Tree Philodendron
Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum (formerly Philodendron selloum; incl. compact 'Xanadu')
Through the year 🗓️
☀️ Summer now
Water generously in the heat and hose or shower the big leaves clean of dust.
🍂 Fall
Stop feeding, trim tired outer leaves, and pull it back from cold glass.
❄️ Winter
Rest it: water when the top few inches dry, no fertilizer, and keep it above 55 °F.
🌱 Spring
Size up the pot before the growth surge and start monthly feeding.
The details
Light & placement
- Light
- Medium to bright indirect; tolerates a little gentle morning sun
- Ideal PPFD
- 150–350 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹
- Grow-light distance
- 16–24 in below LED
Water & feed
- Watering method
- Water deeply when the top 2 in are dry and let it drain. Big leaves drink plenty, but the thick trunk-like stem rots in standing wet.
- Fertilizer
- Balanced feed at ½ strength, monthly in spring–summer. It's a hungry grower.
Home & habit
- Soil
- Rich, chunky, well-draining mix; pH 5.6–7.5
- Humidity
- Average to high (50%+)
- Temperature
- 65–85 °F; keep above 55 °F
- Mature size
- 3–5 ft tall & wide indoors ('Xanadu' stays ~2–3 ft)
- Repotting
- Every 1–2 yrs; it outgrows pots fast
- Propagation
- Stem cuttings with a node; offsets at the base; seed (rare indoors).
When something looks wrong
- Overwatering signs
- Yellowing lower leaves, mushy stem base, soil that never dries
- Underwatering signs
- Drooping fronds, curling leaflets, brown crispy tips
- Common pests
- Spider mites, mealybugs, scale
Common problems 🩺
The usual suspects when Tree 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.
Yellowing lower leaves
Likely cause
Overwatering, or the natural shedding of old leaves as the trunk grows.
What to do
Let the top 2 inches dry. The odd old leaf yellowing at the base is normal.
Sprawling wider and wider
Likely cause
Its natural habit, exaggerated by low light.
What to do
Brighter indirect light keeps it tighter, but give it room — this plant gets big.
Brown crispy edges
Likely cause
Dry air or inconsistent watering.
What to do
Raise humidity and water on a steadier rhythm.
More like this 🌿
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