With its red stems, dark red-purplish leaves, and a stunning underside, it’s hard not to be captivated by this beauty. And if you’re looking to add more color to your plant collection, this plant is exactly what you need!
This climbing plant is easy to care for and is one of the most exotic plants belonging to the Araceae family. The philodendron erubescens or Red Emerald Philodendron is known by many names, including red-leaf philodendron and blushing philodendron.
If you’re thinking of adding this stunning houseplant to your collection, here’s everything you should know.
Brief Overview & History of Red Emerald Philodendron
The specie of philodendron is native to Costa Rica and Colombia, but it can also be found in Hawaii, Australia and the Philippines. The exact origins of this plant are unknown.
The plant is characterized by its deep red flowers and heart-shaped leaves. However, a houseplant philodendron hardly produces flowers. In the wild, it can grow over 60 feet tall but indoors, the plant hardly reaches 12 feet high.
People often confuse the Red Emerald Philodendron with the imperial red philodendron because both have similar red vines and heart-shaped leaves. However, the former is a climbing plant while the latter is a hybrid and grows in a bush.
All the parts of the Red Emerald Philodendron are toxic to both pets and humans. This is because it contains irritant oxalate crystals that can cause swelling in the throat, mouth, and abdominal region.
Other varieties of Philodendrons- Birkin | Micans | Brasil | Dark lord | Scandens Brasil
Red Emerald Philodendron Plant Care Guide
With the right care, you can see your Red Emerald Philodendron bloom. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
Soil & Fertilizer
When it comes to the soil for this species, it should be aroid, organic, and allow water to flow. It should also be airy and moist, and not muddy or mucky. Avoid oversaturated soil since it can cause root rot. It’s best if you mimic the epiphytic nature these plants have in the wild. For this, you need a woody and airy substrate.
You can make this by mixing coconut coir, orchid bark, perlite, some organic matter, and activated charcoal. This mixture contains a mixture of moisture-draining and moisture-retaining elements that provide the perfect balance to the plant. You can also purchase a potting mix made for aroid plants from local gardening stores. Plus, since philodendrons are climbing plants, they like to grow around the bark.
It might come as a surprise, but soil isn’t the best option for your philodendron which is why you should avoid using a soil-based potting mix. Soil tends to become mucky and compact, which can limit the oxygen supply to the roots. Meanwhile, coconut coir ensures faster growth and good aeration and drainage, which prevents root rot. It also retains moisture well while allowing sufficient drainage too. So you don’t need to worry about a dry and compact medium.
Apart from soil, your Red Emerald Philodendron should have a pole it can climb on. In our opinion, the best option is moss pole, but you can use other options, too.
There’s no way for houseplants to obtain nutrients once they use up the nutrients present in the potting mix. For this reason, you need to regularly fertilize your plants with a nutrient-rich option.
In the summer and spring months, you should fertilize the plant once or twice a week with a mixture of water and fertilizer, but this depends on where you live. If it is super hot, you should water the plant more frequently.
In autumn, you should reduce the watering and cut back on the fertilizer. In winter, you should stop using the fertilizer completely to prevent over-saturation.
Make sure you don’t over-fertilize your plant. Excessive fertilization can make the leaves curl with yellow edges.
Water
Like all philodendrons, the Red Emerald also thrives in moist soil. And despite what people say, these plant love water. Think about it: philodendrons that grow in the wild get up to 350mm of rainfall. Even then, they don’t fall prey to diseases, pests, or rot.
If you’ve planted the philodendron in a potted container, keep the top of the potting mix damp. But be careful; it should not be damp.
As mentioned above, you should water your plant 1-2 times a week in the summer using a fertilizer/water solution. In winters, too, you should water it once or twice. If your potting mix has sufficient drainage, the chances of root rot are very low.
While philodendrons are relatively easy to care for and can survive a couple of missed watering, just make sure you don’t let them dry out completely, especially if you use potting soil. This is because if the soil dries out, it creates a blanket effect that traps moisture and cuts off the supply of oxygen to the root.
Blushing philodendrons are also less susceptible to browning leaf tips. However, one of the biggest problems with these plants is how easy it is to overwater them. And you’re better off under-watering the plant than over-watering. So make sure you’re careful when watering it!
Light
This plant grows best in a good amount of moderate to bright indirect light. With sufficient light, you will see long, elongated leaves and bright red stems. But if you place it in low light for a few months, the color of the leaves will start to fade to a mild yellow color.
Ideally, you should put your plant somewhere where it can receive at least 2-3 hours of the morning sun, especially in the winters. Make sure you don’t keep it under direct sunlight all day long as this can burn the leaves and dry out the soil.
Temperature & Humidity
These philodendrons love the warmth and best grow in temperatures between 21 and 29 degrees Centigrade, but they can handle cooler and warmer temperatures, too. Anything below 12.5 degrees Centigrade will result in small leaves, extremely stunted growth, and even death.
These plants can tolerate normal household humidity levels that reach up to 50%. But they can sprout aerial roots in humidity up to 70%, which not only gives them a signature spindly look but also makes propagation easier. Higher humidity also means thicker stems and larger leaves. You can maintain high humidity by grouping many philodendrons together.
Suggested Reads: Begonia Maculata | Marble Queen Pothos
Pruning & Repotting Red Emerald Philodendron
These plants can grow at a fast rate under the right conditions. This is why you’ll need to prune them every once in a while to keep them in shape. Pruning them is easy; just take a pair of pruning scissors and cut the extremely long, leggy, diseased, or damaged vines.
And while it can handle being root-bound, it’s best to move the philodendron to a larger pot as the roots start to curl. You should particularly think of replanting your plant if it stops growing and the roots are visible through the pot’s drainage holes.
When repotting this plant, make sure you choose a pot with drainage holes. Also, note that it should not be more than half an inch bigger than your previous pot. Fill it with a well-draining, high-quality potting mix. Make sure the mixture doesn’t become too wet, otherwise it can cause root rot.
Propagating Red Emerald Philodendrons
Growing new plants from the Red Emerald Philodendron is super easy and you can do it yourself too.
The best time to propagate philodendrons is at the start of spring when the plant’s growth cycle is at the start. Propagating when it’s warm increases the chances of your philodendron developing healthy and stronger roots.
Traditional Method to Grow Red Emerald Philodendron
Here’s how to propagate these plants:
- Take a look at your plant and select a healthy stem with at least 2-3 nodes. The more nodes present, the greater the chance of success.
- Now take sterilized pruning scissors and cut the chosen below from right below the nodes.
- Take a small pot and fill it with equal amounts of perlite and moss. Make sure the moss is wet, but be careful not to overwater it.
- Take the stem you just cut and dip it into a rooting hormone powder or solution.
- Place the stem into the pre-made potting mix. Ensure that the nodes are well covered since the roots will sprout from them.
- Fill up the remainder of the pot using a mix of perlite and moss.
- Put the plant in a warm area that gets a good amount of indirect light.
- Water the moss to make sure it stays moist.
New roots of the philodendron will develop in a short time. You will start to see roots appear in 2-3 weeks. Once they grow up to one inch long, you can transfer them to a larger container with a good potting mix.
Different Propagation Method
Note that if you have well-established and mature philodendrons creeping up a pole, then the propagation method will be slightly different. In that case, here’s what you need to do:
- Find well-established and healthy roots shooting from a node.
- Wrap some wet sphagnum moss around the chosen node with the pole to provide some support to thinner stems.
- Take a plastic bag and wrap it around the node. Be careful not to trap any leaves within this wrap. Secure it in place using a rubber band or zip tie.
- Mist the moss wrapped in the plastic bag daily to avoid it from drying out.
- Wait for around 3 weeks for the new roots to show. Then remove the plastic wrap and some moss from around the roots. Make sure the roots are healthy and white.
- Take clean scissors and cut the stem from below the new roots.
- Finally, pot it into a rich potting mix.
Diseases, Pests & Problems with Red Emerald Philodendron
Blushing philodendrons are very resilient and are not affected by many things. In case of pest infestations like mealybugs, thrips, spider mites, and aphids, your best friend is neem oil.
But you should keep an eye out for bacterial infections caused by lack of oxygen to the roots, like pseudomonas leaf spot and Erwinia blight disease. The bacteria tend to fester below the soil and cause mushy, wet legions on the leaves and stems. If not treated quickly, it can kill the plant in just a few days.
Other common problems associated with Red Emerald Philodendron include:
- Leaves turning yellow: In most cases, leaves of the philodendron turn yellow due to root rot. If your plant is in waterlogged soil, then the roots are in a constantly damp place without air, which encourages decomposition. The best way to prevent yellowing leaves is to prune them and change the potting mix.
- Pale leaves: The color of the leaves starts to fade due to low light conditions and especially happens in the winter. Simply move your plant to a brighter area or use glow lights to prevent the leaves from losing their color.
- Wet patches on leaves: As mentioned above, wet patches on the leaves are usually due to pseudomonas leaf spot or Erwinia blight disease. The wet patches are often accompanied by a bad smell. To save your plant from these bacterial infections, check for rotted roots, change the potting mix, and use liquid copper to treat the plant.
- Stems that aren’t completely red: In some cases, your philodendron might have a weak red-purplish color on one side and green on the other.
- Leggy stems: Weak, leggy stems are due to lack of light. As the plants stretch towards the light, their stems become leggy. The easiest way to fix this problem is to move the philodendron to a brighter place.
- Browning leaf tips or edges: Brown tips and edges are a sign of excessive bright direct sunlight or under-watering. If the brown leaves are also curling, then your plant is a victim of under-watering.
I hope this step-by-step guide for Red Emerald Philodendron helped you grow your houseplant. Do share your learnings and experiences with us in the comments section below. You may also want to check out our in-depth plant care guides.
