How To Take Care Of A Philodendron Gloriosum Houseplant Indoors
If you're looking for a new houseplant that has giant green leaves, the Philodendron Gloriosum is the right plant for you! This variety of Philodendron is sometimes called the "chandelier plant" because of its elegant dangling leaves. This gorgeous-looking plant might look like it belongs in the jungle (surprise, that's where it's from), but it also grows well indoors and would be a fantastic addition to your living spaces!
The Philodendron Gloriosum is a fast-growing climber that can reach up to 10 feet in length, so it's perfect for filling empty spaces on shelves or bookcases. As with all Philodendrons, the Gloriosum is very easy to care for and is tolerant of neglect, making it a great choice for beginner plant parents. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about how to take care of a Philodendron Gloriosum!
In this plant care guide, we're going to look at a few different aspects of taking care of a Philodendron gloriosum. We're going to look at these topics:
Let's get into the topics to learn how you can take care of your Philodendron Gloriosum to help it thrive!
Light requirements for a Philodendron Gloriosum
The Philodendron Gloriosum is a plant that naturally grows on the ground in the jungle. This is where it's shaded from the sunlight by the trees that tower over it. This gives us a great clue about the type of sunlight exposure the Philodendron Gloriosum prefers.
The Philodendron Gloriosum prefers bright, indirect light but can also tolerate low light conditions. If you live in a place with very low light (like an apartment with only north-facing windows), you can grow your Philodendron Gloriosum near a window.
You'll know if your Philodendron Gloriosum is getting too much light if the leaves start to turn yellow. This is when you know it's time to move your Philodendron to a shadier spot.
On the other hand, if the leaves are drooping and beginning to look pale, that means it's not getting enough light. In this case, you'll need to move it to a brighter spot. Another, more subtle, clue that your plant isn't getting enough sunlight is the fact that its leaves will start to grow towards the nearest light source. The stems and leaves will look like they're reaching for the light, just to get enough of it.
How to water a Philodendron Gloriosum
Like many tropical houseplants, your Philodendron likes its soil to be lightly moist most of the time. This makes it quite easy to find out when you need to water your plant because you can check whether the soil is dry or not. If the top 2.5 cm (1 inch) is dry, it's time to water your plant again.
Make sure you're using a well-draining pot and potting mix, as this plant does not like to sit in soggy soil. Overwatering can cause the leaves to turn yellow and drop off, so be sure to err on the side of underwatering rather than overwatering. Also, be sure to use filtered or distilled water if your tap water is high in chlorine or minerals. Too much chlorine or minerals can damage the leaves of your plant.
The best type of soil for a Philodendron Gloriosum
In the previous section about watering, we found out that the best type of soil is well-draining potting soil. This type of soil mix helps to drain the excess water to the bottom of the pot quickly, rather than staying behind in the soil.
However, the Philodendron does prefer slightly moist soil at all times, so the soil shouldn't drain all the moisture away right away, as a soil mixture for cactus and succulents would. It should still hold onto some moisture for a few days after you've watered it.
You can buy a potting mix specifically for moisture-loving houseplants, or you can make your own mix by combining one part potting soil, one part peat moss, and one part perlite. This soil mix provides excellent drainage for the excess moisture, but retains enough moisture to keep your Philodendron Gloriosum happy!
Fertilizing your Philodendron Gloriosum
Fertilizing your plants helps them to grow big and strong, and can also help them to resist disease and pests. So it's quite important to regularly fertilize your houseplants! But when and how often should you fertilize your Philodendron Gloriosum?
During the growing season (spring and summer), you should fertilize your Philodendron Gloriosum every two weeks with a liquid fertilizing solution. Liquid fertilizer helps you to control the dosage of fertilizer with water and it's much easier to absorb for your plants.
During the fall and winter, you should not fertilize your Philodendron at all, because this can lead to overfertilizing. Overfertilizing can damage the roots of your plant and this could kill it.
The best temperature and humidity for a Philodendron Gloriosum
A Philodendron Gloriosum is a tropical plant that prefers warm temperatures between 18-25℃ (65-85 degrees Fahrenheit) and high humidity levels around 60-70%. If your home is on the drier side, you can increase humidity levels by grouping your plants together or by placing them on a pebble tray filled with water. Just make sure the bottom of your plant's pot is not sitting in water. You can also use a humidifier to raise humidity levels in your home.
If you need other ideas to raise the humidity levels in your house, you can have a look at "10 ways to raise the humidity in your house".
Pruning your Philodendron Gloriosum
Pruning is quite a scary experience for beginning plant owners because it feels wrong to cut leaves off of your plant. It feels as if you're hurting your plant. Luckily, nothing is further from the truth, because pruning is quite beneficial for your plant. Pruning encourages new growth and keeps your plant looking full and healthy.
Your Philodendron Gloriosum will also benefit from regular pruning to remove any dead or dying leaves as well as any leggy growth. To prune your plant, simply snip off any dead or dying leaves at the base with a pair of sharp scissors or gardening shears. You can also cut back any leggy stems to encourage new growth closer to the base of the plant.
When you cut off bad-looking leaves, you help your plant to preserve the energy needed to grow new stems and leaves. This helps your plant to grow back new leaves more quickly.
Propagating a Philodendron Gloriosum
If you want to propagate your Philodendron Gloriosum, stem cuttings are the way to go! The stems of the Philodendron Gloriosum get quite thick, like the stems on a monstera, so this tells you it's full of moisture and nutrients. When propagating the Philodendron Gloriosum, you want to cut through the thick stem with a clean pair of pruning scissors or a clean knife. Be careful if you use a knife, the stem can be quite tough to get through. The ideal cutting is a cutting that has 2-3 leaves attached.
When you're propagating your plant through cuttings, you can give your plant the best chance of growing roots and becoming a real plant by propagating it in water or Leca. It's quite tempting to instantly put your cuttings in soil, but this puts your cutting at risk of attracting diseases, pests, and root rot. Propagating in water or Leca gives your cutting the moisture it needs, with a lower risk of developing root rot. To give your cutting the best chance of success, refresh the water once per week, so it stays nice and clean. If your tap water contains a lot of minerals, be sure to use distilled water instead. Then place the pot in an area with bright, indirect light and high humidity levels. You can create a mini greenhouse by covering it with plastic wrap or placing it inside a clear zip-top bag.
In 4-8 weeks, you should see new roots growing from the leaf nodes - at which point you can transplant your cutting into its own pot! Be sure to only propagate your Philodendron Gloriosum in the growing season (spring and summer) as it'll get plenty of energy from sunlight and grow roots more quickly.
Conclusion
As you can see, taking care of a Philodendron Gloriosum houseplant indoors is not difficult - as long as you provide it with bright indirect light, evenly moist soil, high humidity levels, and regular fertilization during its growing season (spring/summer).
I hope you found this guide helpful! Please share it with your friends and family to help them take care of their plants too. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. Thanks for reading!
Thank you for reading this post! I hope it helps you to keep your plants healthy and beautiful! If you're looking for more guides on specific plants, you can always request a plant guide to get a guide for the plant you have trouble with.
Tags: humidity-loving, moisture-loving, beginner-friendly
Posted on: Sep 17, 2022
