Pink Congo Philodendron is one of the most stunning and remarkable houseplants to cultivate. The spectacular houseplant possesses large oval-shaped leaves that are bright green and pink in color.
This auspicious plant can be a daunting choice for plant enthusiasts as it is expensive as compared to other philodendrons. However, it is worth choosing the plant because of its unmatchable beauty and low maintenance.
Classification of Pink Congo Philodendron
Family: Araceae
Sub-family: Aroideae
Genus: Philodendron
Common name: Pink Congo
Scientific name: Philodendron erubescens
Features of Pink Congo Philodendron
Leaves
The auspicious beauty of the Pink Congo Philodendron is because of its unique pinkish green-colored leaves. All of its leaves are soft-edged and oval-shaped and erect across the glossy stem. This plant with its unique-colored leaves is a perfect choice for those who want to add a colorful accent to their house or office.
Size
The mature Pink Congo Philodendron is 5 inches wide and 2 feet tall.
Dormancy
Like other philodendrons, this tropical plant also restricts its growth during the winter and fall season. In other words, it goes into dormancy during these seasons. It is recommended that you must not disturb your plant during this time.
Evergreen
The Pink Congo Philodendron being an evergreen plant loves all seasons. It keeps embellishing any corner of your house through its unique pinkish green leaves throughout the year.
Durability
Like other philodendrons, Pink Congo Philodendron is a durable plant and it can survive for a long period.
Maintenance
It is an easily manageable plant and you can enjoy its beautiful pinkish green leaves with only a little care and effort.
Air purification
Air purification is one of the most unique characteristics of all philodendrons. NASA has classified them as the best plants for eradicating air pollution and cleaning the air surrounding them.
Toxicity
The Pink Congo Philodendron does not possess friendly nature as they are toxic to both pets and children. Therefore, you must put the plant in a place that is away from your pets and children.
Care Guide For Pink Congo Philodendron
Light Requirements
Your Pink Congo Philodendron thrives beautifully within bright indirect light. This form of light is considered ideal for balanced and healthy growth and variegation of the plant.
The filtered light also works well. The only thing that you must avoid is that leaves should not receive direct sunlight for long hours as it will damage the leaves and turn them yellow.
Soil Requirements
The Philo Pink Congo is fond of fertile, well-aerated, and well-drained soils. The plant expresses its fullest beauty in the presence of adequate nutrients and moisture-holding capacity.
For preparing the best growing medium, it is recommended to mix the orchid substrate or perlite with peat-based soil and other ingredients that help in draining excessive water.
Having both aerated and subterranean roots, you can easily grow your Philodendron Congo Pink within a soilless mixture like peat-perlite or sphagnum moss.
Water Requirements
As a rule of thumb, you should water your plant only when the upper 1-2 inches of the soil gets dry. And whenever you water, pour the water in a way that it drains out of the bottom. Adopting this watering method will help you to guarantee that roots of the plants are nourished adequately and pink leaves grow properly. Therefore, water your plant only when it needs it and its upper soil dries.
The best way to assess the water requirements of your plant is to press the upper soil surface and if it is dried then water the plant. In other cases, if moisture feels upon pressing the soil, then don’t water and let it dry further.
Temperature Requirements
The Pink Conga Philodendron can easily survive room temperature. The most suitable temperature for relishing its complete beauty is 16°C – 29°C. In addition to this, a temperature greater than 18°C is fine for its growth.
The most important aspect to consider while caring for the Philodendron Pink Congo plant is that always avoid it from cold breezes and direct heat. Therefore, in summers avoid placing it near the air conditioner, and in winters don’t place it near a hot radiator.
Humidity Requirements
The tropical plant loves humid environments. The average humidity level within a house is not enough for their growth. You can provide them adequate humidity levels via misting, grouping house plants, and using either room or pebble tray humidifier.
Fertilizer Requirements
Philodendron Pink Congo plant requires regular feeding for its healthy growth and development. The best fertilizer for your Pink Congo Philodendron has diluted fertilizer having a balanced amount of micro and macro-nutrients.
For ensuring healthy growth, you must feed your plant every month during the growing season (spring and summer) and stop feeding during the winter or fall season.
Never feed your plant excessively as it will lead to the accumulation of fertilizer salts. And these salts may burn the roots of your plant. Therefore, to avoid this, you must flush the soil of your plant after every four to five months.
Pruning Requirements
Pruning is very beneficial for your tropical plant. The best time for pruning your plant is during the spring or summer season. Pruning the dead or yellow leaves promote dynamic growth and avoid leggy stems.
Moreover, pruning also helps to control the height of the plant especially in the case of small rooms. While pruning, you must make a neat cut above the node that will promote the growth of new leaves from the node.
Repotting Requirements
The Philodendron Pink Congo plant should be repotted once a year at a young age and after that after every two years. Repotting your plant brings a variety of benefits like providing enough space for growth, improving drainage, and avoiding rootbound. Being an expensive house plant, it should be repotted carefully and you should follow these steps:
- Water the plant thoroughly before repotting it
- Select a pot that is 1-2 inches larger than the previous pot
- Confiscate the plant from the container and softly remove all soil from the roots
- Examine the roots carefully in case of any disease or rot prune them if required
- Half filled the new pot with adequate potting mixture
- Then place the plant in the container
- You must guarantee that your plant is at the same height as was in the previous pot
- Fill the left space with soil
- Softly press near the stem for supporting the plant
- Water the plant thoroughly
Pink Congo Philodendron Propagation
Propagating this plant is not at all difficult. Propagating it through stem cuttings is one of the easiest ways to increase the number of beautiful trailing houseplants. You should propagate your plant in the following manner:
- Cut the stem from the lower side of the nodes.
- Ensure that three to four pink-green leaves are present on stems
- Now put the cutting in a water container
- The roots will start appearing after a few weeks
- Wait until the size of roots reach 1.5-2 inches
- After this place the plant in a container with an adequate potting mixture
Another way to propagate your plant is through the root division method. This method is applicable while repotting as during this time you can divide the plant in case you observe more stems across roots. You have to separate the roots carefully and ensure that every new plant has 2-3 stems. After this repot is as described above.
Common Pests And Diseases
It is a hard indoor plant and resistant to the majority of pests and diseases. The most common pests found on your plant are mealy bugs and their probability of attacking the plant increases with an increase in moisture. Likely, most diseases occur within the plant due to water issues.
Both overwatering and underwatering are harmful to the plant’s growth and development. Therefore, you must water your plant only when its upper soil gets dry and whenever you water, do it thoroughly.
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Final Word
Pink Congo Philodendron is one of the most auspicious philodendrons that is easy to grow and requires only a little care and time to thrive. Providing bright indirect sunlight and occasional water is enough for its optimum growth. However, you must avoid your pets and children from this plant.
