Velvet Philodendron

About

Velvet philodendron is grown for its large, heart-shaped leaves, which are a deep velvety green marked with bright white or pale pink veins. New leaves often emerge with a pinkish edge before darkening, and the matte, velvety surface catches the light softly instead of shining.

It is not a climbing philodendron like the familiar heartleaf kinds. Its thick rhizome creeps along the surface of the soil, sending up one large leaf at a time, so the plant spreads sideways and needs a wide, shallow container instead of a tall pot and a moss pole.

It is often sold as a collector’s plant, and it is slow and a little particular about warmth and humidity, but it is not difficult once its needs are met. An established plant produces a steady succession of large veined leaves.

Appearance and character

The leaves are the main feature. They are large, heart-shaped, thick and velvety, deep green with bold white or pale pink veins, held on sturdy stalks. Each new leaf tends to be a little larger than the last on a well-grown plant.

The rhizome is a thick, fleshy stem that creeps along the soil surface instead of climbing, with roots below and leaves above. It grows forward, so the plant spreads across its pot over time.

The habit is low and spreading, thirty to fifty centimetres tall but widening as the rhizome creeps, so it needs a wide, shallow planter.

Flowers are the modest greenish spathe of the arum family and are rarely seen indoors. The plant is grown entirely for its foliage.

Where it is from

Philodendron gloriosum comes from Colombia, from the warm, humid, shaded floor of tropical forest, where it creeps over the leaf litter in filtered light. It is a plant of constant warmth, high humidity and gentle light.

Its creeping, forest-floor habit shapes how it is grown. It needs warmth, humidity, filtered light and a loose, airy, fast-draining mix, and it spreads sideways instead of up, so it needs room to travel and shallow, open compost instead of a deep, dense pot.

How it grows

It grows slowly, pushing its rhizome forward and unfurling one large leaf at a time in warmth and humidity. Given steady conditions it produces a leaf every few weeks in the growing season and rests in winter.

Pot it in a chunky, airy, very free-draining aroid mix, heavy on orchid bark and perlite, in a wide, shallow container that gives the creeping rhizome room to move. Keep the growing tip of the rhizome at or just above the surface instead of buried.

Keep it warm, humid and in bright indirect light, and water when the top few centimetres have dried. As the rhizome creeps to the edge of its pot, guide it back across or pot the plant on into a wider, shallow planter.

Propagate by cutting the rhizome into sections, each with at least one leaf and some roots, letting the cut dry briefly before potting. This is also how to keep a plant that has crept out of its container.

Through the seasons

Spring brings renewed growth as light increases, the best time to repot into a wider planter or to divide the rhizome.

Summer is the main growing season, with new leaves unfurling in warmth and humidity. Keep it evenly but not heavily watered, humid and fed.

Autumn growth slows as light falls. Ease off feeding and let the mix dry a little more between waterings.

Winter the plant rests in lower light. Keep it warm and humid and water sparingly, since cold, wet compost rots the rhizome.

Care difficulty

Easy for a collector’s aroid, given the right setup. It needs warmth, humidity, an airy mix and a wide, shallow pot. When those are in place, it grows steadily. The pitfalls are cold, wet compost, which rots the rhizome, dry air, which brings spider mites and poor leaves, and burying the rhizome, which rots it. Get the pot and the warmth right and it is straightforward.

Watering

Water when the top few centimetres of the airy mix have dried, giving enough to moisten the roots and letting the excess drain away. Ease off in winter when growth slows and low light makes wet compost risky.

The chunky mix should drain fast, so the rhizome and roots are moist but never sitting wet. Empty any saucer after watering, and keep water off the crawling rhizome where it can pool and rot.

Warning signs, diseases and pests

Spider mites are the commonest pest, thriving in warm, dry air and stippling the leaves pale with fine webbing. Raise the humidity, wipe the leaves, and treat early before they spread.

Rot at the rhizome follows cold, wet compost or burying the growing tip, showing as soft, blackening tissue and yellowing leaves. Keep the rhizome at the surface, use an airy mix, water carefully, and cut back to firm tissue if rot sets in.

Small or pale new leaves usually mean too little light or a cramped, exhausted pot. Give it brighter indirect light and repot into a wider, shallow planter with fresh airy mix.

Growing environment

Bright, indirect light suits it, matching the filtered light of the forest floor. Direct sun scorches the velvety leaves, and deep shade slows the plant and shrinks the leaves.

Warmth and humidity are essential. Keep it above about 15 deg C, ideally in the low to high twenties, and raise the humidity above about 60 per cent with a humidifier or pebble tray, since dry air spoils the leaves and encourages mites.

Give it a chunky, airy, free-draining aroid mix in a wide, shallow planter, and keep the creeping rhizome at the surface. A warm, humid, bright spot out of cold draughts is ideal.

Feeding

Feed monthly through spring and summer with a balanced liquid houseplant fertiliser at half strength, to support the steady production of large leaves. Ease off in autumn and stop in winter while growth slows.

Feed at half strength to avoid scorching the roots, and flush the pot occasionally to clear fertiliser salts. Fresh mix supplies enough for the first weeks after repotting.

Troubleshooting

Why does it grow sideways instead of up? Because it is a creeping philodendron, not a climbing one. Its thick rhizome travels along the soil surface, so it needs a wide, shallow pot instead of a tall one with a moss pole, unlike the climbing heartleaf kinds.

The rhizome has crept to the edge of the pot. Normal. Guide it back across the surface, or pot the plant on into a wider, shallow planter, or divide the rhizome into sections each with a leaf and roots.

The new leaves are small and pale. Usually too little light or a cramped, tired pot. Give it brighter indirect light and repot into a wider planter with fresh airy mix, and keep it warm and humid.

The rhizome is going soft and black. Rot, from cold, wet compost or from burying the growing tip. Keep the rhizome at the surface, use an airy fast-draining mix, water carefully, and cut back to firm tissue if rot has started.

Is it safe around pets and children? No. Like other aroids such as monstera and the heartleaf philodendron, it contains calcium oxalate crystals that burn the mouth if chewed, so keep it out of reach and wash off any sap.