If you are looking for a plant that is easy to grow and does not prove to be a challenge to your gardening skills, then the Philodendron Scandens Brasil is a great option.
Tolerant of various light conditions, the Philodendron Scandens is a fast grower. Its stunning lime green and golden yellow leaves will give any room a bright and cheerful look. Its large, glossy heart-shaped leaves are also the reason for this plant’s name, as its colors bear a close resemblance to the Brazilian flag. This plant offers a vibrant twist to the classic houseplant.
If you want to know how you can care for your Philodendron Scandens Brasil, how to keep its foliage bushy, and its variegated leaves shining bright, then read on as we talk about all things related to this plant!
Origin and Overview of Philodendron Scandens Brasil
Originally found in the tropical rainforests of South America, this delightful plant is very easy to grow indoors and requires little maintenance. Regular watering, bright light, and well-draining conditions are all that it needs to grow well. This gorgeous vining plant is also known as the Heart-Leaf or the Sweatheart Plant because of its heart-shaped leaves.
The Philodendron Scandens can grow to great lengths. Indoors, it can reach up to 4 feet if grown on a moss pole and 1.2 feet wide. It makes a charming green curtain when left trailing from a shelf or a hanging basket. Many people prefer this plant for styling jobs because its long vines can be used to trail beautifully around picture frames or up the walls. With little care, this plant can also thrive in a pot for years.
These plants are typically grown for their bright foliage, as they hardly ever flower when grown indoors. However, if you do notice spathes of white and green, it means that your plant is blooming.
The Philodendron Scandens is a poisonous plant and should be kept away from children and pets. You should also take extra care when handling this plant, as contact with the sap may irritate the skin. Be sure to wear gloves when handling and caring.
Another great characteristic of the Philodendron Scandens is that it works as an air purifier as well. It filters airborne toxins like benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene from the atmosphere.
Any serious pruning of this plant should be done during the summer and spring months. It is not a fussy plant and is not prone to any particular diseases or pests.
However, regularly inspect your plant to protect it from common houseplant pests like scale, spider mites, mealybugs, and fungus gnats.
Complete Care Guide for your Philodendron Scandens
The Philodendron Scandens Brasil is a great plant for beginners, as it requires very little care and maintenance. It is a fast-growing, vigorous climber that can grow up to a height of 4 meters. Make sure that you have complete knowledge about its soil, water, and feed requirements to ensure its long life.
Here’s what you need to know to keep your Philodendron Brasil happy and healthy:
Light
Philodendron Scandens Brasil can survive in various lighting conditions, but it thrives best in medium, indirect light. This kind of light keeps this its variegation shining bright and produces thick, glossier leaves, as it mimics the sunlight filtering through the forest canopies.
Although they can tolerate bright light, make sure that you do not expose these plants to direct sunlight as it may scorch the plant, causing browning edges and blackened spots. Use a sheer curtain, blinds, or net on your windows to diffuse the sunlight. Low light conditions, on the other hand, may cause the leaves to lose their bright shade and may cause leggy growth.
Water
The brasil does not grow well in extremely wet or extremely dry soil. Keeping the top three inches of soil moist to touch is enough to keep your plant healthy. Watering your plant once a week is enough for its water requirement, as moist, well-drained soil is best for its growth. It does not like wet soil without drainage as it can result in diseases like pseudomonas leaf spot, Erwinia blight, or root rot. If the soil looks dry or clumpy, then you should water your plant immediately.
Soil
The best soil for the Philodendron Scandens Brasil is a loamy, well-draining potting mix that is a little acidic. Although a standard indoor potting mix will work for this, using a mix designed for aroids will show better results. Mixing potting soil, perlite with coco coir, and orchid bark equally will give you an ideal mix that your plant will love. But make sure that it is well-draining.
You can also grow this plant in a soilless medium by mixing sphagnum, orchid bark, and perlite. However, this mix usually works best with young plants while a potting mix with soil should be your go-to mix for long-term growth.
Temperature
The species of philodendron thrives well in warmer conditions. The ideal temperature for Philodendron Scandens Brasil is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees are also fine but may result in slower growth. Colder conditions or temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit can adversely affect their growth in the form of smaller leaves and poor variegation.
Humidity
Being a tropical plant, the Brasil loves high humidity levels, ranging between 60% and 80%. Providing your plant with extra humidity will ensure gorgeous, healthy trailing vines, larger leaves, and deeper variegation. Humidity is very important for this plant. Keeping it in areas where the humidity ranges between 40 and 50% will make it look dull.
Maintaining such high levels of humidity in your home may not be comfortable. That is why the following tips will prove beneficial for your plant:
- Invest in a humidifier to keep moisture levels up in dry rooms.
- Place your plant in a naturally humid place such as the bathroom.
- Group tropical plants together to create a biome or mini humidity bubble so that the plants can share humidity resources through transpiration.
- Place pebbles in a water-filled tray and put your pot on top of the pebbles.
Fertilizer
Unlike outdoor plants, indoor plants cannot get their nutrients naturally. This is why it’s best to fertilize your Philodendron Scandens Brasil to ensure healthy and steady growth. Remember, there are three nutrients your plants should get from your chosen fertilizer: potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorous.
You should fertilize your plant once a month during the summer and spring months, which is when the plant goes through its growth phase. Meanwhile, in autumn and winter, you can cut back on the fertilizer and fertilize once every two months. This minimizes the chance of root burn or residue salt build-up. Excess fertilization can also make the leaves yellow or curl.
Propagating the Philodendron Scandens Brasil
There are two ways to propagate this plant, and both are very easy. You just need to take a stem cutting and place it in either water or soil.
The best time to propagate a plant is at the start of spring when the plant is at the beginning of its growth cycle. This ensures healthy and strong roots.
If you’ve never cut up a plant, you might find the process daunting, but you don’t have to worry. Here are both the methods in detail:
Soil Propagation
- Select a healthy branch with at least 2-3 nodes on it. If you don’t know what nodes look like, these are the tiny points present between the intersections that lead to the leaf. New roots grow from nodes.
- Take a pair of clean pruning scissors and cut the stem from below the nodes.
- Mix perlite and moist potting soil in a small pot. Make sure the mix is not soaking.
- Take the stem you just cut and dip it in rooting hormone. While this isn’t necessary, it just helps the roots take better and quicker hold.
- Now, put the stem 2-3 inches into the potting mix. Make sure the nodes are well-buried.
- Fill the remainder of your pot with perlite mix and potting soil and place it in a place that receives indirect light. Water the plant as usual.
- You will see roots start to develop in 2-3 weeks. You can check for roots by tugging the stem you planted very gently.
- Once the roots are established, you can transfer the plant into a hanging basket or a slightly bigger container.
Water propagation
- Take a small jar filled with fresh water. Things will become easier if you choose a transparent jar since it will allow you to see the root growth.
- Cut a healthy stem using pruning scissors. Make sure it has 2-3 leaves on it and a leaf node since this is where the roots will grow from.
- Place the cutting in a jar of water such that the leaves stay above the water level.
- You will start to see roots developing in 2-5 weeks.
- Once the roots grow up to 3 cm long, take them out of the water and plant them in well-draining, moist soil.
- Finally, water the plant and provide regular care before repotting it in a larger pot.
Suggested Plant Care Guides: Calathea Louisae | Philodendron Dark Lord
Pests, Diseases & Problems of Philodendron Scandens Brasil
Like most other philodendrons, this plant is also resilient. However, you should still look out for:
Pests
Different pests like thrips, aphids, scale, and mealybugs can attack your plant. It’s easy to identify these sap-sucking bugs. Mealybugs are white and round, scale is tiny orange, white or yellow, aphids gather in clusters, and thrips are small, slender, and brown or orange in color.
You can get rid of these bugs by using an eco-friendly insecticide like neem oil. Just make sure you dilute it and brush it over the leaves to eliminate these pests.
Diseases
The most common diseases in Philodendron Scandens Brasil are the Erwinia blight disease and pseudomonas leaf spot disease. If your plant falls victim to the Erwinia blight disease, you will see wet and mushy lesions on the leaves and stems.
Both diseases are a result of excessive leaf misting, overhead watering, and insufficient drainage. They can kill your plant in just days, and preventing them is easier than curing. It is nearly impossible to cure your plant of this disease, especially if the infection is severe.
As soon as you spot any signs of the disease, change the potting mix, prune the damaged and dead leaves, and avoid misting or watering your mix.
Curling, creasing, or wrinkling leaves
If you see your leaves curling, creasing, or wrinkling, that means your potting mix is very dry and lacks moisture. It can also be a sign of your plant being under stress. Touch the soil mix and if you find it too dry, simply water it to make it moist.
Small leaves
If you just brought your Philodendron Scandens Brasil plant home from a nursery, you can expect the leaves to get a little bit smaller. This is because you can’t mimic the optimal growing conditions of the nursery. However, if your leaves become drastically small, it could be because of a lack of humidity or light.
To fix the issue, just move the plant to a brighter and more humid area, like near a bathroom window that receives good direct sunlight.
Fading variegation
Your Philodendron Scandens Brasil might lose its variegation because of a lack of bright indirect sunlight. Even though it is a low-light and shade-tolerant plant, it hardly produces its signature green and gold variegation under suboptimal conditions.
If you see that happening, you can simply move your plant to a new spot that gets more light. Make sure to monitor its growth for a few weeks.
Leggy and sparse growth
Once again, leggy and sparse growth is also usually caused by insufficient light. To fix the problem, trim the Philodendron Scandens Brasil plant and move it to a brighter spot. Trimming encourages new growth and if you place it in a location that gets a good amount of light, you can expect to see denser foliage.
Hope you have learn to care for your Philodendron Scandens Brasil houseplant. Explore more plant care guides at – https://plantswhizz.com/category/plant-care/
