Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum(formerlyPhilodendron selloumsyn.P. bipinnatifidum)
The philodendron houseplant is such a reliable old booster , and so commonplace , that you might be given to overlook it in favor of more remarkable species .
But then along come up the tree philodendron , sometimes holler lacy foliage , disconnected leaf , or horsehead philodendron , a mintage that ’s so large and bold you ca n’t serve but take observation . It go by various other coarse name as well , including panda or yield salad plant life .
As an aside , while we ’re on the topic of gens , this species is actually no longer class as a philodendron , fit in to the botanists who are expert in taxonomy . We ’ll get to that a little later in the article .
It has vast green , lustrous , middle - shape leave that are deeply lobed , with slash so deeply they reach almost to the center vein of the leave of absence .
If you ’re seem for a works that makes a statement , that can anchor an outsize room or complement a vacuous wall , this could be the one for you .
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This plant is easily confused with another jumbo - size , bodacious tropical , Monstera deliciosa , which also has divided leave and grow to be big and tall .
But thoseSwiss cheese plantsmay also have enclosed holes on their parting , whileT. bipinnatifidumhas the deep cut lobes only .
InUSDA Hardiness Zones10 to 13 , this foliage flora will arise alfresco year - rotund , either in large containers or planted in a garden or delimitation .
Its marvelous stature is tree - similar , and plants will commonly miss their bottom leaf , pass on the central stalking exposed .
Here , I ’ll pass over ways to grow and care for tree diagram philodendron indoors , or as a potted specimen that spends the affectionate month alfresco and the residual of the year inside .
Want to grow this big , bold beauty in your own home ? I have plenty of steer to assist yours flourish , from propagation to taking care of pestilence and forbid disease .
Here ’s the lineup :
What You’ll Learn
What Is a Tree Philodendron?
aboriginal to southern Brazil and the regions of Argentina , Bolivia , and Paraguay that are nearby , tree philodendron are tropic .
Outdoors or in the wild , they can grow in nimiety of 15 feet tall with an erect habit , and spread 10 metrical foot or more .
Mature plant , often of at least 20 eld of age , may also produce efflorescence in the wild . But these are narrow , cover a spadix that is protect within a spathe before it blooms , like what you will see on anthurium andpeace lily .
Indoors , the plants can still reach eight or 10 feet tall and disperse six feet or more in idealistic conditions , though you could define this lush increment by set them in containers no larger than 12 inches in diam .
Vining philodendrons are distinctive , butT. bipinnatifidumwas once categorise as one of the less uncouth , “ ego - heading ” types .
Members of the Meconostigma chemical group of philodendrons , which have since been moved to their own genus , produce leave that grow very close together , with all of them emerging from a individual ball at the crown and no branching .
As they get older , these plants will train a woody trunk that attains about four inch in diameter , and begin to shed their blue leaves as they grow taller , sporting leafage scar that resemble an eye with a sullen pupil at the center where the leafage has devolve .
Some indoor gardeners think these trunks are unmanageable or unattractive . I like the offbeat visual aspect , but if you do n’t , you may always throttle the size of the plants before the trunks develop , merely by restricting the pots to 12 inch in diameter or so .
As self - headers , these plants also develop aery roots that will grow from the long stem down to the ground . These antecedent tolerate the plant as it grows tall , without taking in weewee or helping to put up nutrients .
Though this and other Meconostigma species are no longer considered philodendron , you may still see their former botanical names in plant guides , and at nurseries and garden centers .
Philodendron selloumandP. bipinnatifidumwere once consider separate metal money , as older specimens grow in the wild can search very different from their modest indoor similitude . These were merged when the two “ different ” species were found to be one and the same .
Later , desoxyribonucleic acid testing divulge important transmissible dispute among the Meconostigma philodendron that scientists decided were worthy of placement in their own genus , so this species was renamedT. bipinnatifidumin 2018 .
If you want a tropical foliage plant that can attain an telling size and that ’s easy to care for , I do n’t think you’re able to do better than cut - leafage philodendron – or whatever you choose to call it .
Keep reading to hear more of the particular that will help you succeed with this outsize houseplant .
A Note of Caution:
Like all philodendrons , Thaumatophyllumplants contain calcium oxalate , which is toxic if have .
If a pet or mortal ingests any part of the flora , they may experience symptoms include burning and excrescence of the lips , throat , and mouth . vomiting , and trouble swallowing or rest .
Keep these houseplants off from infants , bambino , and inquisitive pets . If a human or pet eat some of the plant , seek medical attention directly .
If your peel makes contact with the plant ’s juice , you may experience itching and/or inflammation .
Propagation
The easiest way to get pop with a tree philodendron is to purchase a plant from your local garden center or greenhouse .
If you or a friend has an existing plant , it is potential to circularize Modern plants via a prow cutting or by removing any offsets that appear at the understructure .
The leaves of this plant mature from one key stem , and provided there are leaf nodes and aerial roots growing from it , you could top the stem and plant that department in a container fill withwell - drain potting premix .
The stump will finally sprout new leaves .
If you notice offsets growing at the alkali of your plant life , you’re able to poke them up , roots and all , and repot them .
To do this is , remove the plant from its existing great deal , and use a tongue to carve up the offsets from the parent . Pot them up using well - draining potting mix .
How to Grow
Like most of their confining relative , Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree philodendrons can cope with less than ideal condition , but they ’ll grow better if their needs are met .
Here ’s what to supply :
Lighting
These houseplants do all right in humbled light , or part tint when growing in raft out of doors . What ’s novel about them is that they can also abide bright light , which is handy when you ’re trying to find a localization for them to thrive .
They ’ll commonly do just ok anywhere they canreceive at least low lightin your house , include bathrooms lit with 40 - watt fluorescent bulbs , or other indoor smirch with instinctive light from a north - face windowpane .
They ’ll also thrive in the bright , indirect light that ’s available in a sunroom , or any level of raw light available elsewhere indoors .
Just check that the light they have is indirect . Think : near a sunny window , but not in the unmediated path of strong afternoon Dominicus rays .
Climate
The ideal temperature for these houseplants is between 70 and 85 ° F , but they ’ll do okay as long as nighttime temperatures do n’t drop below 55 ° F .
If you ’ve accidentally left yours outside in a light rime , you may luck out . Sometimes they ’ll survive overnight or for a few time of day in temperatures that plummet to 36 ° F , but do n’t press your luck .
Container Selection
Provide a container that has drain holes , and that’smade of a lightweight materialthat retains moisture , like plastic , vinyl , or galvanized metal .
Unglazed clay pots dry out too quickly . And once the plant reach a decent size , most pots made of ceramic or sealed terra cotta are hold up to be too heavy to move around if you plan for the houseplants to spend the lovesome months outdoors .
verbalize of sizing , you do n’t want to choose a pot that ’s too braggart , either .
This is not the metre to purchase a container with ” elbow room to grow , ” sinceT. bipinnatifidumprefers to be a lilliputian rootbound .
Instead , come up a container that is about two inches wide than the diam of the root ball , or the locoweed it ’s growing in presently if it needs to move up a size .
Also fit the planter with a dish aerial at the bottom to view excess water . That way , you ’ll be able to discard any surplusage that waste pipe after watering , so the roots are never stand in water .
Soil
These plant are n’t fussy , but they do ask a well - draining , rich growing medium .
While they require reproducible moisture , they ’ll languish if compacted filth gets waterlogged , which can prohibit the roots from drawing up water and nutrient to deliver to the residue of the works .
The nonesuch is a light , fertile premix . I suggest combining pot dirt , peat mossorcoconut coir , and perlite in adequate proportions .
Water
Only water when amoisture meteror a finger dunk into the soil informs you that the top two in are dry .
Water good at the soil line , not from above the plant , so you do n’t get any water on the leaf . lease the piss drain all , and discard the inordinateness .
Fertilizer
This particular metal money will also take account regular applications programme of nitrogen - plenteous plant food , so it can keep producing those impressive leaves .
Dilute melted plant food to half of the manufacturing business ’s recommend amount , and use it once a month .
Growing Tips
Pruning and Maintenance
If you want to trim away gangly ethereal roots on a tree philodendron , that ’s your call . They ’ll grow just fine with them or without them .
There are a few beneficial maintenance chores to go to to if sentence allows .
The first is keeping the leaves destitute of detritus . Since they ’re so big and they ’re grow indoors the legal age of the time , if not for good , they ’ll benefit from a quick rub with a ironic microfiber cloth every couple of weeks .
This will get the junk off so they can more readily photosynthesize , and they ’ll front prettier , too .
If insect pests are a problem , you could also wipe the parting with a warm , dampish cloth , both the tops and the undersurface , every calendar month or so . This will rid the surfaces of any linger nut or webs .
It ’s also a good idea to flush salt from the soil once every four or five calendar month . They ’ll make up with continued fertilizer use .
This process take a while , but it ’s low British Labour Party . Just irrigate the stain thoroughly until you see water coming out of the drain holes . Let it drain altogether , discard the nimiety , and then nail two more rounds of watering , drain , and discarding .
If you ’re taking reward of being able-bodied to wheel around these indoor plants outdoors in the warm months to permit the sunshine and rain provide for their need , you ’ll necessitate to maintain a determined agenda so they do n’t block .
They ’ll need to be brought back deep down before nighttime temperature dip below 45 ° farad , but take it slow if they ’ve been exposed to bright light all summertime and their new billet will be in a grim - light situation .
Starting a week or so ahead of the final move , step by step get to reduce the amount of light they ’re have , either with strategic shade material or by moving them into emplacement where there is less and less light .
This will help to keep the plants from suffering shock and dropping their leaves .
In the spring , reverse the procedure , step by step expose the plants to increase amount of money of light before transitioning them to an outside spot that ’s promising , and completing the move once the opportunity of nighttime temperatures below 45 ° F has passed .
Also , this houseplant is probable to turn heavy outside in the summer , so be sure to keep up with its nourishment demand by dutifully fertilizing , even if you do n’t typically fertilize when it ’s growing deep down .
If your flora is becoming too large for its current container , you may unpot the plant and trim the roots to one - third of their current size to maintain a more summary industrial plant .
Your industrial plant may also need transplant , especially if you ’re aiming to allow it turn ever - grownup . You canlearn more about transplanting your tree philodendron in our guidebook .
Where to Buy
T. bipinnatifidumplants are n’t the most readily useable type of tropic foliage plants that you ’ll see at local greenhouses or big box stores – you ’re much more probable to rule the small , vining heart - leafage philodendron , P. hederaceum .
you could sometimes find a diminished cultivar anticipate ‘ Hope ’ at home stores , but other specific cultivars , including the narrow-minded - leaf ‘ Tortum , ’ are rarely label as such , nor are you likely to spot them usable for purchase topically at greenhouse .
Tree Philodendron
But you may find the received tree philodendron online , commonly labeled asP. selloum . Plants are uncommitted in # 3 containersfrom Nature Hills Nursery .
small plants have more dark-green and less serration in the middle of their leaf , and the “ finger ” are n’t as narrow-minded as those that you ’ll see on the mature plant .
This adolescent looking at may dupe you into thinking this is not the industrial plant you want .
But untried tree philodendrons will grow the distinctive extra - long foliage with the rippled , minute lobes that cut nearly to the center of the foliage as they get older .
Tree Philodendron in 10 - Inch Pot
tree diagram philodendrons in 10 - inch decorative smoke areavailable from Costa Farms via Home Depot .
Managing Pests and Disease
When you stick with growing them indoors , you may mostly stave off insect pestilence and disease on Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree philodendron .
The good prophylactic measures include pass over the leaves often with a dampish cloth , including the undersides ; making certain the plant have plenty of space for air circulation ; and never overwatering or leave the roots to brook in soggy soil or saucers full of body of water .
Occasionally , certain pests or diseases will strike anyhow . The main insect offenders aremealybugs , scale , andspider mites , and the two most likely disease are bacterial leaf spot and root rotting .
read more about recognizing , treating , and forestall each of these houseplant threats in thepest and disease section of our philodendron guidebook .
Best Uses
Use the impressive size of both the leaves and the plants to your vantage when you select where to placeT. bipinnatifidum .
While these plant are too big and the pots are often too arduous to place on a bookcase or most windowsills , one can easily cast anchor the decor in any larger space where it can rest on the floor .
A few attractive option let in mark it where the deep green foliage will pop against a bright painted wall , or using it to plagiarize spirits in a ill lit foyer or mudroom , or other lusterless space include down in the mouth - luminousness dens , rec rooms , or so - call “ man cave . ”
Place one expectant plant below a hanging basket of one of its tail philodendron relatives , or practice one to ground a collection of shorter , colorful tropical plant likeanthuriums .
With the ability to defy both bright and low ignitor , this specie is also a inviolable design option for fishy patios or lightly - fill gazebos in the warm calendar month , or for setting by the pond or a pond for added tropic allure .
Just make certain to include a wheeled cart below any of the larger containers you be after to roll around to use in dissimilar scene of your interior decoration .
And anywhere it grows , commemorate thatT. bipinnatifidumneeds plenty of space to spread its leave-taking .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Rainforest Foliage in Your Living Room
Some houseplants that make a bluff statement only succeed with lots of ill-tempered tending . But the tree philodendron provide a striking instruction without involve too much in price of tutelage .
That ’s a win - win !
And if you need more insider tips on indoor horticulture , check out thesehouseplant guidesnext :
© require the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product photos via Costa Gardens and Nature Hills Nursery . Uncredited photograph : Shutterstock . With extra writing and editing by Allison Sidhu .
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Rose Kennedy
