Philodendron Silver Stripe is one of the most distinctive plant genera out there. They have almost 450 cultivars that today are most commonly used as indoor house plants.
Many variegated precious plants of the genus make incredible choices for homes and offices, while some are kept outside to enhance the environmental beauty.
Philodendrons
Philodendrons are native to tropical regions of North and South America.
There are two different kinds of Philodendrons:
- Climbing/Vining species: Most of the household species of Philodendrons are either climbers or trail down from hanging baskets. Most of them have heart-shaped leaves, almost 2-3 inches broad. They are the best fit for standard rooms and offices if you provide them a firm support to climb or vine down. They form aerial roots, which help them to sustain themselves.
- Non-Climbing species: non-Climbing cultivars are more suitable for outsides, like lawns, gardens. Serve a great purpose outside buildings in large public areas. They tend to grow into massive plants with deeply furrowed leaves.
Today’s feature is a climbing Philodendron known as the “Silver Stripe,” also mistaken as Philodendron Rio. There is another — very similar — sport mutation of Philodendron Brazil, which is misinterpreted as Silver Stripe; Philodendron Cream Splash.
If you have no prior knowledge about them, even if you see them next to each other, you cannot distinguish the leaves. You would have to look closely at every single leaf.
Before jumping into the Silver Stripe, let’s dig deep to find the difference between the aforementioned sorts.
Difference Between Brazil, Rio, Cream Splash, And Silver Stripe
- Philodendron Brazil is the most commonly used vining cultivar of this whole Philodendron variegated package. Initially, it was also referred to as a sport mutation of the original species, but later it became more stable and is now regarded as the base cultivar.
As you can see in the image, it has all the variegations present separately in other species. Also, the striations are sorted randomly. There is no consistency of style in it.
Mostly, you find leaves with a light green center bordered by a dark green canvas.
- The Philodendron Rio is unique and the only cultivar easily distinguished from the others.
Now you get the idea why most people call it Silver Stripe.
The main feature of Philodendron Rio is that it has a silver portion in the middle, then comes the cream, then again, a little silver, and finally the dark green outside.
- Philodendron Cream Splash: It is clear from the name that it has much cream on the leaves. The main difference between a Philodendron Cream Splash and others is that the former does not have any silver striations.
As you can already see, the core has a lovely light green color, followed by rich, creamy color, and finally comes the dark green. However, some leaves show deviations. That can be why people sometimes can’t tell them apart from other cultivars.
- Finally comes the Silver Stripe,
Philodendron Silver Stripe
Philodendron Silver Stripe is a striking plant. Its striation colors start from a slender light green colored stripe in the center, then follows a thin cream stroke, then comes The Silver touch, and finally dark green takes the rest portion. This sequence is pretty consistent throughout the foliage; that’s why the Silver Stripe is one of the most stable Philodendron cultivars.
Silver Stripe Philodendron is native to Mexico, Central, and South America. Many silver species of Philodendron are also native to Brazil.
Its scientific name is Philodendron hederaceum ‘Silver Stripe,’ which originates from the Araceae family. It is a fantastic choice for beginners as it is very manageable and easy to grow.
With that said, let’s jump straight into the most critical parts of caring.
Caring Guide For Philodendron ‘Silver Stripe’
For Philodendrons, the essential aspect is lighting,
1. Lighting
Being one of the most commonly used indoor plants, it can easily tolerate medium to low light.
This feature is the most useful for indoor plants and is responsible for their massive distribution in different parts of the world.
However, placing your Silver Stripe in indirect or filtered sunlight is best. It can be either 6 feet away from a Southeast facing window or in front of a North or West-facing window.
Would you please make sure that it gets sufficient morning light? It needs a good amount of healthy sunlight to grow with maximum potential.
Keep it strictly away from the direct bright sun. Remember not to take it outside in midday sun for a long time.
Leaves of Philodendron Silver Stripe turn yellow if exposed to an extra amount of light. However, if the light is insufficient, the stems do not grow more leaves and get long and gangly.
So, it would be best to house them in bright but not direct light.
2. Humidity
What would be the best habitat for the plant? To get the idea, it is always helpful if you look at the native regions of the plant.
The average annual humidity level in Mexico is approximately 56%.
From the graph, you can perceive that it should be best to keep the plant in moderate humidity.
You won’t need a humidifier most of the time as it can tolerate lower levels up to 30%.
Higher humidity is not a problem until you keep the 70-80% levels. Watering less often can compensate.
Prolonged periods of high humidity cause a decreased rate of transpiration. It eventually leads to water accumulation and retards proper airflow causing the plant to rot.
3. Temperature
A case study shows that the inflorescence of the Philodendron tree plant maintains a core temperature of 38° to 46°C.
This graph shows that the average temperature of the native zone of Philodendron Silver Stripe ranges between 22° to 27°C in upper extremes and 5° to 13°C in lower.
Silver Stripes cannot survive temperatures below 10° to 15°C. That’s why they cannot live outside, especially in winter.
It is best to keep them at room temperature.
4. Soil Mixture
Soil is the most crucial factor if you want to keep your plant away from all types of diseases and pests.
Yes! Pests. It is a golden rule for all tropical plants that if the soil gets cloggy and extremely heavy, it results in waterlogging. When the soil retains more water than the plant requires, it chokes up the roots, and they are unable to respire. This thing ultimately results in root rot.
This excess water is eliminated in some plants using unique pores called hydathodes.
This wasted water on the leaves attracts many sap-sucking pests.
Therefore, you need to use a perfect soil mix for your Philodendron Silver Stripe.
Here’s the recipe:
- Add 1/3rdall-purpose potting mix to the whole blend, also mix in a few grains of perlite and a good amount of organic matter.
- Next, add 1/3rd peat moss. Soilless mixtures like peat vermiculite and peat perlite are also suitable.
- Fill up the rest with half bark mix and half potting mix. You can use pine bark, orchid bark, or coconut husks.
That creates the impeccable soil mixture for potting your Silver Stripes. It is breathy, arid, and lightweight.
5. Watering
If you want to nurture your plants to the next level, you need to water them correctly.
If you combine it with a proper soil mix, you won’t regret it.
Keep the soil modestly moist but not wet or soaked with water. Let the soil dry out between watering. Watering three times a week works best.
Pro tip: Wait for the top third or 2-3 inches of the soil to get dry before giving it another shot of water.
Floppy leaves can mean that the plant is getting too much or not enough water. So, remember to keep the water timings on the plan.
They are pretty tolerant and refurbish the herbage after getting back on schedule.
How To Propagate Philodendrons
I recommend that you should swiftly buy one of the Philodendrons if you see them for sale. They are a scarce species. Especially the ‘Silver Stripes’ and ‘Cream Splash’ are hard to find, being sold at local garden centers.
Thus, it would be the best idea to propagate them:
The best way to propagate them is by using stem cuttings. The same goes for almost all the mutations.
It is a relatively easy method of propagating a plant. There are basically two ways to propagate a plant using stem cuttings.
- You can either dip the cuttings in the water and wait for the roots to come out before sticking them into the soil.
- Or, you can directly bury your stem into the soil, and roots eventually grow out of the nodes.
You can follow these simple steps to propagate the plant:
- First of all, you need a long, clean, healthy stem with several leaves attached.
- Then you need to remove a few leaves from the base nodes of the stem to put that part in the soil or water.
- If you want to go with the water method, fill a clean jar with clean drinking water. Dip the stem into the jar so that nodes sink in the water and leaves stay above it. Change the water every three days.
The stem starts to root in the first week and takes 3 weeks to root completely. It is best to take out the cutting after 2 weeks and submerge them into the soil.
- As I mentioned above, you can also skip the water part and directly root it into your potting mixture.
Use a good quality soil mix, and keep it consistently moist for the first 3 days. Moist! not in a pool of water.
It only thrives if you keep it in suitable conditions.
Conclusion
Philodendron Silver Stripe is one the most resilient and beautiful variegated plant species among this genus.
With that said, now you witnessed all you needed to know about the Philodendrons and their mutant variants. You can also easily distinguish between all of them.
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