In this article, I will be going over everything that you need to know about the Philodendron Red Heart. I will discuss how you can take care of your Philodendron Red Heart and what to expect from its growth.
In addition to that, I will also talk about the ideal environment for the Philodendron Red Heart, including the soil requirements, sun requirements, and watering.
So, without further delay, let’s take a look at everything you need to know about this rare beauty.
About the Philodendron Red Heart
The Philodendron Red Heart is a plant from the Philodendron genus. The Philodendron genus of flowering plants has 489 accepted species by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.
While the Philodendron genus may have over 400 species, the Philodendron Red Heart is a very rare plant. It is very hard to find a stem cutting of the Philodendron Red Heart in the US or even Europe.
The Philodendron Red Heart is commonly imported from foreign countries based in South East Asia.
As you can imagine, shipping is not kind to the Philodendron Red Heart very often. Most people will get plants that are dead by the time they arrive or have started to rot.
And these plants do not come cheap; people end up spending hundreds of dollars on these plants only to find out that there is no possibility for them to grow.
Now, this is also what makes this plant so attractive to a lot of people. It is extremely rare, and you can sell a mature Philodendron Red Heart to an interested buyer in your locality for a very good price, that is, of course, if you were successful in growing it yourself.
So, let’s say you were one of the lucky people who imported a Philodendron Red Heart, and it arrived in pristine condition. What to do now? Well, caring for the plant is not the easiest, which is what I will be discussing next.
Philodendron Red Heart Care
1. Immediate Steps
As you will most likely need to import this plant, let’s first discuss what you will need to do immediately after it arrives.
You can’t just place the plant in the soil and expect it to grow. Instead, there are some necessary steps you will need to take in order to ensure that your Philodendron Red Heart has the best chances of survival.
Once your plant arrives, its roots will most likely be wrapped in moss. You will need to make sure that you remove the moss from the roots of the plant before you place it in the soil.
Moss is used to keeping the plant moist while it is in transit. Moss does its job well when the plant is out of the soil, but once you put the plant back into the soil, the moss will increase the chances of waterlogging your soil.
Now, you shouldn’t just place your newly imported Philodendron Red Heart with the other plants in your collection. This is because there is potential that the plant picked up diseases and pests while it was in transit.
So, what can you do? Well, you will need to isolate and sanitize your Philodendron Red Heart before you bring it near the rest of your plants.
The ideal isolation period is 2–3 weeks. Some owners even dip their Philodendron Red Hearts in a diluted solution of Hydrogen Peroxide for a few seconds. Doing this will kill any pests or diseases but can end up harming the plant as well, so it is not recommended.
2. Ideal Lighting Conditions for Philodendron Red Heart
As the plant is found in tropical countries like Thailand or the Philippines, it grows well with bright but indirect sunlight. You can place your Philodendron Red Heart in direct sunlight for the morning hours.
As the Philodendron Red Heart is commonly grown as an indoor plant, it generally does not really get the right amount of sunlight that it really needs for the best growth.
You should keep your Philodendron Red Heart near a window that is directly facing the sun. Just make sure that the plant gets plenty of indirect sunlight throughout the day, and the direct light of the morning sun will also prove to be really beneficial for the growth of your Philodendron Red Heart.
If you are still unsure about the perfect lighting conditions for your Philodendron Red Heart, you can buy a Light meter. A light meter measures the light that is in a particular spot in a room and gives you an accurate reading.
If you are an inexperienced gardener, then it will be a good investment for you. You can pick up a Light meter for 40USD.
The best lighting environment for the Philodendron Red Heart measures around 400–600FC(foot-candles). The plant will have healthy growth in this range.
If you place your Philodendron Red Heart in an area that receives fewer than 400FCs of light, then its growth will be hampered, and the minimum amount of sunlight that the Philodendron Red Heart will tolerate 200FCs. Your plant will start wilting when the lighting gets below that amount.
3. Watering Your Philodendron Red Heart
Watering is, of course, a very important step in ensuring that any plant grows with great health.
Luckily, the Philodendron Red Heart is not as picky about its watering intake as it is about its light intake. You can water your Philodendron Red Heart once the top part of its soil starts to dry out.
You can also stick to a schedule for watering your Philodendron Red Heart, like once a week.
These two methods are the easier options; if you really want to ensure that your Philodendron Red Heart gets its water requirements fulfilled perfectly, then you can observe your soil and see if it needs watering or not.
To do this, people tend to take a chopstick and place it a few inches into the soil before removing it to observe the soil.
- If the soil is wet, then it will stick to the chopstick, and it will also darken the chopstick a little.
- But if the soil is too dry, then it will be tougher for you to push the chopstick through, and the color of the chopstick will also not change.
4. Ideal Temperature for the Philodendron Red Heart
As I mentioned before, the Philodendron Red Heart is most commonly imported from tropical countries, so you may imagine that it grows best in tropical temperatures.
But, the Philodendron Red Heart can actually grow in a wide range of temperatures. The ideal temperature range for the Philodendron Red Heart is between 22–30 C (71–86 F).
The lowest temperature these plants can handle is 15 C(59 F). Going below that will stunt their growth, and your plant will start to wilt.
5. Humidity Requirements for the Philodendron Red Heart
Coming from the tropics, these plants love humidity. If you keep these plants at a humidity level of 60–80%, then they will have the best growth results. The lowest level of humidity that Philodendron Red Hearts have been seen to tolerate is 40–50%.
You might want to invest in a small humidifier for your Philodendron Red Heart so that it grows well during the winters. Another method of ensuring a healthy amount of humidity for plants during winters is to group your plants close together.
When plants are close together, they can benefit from the transpiration that occurs in them. This can be achieved by creating a mini greenhouse with your plants or just placing a few plants close together.
6. Ideal Soil for the Philodendron Red Heart
Philodendrons like soil that is lightweight and has good draining. The soil should also be able to retain a decent amount of moisture for the best results.
If you notice that your Philodendron Red Heart is starting to wilt or if the leaves of your plant are starting to curl, then your soil is probably not humid enough for your plant.
7. Philodendron Red Heart Growth
So, now that we have covered everything you needed to know about taking care of your Philodendron Red Heart let’s take a look at what kind of growth you can expect from a plant that has received proper care.
Generally, Philodendron Red Hearts are very compact plants. They only reach 1m in height, with indoor Philodendron Red Hearts getting a max leaf length of about 20cm.
However, because these plants are so rare, it is hard to get an exact measurement of what a mature Philodendron Red Heart should look like in the European or American environment.
>> Related Post: Why Is My Philodendron Turning Yellow? (5 Causes & Solutions)
When Should I Repot My Philodendron Red Heart?
The Philodendron Red Heart does not need frequent repotting. The plant can grow in a small container for 2 years before it will need to be moved to a bigger one.
Philodendron Red Hearts generally prefer for their roots to be a little close together, so moving the plant into a pot that is a little too big can also be a concern. Ideally, your new pot should be only a few inches bigger than the previous one.
Now, 2 years is a long time, your plant might need repotting before that time period, or it may need to stay in its current container for a little longer. There are a few important signs that you can observe to tell if your plant needs a new container or not.
- Roots Show Through Drainage holes.
This is perhaps the most obvious sign. If the roots are starting to show through the drainage holes, then they have clearly outgrown the current container and will need to be placed in a larger one
- Soil is not draining as well
If you notice that the soil of your Philodendron Red Heart is no longer draining as well as it used to, then this can be down to the fact that the roots are restricting the flow of water and will need more space to allow for proper water drainage.
Is the Philodendron Red Heart Edible?
No, the Philodendron Red Heart has toxic foliage that should not be ingested. The foliage of this plant contains high levels of calcium oxalate, and ingesting the leaves can cause problems like vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and other gastrointestinal issues.
You should keep your Philodendron Red Heart away from the reach of children and pets so that they do not end up ingesting any part of this plant.
Conclusion
So that was all you needed to know about the Philodendron Red Heart. This plant is extremely desirable in Europe and America, and that is thanks to its rarity.
You will not be able to come across this plant in many places and, as a result, will need to import it if you wish to grow it at home.
But importing any plant comes with its own set of problems. You will need to take great care of your Philodendron Red Heart once it arrives, as the transit can prove to be extremely tough for plants.
- Once your plant arrives, you should remove the moss from its roots and keep it isolated from other plants for a few weeks.
- Keeping the plant isolated for some time is important as it prevents the spread of diseases and pests that it potentially picked up while it was in transit.
- However, once the initial steps of setting up your Philodendron Red Heart are over, growing the plant gets easier.
- You just need to ensure that the plant gets a good amount of indirect sunlight. The ideal range of brightness is from 400–600FC.
- Being from the tropics, the plant enjoys a tropical temperature, the ideal temperature range for the Philodendron Red Heart is 22–30 C (71–86 F).
- The plant also has tropical humidity requirements, with the ideal humidity level ranging from 60–80%.
- The Philodendron Red Heart requires weekly watering. You can also tell that your plant needs water once the top part of the soil starts to dry out a little.
And that was all for the proper care of the Philodendron Red Hear. I hope that the tips in this article were helpful to you.