How To Grow Philodendron Gigas – A Complete Guide
Philodendron Gigas is one of the most sought-after plants in the world. They’re a bit hard to come by because of their popularity, but those that can manage to find one or just their seed can add a beautiful touch of greenery to their home.
This post will cover everything one needs to know about growing a Philodendron Gigas in their home. This isn’t a plant that’s too difficult to care for, but the right care techniques will get it to the point where it really thrives!
What are Philodendron Gigas?
The Philodendron Gigas is from the Araceae family. That means that it’s going to have huge, thick, and velvety leaves that are super bright and vibrant, with light green veins running through the actual leaves themselves.
One of the most unique things about this plant is the fact that its leaves don’t start out the beautiful green the plant is actually known for. It starts off more of a copper color and even turns back at one point. The final form of the leaves, however, is the bigger, greener leaves that are in a long heart shape.
This is a plant that does well outdoors and indoors too. If the goal is to have the plant’s flowers bloom too, it’s important to keep them outdoors because the plant can’t really get the environment and the nutrients it really needs to help the flowers bloom. However, some Philodendron Gigas have also bloomed indoors too, but the process takes several years.
How to Plant Philodendron Gigas?
There are a few different ways to grow the Philodendron Gigas plant. The two main ones are the seed method and the propagation method.
Growing Philodendron Gigas from seed:
Growing the Philodendron Gigas from seed is a much slower method but is also usually more accessible for people that can’t get the plant as a pre-grown specimen and have to do all of the work from scratch.
For this method, the seeds have to be planted around ⅓ of an inch under the soil. They don’t need any pre-planting prep or soaking time. They are ready to go straight out of the packet.
The only care required until the seeds sprout is to make sure the soil is usually moist to the touch and at around 68 and 73 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s fairly cool outdoors, so it might be best to plant it in the fall or just keep it indoors where the temperature can easily be controlled. A thermometer might be best to keep check on the temperature here.
It will take a couple of weeks for the seedling to sprout. After it does, continue to water it and once it’s grown enough that it can be handled without it breaking, move each of the sprouted plants to their own little pot so the roots can grow and spread without having to compete with the plant next to them.
Growing Philodendron Gigas through Propagation:
Since Philodendron Gigas seeds aren’t very easy to come by, most people grow them by borrowing a healthy Philodendron Gigas stem from a plant that’s already in its later stages of growth. The stem can be taken from a healthy houseplant or one from the wild.
The only important aspect here is that there is at least 3 inches of stem still there. Take that stem and put it in a container with water in it. It’ll take a couple of days or weeks for new roots to sprout. Once they do, the plant can be moved over to a pot and will continue to grow there.
Growing Philodendron Gigas – Plant Requirements
The “Giga” in Philodendron Gigas isn’t just a name. It’s because this plant grows to be pretty massive compared to its original, tiny seedling size.
On average, a Philodendron Gigas plant will grow to be around 4 feet tall. If they grow exclusively indoors and are taken care of the right way, they can even grow longer than that and climb their way up to the ceiling!
Here is exactly the care each Philodendron Gigas plant needs to grow as healthy as possible.
Soil
Plants are as good as the soil they’re in. That’s why it’s important to plant them in soil that’s actually going to be good for them. Use soil that’s got good drainage and is high in nutrients for the Philodendron Gigas. If this type of soil isn’t available in the area the plant is being grown in. It’s best to buy nutrient-rich soil to add to the pot before planting the seed or the roots to the plant as a better chance of growing as well as possible.
It’s also important that the soil both drains well and is able to stay moist after watering. So soil that’s too dry won’t work. However, it’s also important that it’s not so moist that it water logs because that will just ruin the roots, and the plant won’t be able to grow at all.
The healthier the roots, the better the growth will be!
Water
The Philodendron Gigas thrives only when it’s getting enough water and nutrients. It’s best to water the plant every 4-7 days, depending on how dry the environment it’s in is. An easy way to know if the plant is due for water is by checking the top one inch of the soil. If it’s dry when you touch it, it’s time to water it.
Some people have trouble figuring out when to water their Philodendron Gigas. For them, it’s a great idea to use a moisture meter because it’ll allow them to know exactly how much moisture the plant needs at which point of the week.
The plant will need less water in the wintertime than it will in the peak of the summer as the levels of humidity change, and the soil dries out a lot slower in comparison.
Light
The Philodendron Gigas does enjoy sunlight, but it can’t be direct. With indirect sunlight, the leaves can very easily end up burning, which can eventually kill the entire plant.
For the plant to really thrive, it’s best to expose it to bright but indirect sunlight. It will need a moderate amount of light exposure every day to ensure that it grows. If it’s getting too much sun, it’ll just burn. On the other hand, if it’s getting too little sun, it just won’t grow properly.
If the room that the plant is in can’t get indirect sunlight, a light cover might help! Otherwise, just place the plant at the furthest end of the room, as far away from the windows as possible. That way, it will get plenty of indirect sunlight because of all the light bouncing around the room throughout the day but won’t burn because no light actually touches it directly.
Temperature and Humidity
Philodendron Gigas are moderate, tropical temperature plants. That’s why it’s important that the plant isn’t exposed to extreme temperatures of any kind.
The temperature that the plant will do best in is the 65 and 80 F range. Any hotter than that, and the plant will stop growing, and any lower, and it’ll actually start to wither and have permanent damage to deal with. This type of damage would mean that the affected leaves would just have to be cut because there’s no way around the damage that’s already done.
That also means that the people that want to plant this need to live in moderate temperatures or keep the plant indoors to protect it from the elements.
Fertilizer
The Philodendron Gigas has different fertilizer needs according to the area it’s being grown in and the time of year. In the spring and summer times, the plant is going to need a good amount of fertilizer. A once a month update on that front might be best.
In the wintertime, it’ll need fertilizer a lot less often. Some plants won’t even need any throughout the winter months altogether. Generally, the warmer it is and the more light it’s exposed to, the more fertilizer it’ll need to keep growing properly.
Pruning
One of the best things about this plant is that it’s a grower. The vines from this plant will naturally grow and spread. However, those that are trying to keep this plant under a certain length would need to make sure they’re keeping the length under control by pruning the very tops of the plant itself. The great thing is that the pruned sections don’t need to go to waste. They can be used to propagate a whole new plant in a different pot as well.
If any of the leaves of the plant are beginning to scorch, rot, or yellow, it’s best to cut those off, too, so the dead parts of the planet do not end up consuming too much energy, and the leaves that are actually healthy have the best chance at growing.
Cleaning
Because the Philodendron Gigas have leaves that are very velvety, they end up being the perfect breeding grounds for dust particles. If left on its own, the plant will just continue to gather dust and debris. Not only is that particularly unsightly, but it’s also going to get in the way of photosynthesis because it’ll just end up clogging the plant up.
To avoid that from happening, give the plant a good wipe with a damp, soft cloth. Be extremely gentle so as to not damage the plant as a whole and keep it in the state that it continues to grow properly.
Things to Keep In Mind While Growing Philodendron Gigas
Now that the basic care requirements are out of the way, here are some of the things to keep in mind while growing a Philodendron Gigas plant.
Overwatering
One of the things that this plant just can’t deal with is overwatering. If the soil doesn’t have appropriate drainage or the plant is just being watered far too often, the pot will become waterlogged, and the super damn soil will take the roots with it. That’s why it’s essential to only water the plant as much as it needs. Any more than that would be too much. Prevent water stress and only water the plant enough to keep things moist.
Plant Lice
Even though the Philodendron Gigas only needs to be watered once every couple of days, it’s still important to check up on the plant as frequently as possible to make sure there are no inconsistencies out there. One of the inconsistencies you might notice is bugs! Bug-like plant lice can choose a plant like this and just take over in hundreds before someone would notice. That’s why it’s best to keep a check on the plant and wipe it regularly so no bugs make their way onto the leaves and call it home!
Wipe the plant with a water and soap mixture to keep things super clean while the leaves grow. That way, no bugs will be able to set up their colonies in the plant, and it’ll stay as healthy as possible as it grows.
Lack of Support
The Philodendron Gigas is a vining plant, so it needs to be able to grow up. If the plant seems to be dropping a little bit, add some support ropes or a post in the middle that the plant can just wrap itself around as it grows. That way, it’ll grow healthy and won’t droop all over the place.
All Set to Grow Philodendron Gigas!
The Philodendron Gigas is a plant that really relies on its owner to know how to take care of it. Even though it’ll be able to survive with a newbie owner that doesn’t really know what they’re doing, making sure the plant really gets to thrive, it’s important to know how to really put in the effort and care for it.
With all of the care instructions packed in one place in this guide, any new plant power, or one that’s been in the game for years, would be able to grow happy, healthy Philodendron Gigas for their home!
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