Want to learn how to propagate your Philodendron Brasil plant. This is one of the easiest plants to do this with and this post will be giving you some pointers on how and when to propagate your plant so you can grow more of them or share them with friends!
The Philodendron Brasil is a beautiful trailing plant with heart-shaped leaves. It’s characterized by the yellow and green stripes on its leaves.
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Propagation Basics
Let’s chat propagation. There are several reasons you may want to propagate your Philodendron Brasil. One is to get new plants. Another is to encourage more growth on the top of an existing plant by removing dead and spindly leaves. Or to share your plants with friends and family!
Propagation is usually best done during the main growing season (summer months), although you can pretty much do this any time of year. This will, of course, depend on your climate or the place you have to put your plants. Living in a colder climate, my light source isn’t the greatest over the winter months. My plants tend to grow slower during these months.
There are a few different propagation methods when propagating a heartleaf philodendron variety. Here’s the first!
Water Propagation
The easiest way to propagate your plant is through water propagation! Here’s how to do it.
The first thing you are going to want to start out with is a strong and healthy plant. This will be the beginning of many more plants in your future! If your plant has any dead or yellowing leaves, you will need to ensure it isn’t full of disease or pests. A good once over of your plant will help you decide if it is ready for propagation.
Make a Cutting
You’ll then want to clip a healthy stem (or many stems!) from the mother plant.
When choosing which stems to remove from your plant, you need to remember this. You need to have at least one or two leaves above the node you remove from the original plant. The node is the small bump on the stem where the leaf attaches onto the vine. This is where roots and new vines will grow.
Place the Cuttings in Water
You will then place the cuttings in water ensuring that the leaf node is covered. You can use any type of container for your cuttings. Maybe an old glass jar or true propagation station. Whatever your receptacle of choice, it is nice if you can see through it. This will give you an idea of how long the roots are as they grow!
Place the container in a windowsill or on a counter. I have a continual supply of stem cuttings on my kitchen windowsill that I am constantly replenishing. You will also have to remember to keep the water level sufficient in your containers so the nodes on your philodendron brasil cutting are covered. They tend to drink up a lot of water while they are growing new roots!
Watch for Roots to Form
The time it takes for the roots to grow will vary, depending on the light conditions of where you place them. You can plant them most any time after you see about an inch or so of new root growth. But, you may choose to keep the cuttings in water longer and that is fine, too! It’s all up to you!
Put Your Clippings in a Pot
Once you have roots that are about an inch long, your cuttings should be ready to plant in soil. Remove them from the water and put directly into a good potting soil mix. Be sure to have a good number of cuttings to put in your new pot since your plant won’t do well if you put just one or two cuttings into a huge pot.
They’re susceptible to root rot so be sure to have a pot with a drainage hole to allow excess water to get out. Always be sure to use a well-draining soil as well.
Some people also like to keep their cuttings in water indefinitely. This will be your own choice. It may be a good idea if you want to keep some sort of greenery in your small bathroom, your bedroom or office and don’t have much space or want to be able to change it out or move it frequently.
Be sure to bury the node under the soil when planting the new cutting. Lightly water the soil after placing the cutting into the new pot. Then, simply watch your new plant grow! How easy was that?
Soil Propagation
You can also put your philodendron cuttings directly into soil, however, this isn’t always a guarantee they will grow. It may take longer and it may mean the roots don’t even take hold in the soil and form new roots.
To do this propagation method, you’ll start the same way as before.
Make a Cutting
After ensuring you have a healthy plant, clip a few stem cuttings from the mature plant. Again, be sure that you have a few leaves above the node.
Dip in Rooting Hormone Powder
If you choose this method of propagation, I would highly recommend using rooting hormone powder when planting the new cuttings.
You can purchase the rooting hormone powder online or at a garden center. Simply dip the root end of the cutting into the powder prior to placing it in the soil. This will encourage growth and help the roots to flourish under the soil.
When using the rooting powder, you may have to dip the end of the cutting in water to help the rooting powder cling to the root. I usually do this and it helps the powder stick better on the root as I am planting it in the pot.
Put in Pot
You’ll then bury the stem cuttings (cut side down) into the soil. Place the pot in a spot where it gets indirect sunlight and wait!
After a few weeks you can test your cuttings but giving them a little tug. If you’re met with resistance there’s a very good chance it has produced roots! If there’s no resistance it likely hasn’t produced any roots yet.
You can always gently remove the clippings from soil to check on their progress if you need to. Otherwise have plenty of patience and see what happens! Eventually your clippings will either perk up and begin to give you new growth or they will die off.
Propagation by Division
If you have a larger Philodendron Brasil, propagation can be done by dividing the parent plant into sections. You will need to remove the philodendron plant from the soil and divide the offshoots from one another.
You can then pot these offshoots into soil in a bigger pot with new soil. This is an easy way to propagate a healthy mature Philodendron Brasil.
Pot Size
How do you know what pot size to use for best results? Here’s a guideline.
If you are using a 4 inch pot, you will want to add about 6 – 8 cuttings. If you use only one or two, your plant will not fill in and you will have a scraggly plant. You want to have a full plant, so give it a good start!
Also, if you are using single node cuttings, you will be able to get a lot more new plants this way. There will be more vines on your plant overall if you add more cuttings in the beginning. This is also a great way to share your plants with friends and family!
Once your plant starts growing, you can trim it back. This will force new growth on the vines also. You can then begin to root these new cuttings and start all over again with more new plants!
Basic Philodendron Brasil Care
This indoor plant does best with bright indirect light. If you put them in low light conditions it could lose the variegation on it’s leaves which is the best part of these fun plants! We have enough plants with solid green leaves, you don’t necessarily want that with this one!
These tropical plants love warm temperatures with high humidity levels if possible. Keep them away from drafty windows or air conditioning vents and provide them with as much humidity as possible.
They love moist soil but not overly soaked soil. To ensure you don’t overwater them, stick your finger into the top inch of soil to see if it’s dry or wet. If it’s dry, give it some water. If it’s wet, wait a few more days!
To find out more about how to care for these stunning plants, head to our ultimate guide to Philodendron Brasil care here!
Also, these plants like all Philodendron plants contain calcium oxalate crystals that are toxic when chewed or swallowed. Be sure to keep these away from pets or children!
In Conclusion
However you decide to propagate your Philodendron Brasil, it won’t take much time or effort. Just imagine, endless plants!! Plants galore!! How awesome is that?? And they are free!! Who doesn’t like free?? As always, keep on growing!