Heartleaf Philodendron
Philodendron hederaceum
Through the year 🗓️
☀️ Summer now
Vines run fast; water whenever the top inch dries.
🍂 Fall
Give the last monthly feed of the year.
❄️ Winter
Growth and thirst both drop; it tolerates the dim corners gracefully.
🌱 Spring
Cutting and repotting season; pinch tips for a bushier plant.
The details
Light & placement
- Light
- Medium–bright indirect; tolerates low light gracefully
- Ideal PPFD
- 100–300 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹
- Grow-light distance
- 18–24 in below LED
Water & feed
- Watering method
- Water when the top 1–2 in are dry. Forgiving both directions, but prefers slightly dry over soggy.
- Fertilizer
- Balanced feed at ½ strength, monthly in spring–summer.
Home & habit
- Soil
- Airy houseplant/aroid mix; pH 5.0–6.0
- Humidity
- Average+; loves 50%+
- Temperature
- 65–80 °F
- Mature size
- Trailing vines 4–8 ft indoors
- Repotting
- Every 1–2 yrs
- Propagation
- Node cuttings in water; roots in days, not weeks.
When something looks wrong
- Overwatering signs
- Yellow leaves dropping; soft dark stems
- Underwatering signs
- Droop + thin curled leaves; slowed growth
- Common pests
- Aphids, mealybugs, spider mites
Common problems 🩺
The usual suspects when Heartleaf Philodendron looks unhappy. Most houseplant trouble is watering or light, not disease — see all plant problems if you are not sure which plant is the culprit.
Yellow leaves along the vine
Likely cause
Overwatering, or an old leaf retiring if it is just one at the base.
What to do
Let the top inch dry between waterings. One yellow leaf now and then is normal.
Bare stems with leaves only at the ends
Likely cause
Too little light — it keeps growing but stops filling in.
What to do
Move it brighter and prune the long runners; cuttings root in water and can be tucked back in.
Brown crispy tips
Likely cause
Dry air or inconsistent watering.
What to do
Water on a steadier rhythm and keep it away from heat vents.
More like this 🌿
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