Philodendron Painted Lady is an evergreen aroid. It grabs the admiration for its bright leaves and pink petioles. The fleshy thick, lemon-green leaves with darker spots eventually turn mottled green on maturity. This peep grows ever larger leaves when grown with a pole or a totem for support.
These plants grow and flourish in bushy forms. You can grow this plant outdoors along the trees, plants, or walls to create the edges. Moreover, it forms decorative hanging baskets and pots for indoor ornamentation.
Thinking to get one for your home? We have good news. This is a low-maintenance plant and is pretty suitable for busy and care-less peeps. Let us know more about the care and propagation of the Painted Lady Philodendron Plant.
Philodendron Painted Lady Classification
Family: Araceae.
Genus: Philodendron.
Cultivar: ‘Painted Lady’.
Parentage
According to a popular school of thought, it is a hybrid between two Philodendrons;
- P. Erubescens Emerald Queen plant.
- P. Erubescens Burgundy plant.
Genus Philodendron
This is a vast genus of flowering Aroids belonging to the Central and Southern rainforests of America. Philodendron is proud to the second largest genus of the family including about 489 recorded species. The name has been derived from the words ‘Philo’ and ‘dendron’. This means tree lover or tree hugger and refers to the climbing nature of these plants.
They have been known in folk art, history, and medicine since old times. However, C. Plumier introduced them in the 16th century.
Common Names and Synonyms of Philodendron Painted Lady
- Meconostigma.
- Calostigma.
- Baursea.
- Thaumatophyllum.
- Arosma Raf.
- Telipodus Raf.
Philodendron Painted Lady Plant Features
Height and Spread
The height and spread of the plant depend upon the growing conditions and genetic makeup. A common Painted Lady Philodendron may get 2 to 5 feet tall with a spread of about 10 to 30 inches.
Leaves
- The leaves of the plant show a beautiful transition from light to deep green during development.
- The thick, leathery leaves have pink petioles and a glossy texture.
- An average leaf gets about 5 to 10 inches in length.
Flowers
The plant rarely produces small green or white flowers. And OOPS! They have an unpleasant smell. The blooming is quite stressful for the plant and consumes a good amount of energy. Some experts even remove the buds of indoor plants. This helps to avoid the nasty smell and conserve the energy of the plant.
Growth Rate and Durability
These plants are slow-growers in general. So, new peeps should not try to ‘fix the plant!
Another interesting feature of the plant is its long life. If you are caring in the ‘required manner’, the plant can live happily for decades.
Dormancy
The growth of the plant reduces or gets totally stunt in low temperatures. So, don’t worry and never try to fix the plant by over-watering or over-feeding in winter. It is simply in a ‘resting phase’. The warm temperature of spring will surely wake your plant up and you will see it flourishing again.
Toxicity
It inherits the typical toxicity of its parents. Be vigilant to avoid health issues like allergies and mouth ulcers. Make sure you keep kids and plants away from the plant.
Painted Lady Philodendron Care
How to bring up my Philodendron cultivar plant? This is a low-maintenance plant and doesn’t demand much. All it needs is medium to bright indirect light, above average humidity and watering after the upper layer of the soil gets dry. Let us learn in detail;
Water Requirements
The basic strategy to water the plant is the soak and dry method. Water the soil generously and let the upper 2 inches of the soil get dry before you water again. In summer, a weekly or a biweekly dose is needed depending upon the temperature and humidity.
On the other hand, once in 2 weeks is generally enough for the winter. This peep has poor drought tolerance. So, water right after the soil gets dry don’t be careless.
The water should be lukewarm or at room temperature. Overwatering leads to issues like droopy leaves, fungus, and root rot. So, make sure the plant is never standing in soggy soil.
Sunlight Requirements
The plant loves to be in medium to bright indirect sunlight. It can survive in low light as well. However, the plants in low and inadequate light show slower growth and leggy stems.
The outdoor plants need to be under shade. Moreover, you can use cheesecloth to avoid direct sunlight.
These plants are not strong enough to bear direct sun exposure. Thus, if you see the plant leaves getting brown it could be the result of intense sun exposure.
Temperature Requirements
The ideal temperature range for the Philodendrons is between 16 to 24 °C. Temperature below and above the range will result in health issues of the plant. Moreover, it is not winter hardy. Thus, make sure you transfer your plants to a warm space as soon as the winter arrives.
Humidity Requirements
The dwellers of tropical areas love to be in a humid environment. In dry weather, a light misting may freshen up the foliage. Make sure you are not over-misting the plant.
Soil Requirements
A rich, well-drained, and lightweight soil goes well with the Painted Lady Philodendron plant. A regular cactus mix has all the required constituents for this plant. Importantly, avoid sub-standard growing mixtures as they affect plant health in the long run.
Fertilizer Requirement
You have two common choices for fertilizer. Use a slow-release fertilize tri-annually or a liquid quick-release product once a month in the growing season. Avoid over-feeding. Moreover, don’t fertilize in fall and winter. As the plant is in the sting phase and doesn’t need much nutrition.
Repotting Requirement
These plants generally like to live root-bound. So, a suitable pot will go fine without requiring any re-potting effort for a good 2 to 3 years.
In case the plant looks prominently bigger and unsuitable for the pot, consider repotting. The best time for this is the growing season and warm days of spring.
Thinking about how to repot a philodendron? Just loosen the soil around the plant and take it out. Be very gentle as you don’t want to destroy the roots. Now, gently, shake and brush off the excess soil. Finally, plant it in the desired place or the selected bigger pot. Boom! Water mildly for the initial two weeks as you don’t want to wash off the soil. After that, you are free to carry with the regular routine.
Grooming Requirements
Keeping the foliage dust-free is good to keep it safe from pests.
Philodendron Painted Lady Propagation
Philodendrons are easy to propagate. You can simply develop new plants by using stem cuttings.
Spring is the ideal time for propagation.
Soil Propagation
- Get a stem cutting about 6 to 8 inches long from a healthy plant. Make sure you cut about half an inch below the nodes. Make sure there are around 2 to 3 aerial roots to enhance the growth.
- Now, plant them in a moist prepared pot with a suitable growing mixture.
- Place the setup in the indirect light of medium intensity. Water mildly to maintain the moisture in the initial days.
Water Propagation
- You can also plant the cuttings to root in water initially.
- Just take a container or jar and fill it with water. You can use mineral water let the tap water stay overnight and let the chlorine settle down.
- Make sure you change the water weekly to avoid mucking.
- Rooting will start in about 3 to 4 weeks.
- If you want to plant them in soil, let the roots get developed a little. Moreover, you can keep them dwelling in water and see them flourish here. Personally, I love these beautiful plants in transparent water jars.
Timeline
Let us have a look at an estimated timeline to help you get an idea about the growth.
Day 1 to Day 30: The cuttings planted in the soil will need mild watering in the initial 2 months. Heavy watering can wash away the feeble cuttings. Root development will start after the third week.
The water propagated ones don’t need any specific care except the weekly water changing.
Day 30 onwards: You will be happy to see the development of a tiny shoot around the 5th week. Keep the moderate spray watering, until the rooting systems a little stronger
After about 6 to 8 weeks, a reasonable rooting system will be developed. Now, you can simply follow the Painted Lady Philodendron Care mentioned in the previous section and enjoy the development of the plant.
Precautions
We recommend using gloves before handling soil and propagating the Philodendrons in particular. This helps to minimize health risks.
Problems of the Philodendron Painted Lady Plant
Pest Issues
Spider mites, scale, and mealybugs are possible threats to the plant. You can avoid these pests by keeping the plant clean, dust-free, and dry (non-soggy).
In case you find insect attacks, immediately separate the affected one from healthy plants. You can clean the plant with soapy water or spray with some suitable insecticide. The contaminated water and the pant should be away from the healthy plants; else it will affect the whole lot.
Neem oil and rubbing alcohol are natural alternatives to commercial pesticides. You can use them to wipe the leaves and kill the invaders away.
Leaves getting pale or wilting
The possible causes of these problems are over-watering, poor soil drainage, and soggy soil. You need to make sure you water after the soil gets dry. Moreover, the soil should be lightweight and airy to provide drainage and drying.
In case you observe these issues, consider your watering routine and fix it. You can cut out the water until the upper soil gets dry and water mildly in the future.
Leggy Foliage
If you see the stems getting longer and the plant body getting leggy, inadequate light is the culprit. The plant tends to grow tall as a natural mechanism to reach more light. Shift your plant to a spot with plenty of indirect light.
Brown Spots and Patches on the leaves
Over-exposure to fierce sunlight causes drying and burns the foliage. This appears in the form of brown spots. Shift your plant to indirect medium light as soon as you see spots.
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Summary
The Philodendron Painted Lady is an evergreen aroid cultivar with bright leaves and pink petioles. The baby leaves unfurl in bright lemon-green color with darker spots. These leaves grow to get mottled green with age. The plant is a nice indoor plant. Moreover, it does equally well outdoors in the suitable growth zone. You can make beautiful hanging baskets or pots with internal support.
Outdoors, the bushy grower makes a good choice to make borders along with different plant growths. This low-maintenance plant needs medium to bright indirect light and frequent watering. Last but not the least; don’t forget the toxicity. Don’t let kids and pets mingle with the plant.
