Go for Philodendron Barrosoanum if you are looking for trilobed houseplants. It is easy to grow and maintain throughout the year.
You can easily add enough greenery to your home by growing a few Philo. Barrosoanum plants.
Use a bamboo stick or moss pole to support its structure. This encourages it to grow tall and produce large size leaves.
Indirect bright light is sufficient to full fill its light needs. Moderate fertilization, moderate watering, and occasional pruning are the secret to success.
Below is the In-depth including care needs, Propagation, and troubleshooting common problems.
What is Philodendron Barrosoanum?
It is a rare philodendron foliage plant. It grows beautiful shining green leaves. The trilobed leaves of barrosoanum look very beautiful in filtered bright light.
In its natural habitat, it grows as a climber plant. There it gets a good amount of moisture in the soil and enjoys high humidity.
Indoors it only grows 2 to 3.5 feet tall.
I am using bamboo sticks to support its structure. It is climbing on it and is nearly around 3 feet tall with 10 inches-long leaves.
My plant has small size leaves because it is not getting enough light. I have other costly plants on my sunny window.
And it is growing in dim light.
I am planning to buy a 200 watts dimmable grow light for it. With 200 watts I can grow 3 to 4 Philodendron Barrosoanum plants.
The main benefit of this plant is it purifies the indoor air. Formaldehyde and benzene are indoor air pollutants.
Barrosoanum Philodendron absorbs these toxins from the air and releases fresh oxygen. This increases the level of fresh Oxygen in indoor air.
How to Grow Philodendron Barrosoanum?
To grow a healthy Barrosoanum plant you must learn about its needs before buying it. This way you will not face many problems in the growth stage.
Follow the below care methods and grow a disease-free plant.
Light Needs
It has all green leaves this clear that it does not need too bright light. Just place it in a medium bright light and it will grow healthy.
Do not place it in low light because in low light the leaves of Barrosoanum cannot carry out healthy photosynthesis.
Low light signs are:
- Droopy leaves
- Fewer leaves per stem
- Small size leaves
- Leggy growth
- Growing slow than normal
Immediately move your plant to a bright place and it will heal itself in a few days.
The second thing you need to keep in mind is P. Barrosoanum does not need direct sunlight. Direct sunrays can burn its leaves.
Also, increase the plant temperature and increase the rate of respiration. A high respiration rate is damaging to the plant.
Potting Soil
Soil is an important factor in this case because in tropical forests this plant grows on other trees. But indoors we need to select a potting mix for it.
I am using perlite, vermiculite, and orchid bark in equal quantities. This is my trusted formula. My second potting mix formula is perlite, potting soil, and compost in equal parts.
Both the soil mix methods are equally effective to grow Philodendron Barrosoanum.
Some growers recommend African violet soil for caring for this plant. But I don’t find it useful because the Violet potting mix cannot hold moisture for a long time.
This increases the watering applications and you need soil that can hold moisture for a long time. This is the reason I add perlite in both soil mix formulas.
Watering Philodendron Barrosoanum
Water it like you water Philodendron Whipple Way and Philodendron Bob Cee. In short after checking the moisture level of the soil.
To check the soil moisture, use a soil moisture testing meter. It is an essential tool for houseplant growers.
The water quality is the point where you need to give attention. Tap water is not recommended so as cold water.
Use normal room temperature filtered water or rainwater.
Collect the rainwater in rain barrels if you can. If it is not possible then go for filtered water that you use for cooking and drinking.
Because such water does not contain heavy minerals and is easy for plants to absorb from the soil.
Let half of the potting soil become dry before watering.
Ideal Temperature
A normal home temperature between 55 to 85 degrees F is ideal for this plant. Below 50 Degrees F its leaves start developing cracks and dark spots.
Low temperature also slows downs the growing process of the plant. The respiration rate drops down to half. This results in droopy leaves.
On the other side temperature above 90 Degrees, F is too hot for it. In high temperatures, the plant starts using more water to keep it cool.
This dries out the soil quickly and increases your workload of watering it.
The leaves start turning yellow and wilting.
Therefore, to prevent temperature issues monitor grow room temperature twice a week.
Humidity
Keep humidity above 50% all the time for a thriving plant. Low humidity is damaging to the barrosoanum leaves.
The low humidity signs are:
- Yellow Turning Leaves
- Crispy Brown Leaf Tips
- Dry Potting Soil
- Stems Turning Hard and Brown
To prevent low humidity, place your plant in a high-humidity place. But please do not move it into your bathroom.
I know it is a highly humid place but there is no proper air circulation in the bathroom. Moving it there can result in bacterial leaf spots.
The best and most effective solution to low humidity is using a plant humidifier. Misting water and the pebble tray method are old-school tricks.
I don’t recommend them when you grow expensive and rare plants.
Fertilizing
The amount and frequency of fertilizing sessions depend on the potting soil. If your potting soil contains a good quantity of compost or vermiculite.
Then you need to use fewer fertilizers.
Once in 30 days is enough in spring and summer. But if your soil formula does not contain any organic substance. Then you should fertilize your plant twice in 30 days.
For fertilizing this philodendron use liquid general-purpose fertilizer.
General plant supplements have a higher percentage of nitrogen in the formula. This plant needs nitrogen in high quantities than potassium and phosphorous.
Pruning
Pruning is required to prevent bacterial and fungal diseases. It is a technique in which we use sharp tools to trim infected plants.
I use sterilized shears and sometimes a knife.
Use isopropyl alcohol to disinfect the tools then gently cut the yellow leaves and dead parts.
Collect all the parts in a plastic bag and discard them. Do not use them in making compost. They are infected and can destroy your compost.
Maintenance is part of this process. To prevent leaf diseases, use a clean cloth and remove dust from the plant leaves.
Also, wipe under the plant pot and clean the bottom tray.
Repotting
Once a year is a nice move to keep indoor plants thriving. The outdoor growing plants absorb nutrients and water from the soil.
The garden soil always contains some nutrients.
But the soil in the plant pots becomes depleted after a year. Adding fertilizers will not make any huge difference in the nutritional values of the soil.
Therefore, to keep it healthy you should repot your Philodendron Barrosoanum once a year. Use the same type of new soil bag and repot it in the new pot.
The new pot must be 2 inches wider and deep than the current pot.
Toxicity
This philodendron is no different it is also toxic like others. The entire philodendron family is toxic. The sap of these plants contains toxic crystals of calcium.
To prevent its toxic effects grow it away from the reach of your kids and pets.
Skin redness, irritation, and sore throat are a few of the common toxic effects. Immediately seek medical help.
Philodendron Barrosoanum Propagation
- Spring and summer are the two perfect seasons for propagating Philodendron Barrosoanum. The stem develops roots at a faster rate due to the comfortable climate.
- At first, identify a healthy stem and cut 2 to 3 stems each 5 to 6 inches long with leaf nodes.
- Remove the leaves that are at the bottom.
- Apply rooting hormone at the edge and dip the stem cutting in a glass of water.
- Place the glass jar in a humid place away from direct sunlight.
- Within a few days, it will develop new roots. Regularly change the water when it gets dirty.
- Transfer the stem cutting to the potting soil when the roots grow more than 1.5 inches long.
Troubleshooting
New and less experienced growers often face some challenges in growing houseplants. Below are the common problems with their solution.
Pest Problems
Pest infestations are common on dirty and unhygienic plants. If you skip the pruning and maintenance the pest infection chances are high.
Aphids and Spider mites are their real enemies. They make their pest colonies near the leaf nodes. They make holes in the leaves and suck the sap of the plant.
The interesting thing is the sap is not toxic to pests.
The plant becomes weak and nutrient deficient. This leads the philodendron to death.
Keep your plant and its leaves clean to prevent pests and use neem spray once in 15 days.
Use insect-killing soap and rinse our plant. It will kill all the pests at once.
Yellow Leaves
Too bright light and overwatering are the two causes of the yellowing of leaves. If too much sharp light is the cause, then you will also find leaves with brown tips.
And if the leaves are yellow without brown crispy tips. Then the next step is checking the soil. If it is wet then overwatering is the cause behind it.
In the first case move your plant to a less bright place and give it some water. It will heal in a few days.
In the second case, the only option is repotting the plant in the new pot and new soil.
Dry Leaves
Dry leaves and dry soil indicate fewer watering sessions. Trim the dead and brown leaves, and give some water to your plant.
Give it some time to heal, within 20 days your plant will start developing new growth. This is a good sign of its health.
Leggy Growth
Growers face leggy growth when they put this plant in dim light. The minimum light requirement of Philodendron Barrosoanum is 250 FC.
Less than this creates many problems and stretchy growth is one of them.
To correct the growth and to increase the number of its leaves and their size. Immediately move your plant to a bright place.
If possible, place it in morning sunlight for 3 to 4 hours. Then move it to filtered bright light. Do this for 4 to 5 days and you will definitely see improvements in your Philodendron Barrosoanum.
Conclusion
Barrosoanum Philodendron needs shady light and moderate water. Neem oil spray is highly recommended to prevent pests.
Take care of fertilizing and regularly follow the pruning. Use soil testing tools to prevent overwatering.
For more information on indoor plants visit us again.
