Split Leaf Philodendron – Indoor House Plant

Split Leaf Philodendron is known for its tropical oversized leaves with what appears to be cuts within them. It is also known as the Swiss cheese plant. I have found the Split Leaf Philodendron to be a low maintenance house plant. The one thing to watch with this house plant is that due to its oversized foliage and the ability to grow in large proportions, you may need to stake the stems.

Split Leaf Philodendrons are among the most common and easy-to-grow houseplants. Many tolerate low light and neglect. If well treated, they will be beautiful and dependable for many years.

Scientific Name: Monstera deliciosa

Common Name: Split Leaf Philodendron

 

Ornamental Features : This diverse group of plants ranges from vines with3-inch heart shaped green leaves to vines with leaves 3 feet long. Some types have glossy solid green leaves, others have velvet textured patterned leaves, while some have deep red leaves and stems. While the most common types of hilodendrons are vining, some are self-heading. Self headers send out

leaves from a heavy clump of growth at their base.
These often have dramatically large leaves in a
variety of shapes.

Maintenance Of Split Leaf Philodendron Plant :

Light & Temperature : Most philodendrons prefer indirect or curtainfiltered sunlight but will tolerate low light. The
common heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron
scandens) will tolerate very low light. Night
temperatures of 65 to 70 °F and day temperatures of
75 to 85 °F are ideal.

Watering : Water frequently enough to keep the soil evenly
moist, but not soggy. Never let the plants stand in
water. High humidity is ideal for best growth, but
philodendrons tolerate the low level of humidity in
most homes.

Height/Spread : The vining types can be limited in height by the
height of their support and by training and pruning.
The self-heading types eventually can become very
large and should be given ample space.

Replotting : Container-grown plants need frequent repotting to accommodate the root system. They can be moved outside for the summer, but need to be acclimated to higher light levels gradually or will sunburn.

Propagation : Propogate from stem cuttings from mature plants or by air layering or simple layering any time of the year. Cut the tip of the stem just below an aerial root and pot the cutting. For more plants, cut the vine into 1-foot sections, press the sections half way into the surface of a bed of rooting medium (such as a mixture of leafmold and sand), and then transplant when roots have developed. Plants can be grown from seed, but seedlings require warm temperatures and are slow to develop.

These plants are considered poisonous and should be kept away from pets and childrens.