to notice some differences in your plant. So to avoid any adverse changes in your plant, we recommend misting the plant to keep the humidity up or keeping a humidifier in the room where this plant lives.
Water
When watering your Burgundy Philodendron, it is vital that you water it properly. Overwatering a plant can quickly kill it or cause other issues, but more on that in a bit.
Choosing the right pot for your Burgundy Philodendron can prevent overwatering from occurring. Keeping your plant in a pot with drainage holes will allow the excess water to seep out and avoid moisture from gathering at the bottom of the pot. You can also place a pebble tray underneath your plant, which will help with the excess water and maintain a high humidity level.
Whenever the top inch of the soil is dry, that is when you should water your Burgundy Philodendron. Water your plant just enough to keep the soil moist, not wet. If you accidentally put in too much water, discard the excess water. Accidental overwatering is where having a pot with good drainage can also help.
The time of year also plays a role in how often you water your plant. Spring and Summer are the Burgundy Philodendron’s growing seasons, which means it will require a bit more water to keep growing. The Fall and Winter are its resting seasons, so less water is needed.
So as mentioned above, overwatering can kill your plant or cause issues for it. If your Burgundy Philodendron is left to sit in excess water, this can lead to the plant developing root rot, which causes damage to the plants’ roots. Root rot can also cause your plant’s leaves to turn yellow and droop, making it look sickly.
So be careful with the amount of water you give your Burgundy Philodendron to prevent any harm from coming to this beautiful plant.
Temperature
As a tropical plant, The Philodendron Domesticum likes it hot, hot, hot. So if you live in a warmer area of the world, your Philodendron Domesticum will be one happy plant.
The Philodendron Domesticum lives its best life at between 60 to 85 degrees. But even for this plant that likes it hot, there is such a thing as too hot for it. If the temperature reaches 95 or higher, the plant will become stressed and start to wilt. So on the scorching days, keep an eye on your Philodendron Domesticum.
So with the knowledge that this tropical plant loves the heat, it should come as no surprise that it does not vibe well with the cold! Temperatures of 55 and below make The Philodendron Domesticum very unhappy. It cannot survive in temperatures that low, so if you want your plant to live until Spring, keep it out of cold and drafty rooms during the Winter.
Soil
Due to The Spade-Leaf Philodendron disliking too much water, it prefers soil that is rich, loose, and full of nutrients. If the soil has organic matter in it and offers good drainage, that is a bonus!
The most recommended soil for The Spade-Leaf Philodendron is Sphagnum peat moss. It has everything your plant needs to thrive and has the proper pH balance that your plant needs. The recommended pH balance for this plant is between 5.0 to 7.5, which makes the soil slightly acidic. Other plant enthusiasts recommend Peat-vermiculite and Peat-perlite soil as well for these reasons.
Besides the soil it resides in, The Spade-Leaf Philodendron also needs the correct pot size. It is a plant that likes to keep its roots close together but not too root-bound. So do not pick a pot that it can grow into- it will not be happy! Save that pot-to-grow-into-pot for when it can actually fit in it happily.
Fertilizer
The Spade-Leaf Philodendron appreciates a good fertilizer that will help it grow to its full potential and look good while doing so. The Spade-Leaf Philodendron is a beautiful plant known for its vibrantly colored glossy leaves, and fertilizer aids in enhancing that.
During The Spade-Leaf Philodendron’s growing seasons of Spring and Summer, your plant will need to be fertilized more often. During this period, you will need to fertilize your Spade-Leaf Philodendron every two to four weeks. To start the season, you can use slow-release fertilizer pellets. After that, switching to a liquid fertilizer is recommended.
During its resting seasons of Fall and Winter, you can skip fertilizing your plant if you wish. Some Spade-Leaf Philodendron owners still fertilize it during the resting months, but they cut it back to every six to eight weeks, going more toward the eight-week mark.
The recommended fertilizer for The Spade-Leaf Philodendron has plenty of calcium and magnesium in it. These micronutrients are crucial to preventing pale leaves on your plant.
And as with overwatering, overfertilization can harm your plant as well. The signs of an over-fertilized plant are burnt leaf margins, stunted growth, and death. So if you start to see any possible signs of over-fertilization, cut back on how often you fertilize your plant.
Pruning Your Philodendron Domesticum
While it is a good idea to prune your Philodendron Domesticum, it is not necessary. Many Philodendron Domesticum owners prune the plant for a few different reasons. Here is a shortlist of some of those reasons:
- Bushier/fuller appearance
- Growth control/Size limitation
- Growth promotion
- Removal of dead, discolored, or dying leaves
Propagating Your Philodendron Domesticum
There are two different processes you can do when propagating your Philodendron Domesticum. Both methods are proven to work and are easy to do. What it comes down to is which procedure you prefer.
The first process is propagating the Philodendron Domesticum in soil:
- Start by cutting a stem below a node from your parent Philodendron Domesticum plant.
- Take that stem and remove the lower leaves.
- Dip the cut end of the plant into a rooting hormone. The rooting hormone helps stimulate the plant’s growth.
- Plant the stem of the cutting into a pot with fresh potting soil.
- Put the pot in a spot with bright, indirect light where it will stay warm. Additionally, you can cover the plant with plastic to increase humidity and speed up the initial growth.
- Test the root’s growth after three or more weeks by gently tugging on the plant. If you feel resistance, that means the roots are taking hold.
- Allow it to keep growing.
Some people prefer this process over the following method we are going to mention because the plant is already in the pot, meaning you will not have to replant it when the time comes. This method does take a week longer than the last one, so that is a con to this process.
The second process is propagating the Philodendron Domesticum in water:
- Start by cutting a stem below a node from your parent Philodendron Domesticum plant.
- Take that stem and remove the lower leaves.
- Place the stem cutting in a glass or jar of water.
- Put the glass or jar in a spot with bright, indirect sunlight where it will stay warm.
- Check your propagated plant in about two weeks. By this time, you should see roots developing.
- Once the roots are about an inch or so long, you can move your propagated Philodendron Domesticum into a pot with soil.
The reason why some people prefer this process over the soil process is that by putting your propagated plant in a clear glass or jar, you can see how the roots are developing—seeing this growth will let you know precisely when it is the right time to put your new plant into the soil.
Conclusion
The Philodendron Domesticum is a beautiful and easy to care for houseplant that will help enhance the look and feel of your home. If you can avoid overwatering, over-fertilizing, and not letting it fall prey to a cold Winter, this is a plant you can enjoy for years to come.
If you are looking for the article on the Philodendron Domesticum Lemon Lime, we have a separate article on it. Click here to check out the article on Lemon Lime Philodendron.
Where to Buy the Philodendron Domesticum
If you are interested in purchasing a Philodendron Domesticum, they are for sale on Etsy. Click on the link below to check the prices from different sellers.
Click Here to Check Price on Etsy
