Philodendron Micans Care & Propagation Guide

Written by Lisa

Oct 20 2021

Philodendron Micans Care & Propagation Guide

Philodendron Micans (scientific name: Philodendron hederaceum 'Micans') has velvety foliage and heart-shaped leaves. The color of the front of Philodendron Micans leaves varies from dark green to purple when exposed to sunlight. The underside of the leaves is deep purplish red, while the edges of the new leaves are pink.
Philodendron Micans is one of the beginners' favorite plants because it grows fast, is easy to care and propagate, making it ideal for an indoor houseplant. Most importantly, it is inexpensive. Philodendron Micans can be gracefully dangled from a hanging basket, or provided with latticework to climb into many interesting shapes. (Find more best indoor hanging plants here.)
Philodendron Micans is often mistaken for the pothos plant. Although they both belong to the araceae family and look somewhat alike, we can tell them apart nicely when put them together. The leaves of pothos are thicker, less heart-shaped and more elongated, and the stems and petioles are thicker.
Philodendron Micans is a climbing plant. Each node of a long stem produces dark green, heart-shaped leaves and tiny aerial roots that allow it to climb the trunk with ease. Philo means love in ancient Greece, and dendron means tree. Thus, the name Philodendron Micans means lover in a tree.

Philodendron Micans Care

Philodendron Micans Light Requirements

Philodendron Micans light requirements are not strong, which can grow indoors. We recommend growing philodendron Micans in bright scattered light for beginners. Window sides facing east or south are ideal for the plant enjoying the soft sunshine in the morning, followed by bright scattered light the rest of the time. If you grow Philodendron Micans indoors in low light, you can compensate for light by adding supplementary lights. In winter, it requires more sunlight.

Too much light or strong light will damages Philodendron Micans leaves, making the leaves turn yellow or even the whole plant die.
Too little light will cause Philodendron Micans to grow slowly, resulting in excessive growth and smaller new leaves.

Philodendron Micans Soil

Suitable soil is a basic factor when caring for Philodendron Micans. It is best to provide a sandy loam soil rich in humus and well drained. Repot the plant every 1-2 years to provide new soil for better growth.

Philodendron Micans Temperature

It is best to grow and care for philodendron Micans under 20~28 degrees Celsius environment. Philodendron Micans likes a warm environment and is not clod tolerant.

The minimum temperature must be no less than 10 degrees Celsius. Prolonged exposure to low temperatures can be fatal to such tropical houseplants.
In winter, Philodendron Micans must be taken indoors, keeping away from air conditioning or heating vents to avoid excessive temperature fluctuations

Philodendron Micans Watering

Do not overwater Philodendron Micans, which can cause root rot easily. Usually in the hot season, increase the frequency of watering Philodendron Micans according to the interval of drying pot soil. Reduce the frequency of watering on cold days when soil dries slowly.
Insert your finger into the basin about 5cm, which should be the length of the two joints of the finger. If it is already dry, water philodendron micans soil thoroughly. Be careful only to water the soil and do not wet the leaves.
If there is an obvious gap between the pot and the soil or the pot soil shrinks to the center, it is also a sign that the Philodendron Micans soil is dry and lacking water.
Before watering Philodendron Micans you should note:

Before watering, be sure to use your fingers or tools to check the humidity of the basin soil.
Pay attention to the water temperature in winter, too clod water is easy to frostbite the Philodendron Micans root system. Place the water indoors for a day.
Make sure you use a flowerpot that breathes well. Some flowerpots and containers don't have a drain hole under them.
High humidity is not more watering, but to improve the humidity of the air for Philodendron Micans.

Philodendron Micans watering requirements depend greatly on ambient temperature and humidity, and can vary greatly with the season and weather! It may need watering in a few days in the summer and every few weeks in the winter! Generally, Philodendron Micans water needs increase during the warm summer months and decrease during the winter months, but the proper watering frequency requires careful observation of the Philodendron micans plant condition and regular examination of the pot soil.

Philodendron Micans Soil Humidity

Most household humidity conditions can accommodate Philodendron Micans, but increasing humidity can lead to larger leaves and better plant conditions. Philodendron Micans is a tropical plant, after all, and prefers warm and humid conditions. Why it grows better in the moss pole. Because the moss pole provides a three-dimensional humidification zone.
Methods to increase humidity for Philodendron Micans:

Use a humidifier. Do not spray against the Philodendron Micans leaves, but gently spray around or on the plant
Pile plants that like high humidity together to form a slightly wet area to maintain humidity
DIY humidifier. Prepare a shallow water plate, put stones or other media, pour into the submerged medium half of the water, put the flower pot on it, do not directly into the water, with the natural evaporation of water can be humidified

It is not recommended to spray the Philodendron Micans leaves to increase the humidity. Spraying leaves will only work in the short term, you have to do it over and over again, while leaving leaves wet for a long time can lead to pests and diseases.

Philodendron Micans Fertilizer

Philodendron Micans grows rapidly. In the spring and summer growth season, you can apply instant fertilizer once a month. Stop fertilizer in winter when the plant growth is slow in low temperature, fertilization may burn the root system.
Before fertilizer:

Philodendron Micans sometimes grow all year round in suitable environment. In this situation, fertilizer can be supplemented when the leaf growth is obvious.
If the new soil is used and the base fertilizer has been added, there is no need to add additional fertilizer for Philodendron Micans.
If the temperature and humidity are appropriate but the growth is slow and the leaf is not big, it is lack of fertilizer.

Philodendron Micans Propagation

Philodendron Micans Cutting Propagation

Philodendron Micans can be propagated by cutting. The cutting survival rate is higher in spring. Before propagation, prepare good air permeability matrix, in order to facilitate cuttings rooting. Choose to strong Philodendron Micans plants, cut stems from above with air roots. Leave the cut on the side to dry, then insert directly into the matrix and palce in the half shade. Regular watering Philodendron micans cuttings to maintain good humidity. Temperature control at about 25℃, almost 20-25 days it can take root. When the root is stable, you can transplant the new Philodendron Micansplant in the soil, and pay attention to the care maintainance later.

Philodendron Micans Division Propagation

Philodendron Micans division propagation can also be carried out when repotting the plant in spring. Choose a stong plant that grows for many years, then stop watering to keep the soil dry before taking out the plant from the original pot. Divide the small plants from the old Philodendron Micans plant carefully. Prepare suitable pot soil, transplant the small plants. With proper care, you can propagate new healthy Philodendron Micans plants. In order to promote multiple side plants, pick the top of the plant in advance.

Philodendron Micans FAQs

Philodendron Micans vs Camposportoanum

Philodendron Micans are often confused with Philodendron Camposportoanum for the velvet leaves. Acctually, it is easy to distinguish the two plants. The sheen of Philodendron Micans is subtle purple while the Philodendron Camposportoanum sheen is orange-pink.
The philodendron micans also grows in the Caribbean and Mexico, and the philodendron camposportoanum grows in Brazil.

Philodendron Micans Leaves Curling

When the air humidity is too low, it will be easy to cause Philodendron Micans leaves curling; Too much light and fertilizer can sometimes lead to leaves curling.

Philodendron Micans Climbing & Moss Pole

Philodendron Micans is a climbing plant, meaning that it vines as opposed to growing in a creeping manner across the forest floor. One of the interesting things we found in caring for Philodendron Micans is that if you let it grow, the leaves will grow smaller and smaller. But if a moss pole is provided for climbing, its blade will become larger. In the natural environment, the mature Philodendron Micans leaves are very large, some growing up to 50cm long and 35cm wide when they climb to the top of trees. At this time they will produce greenish flowers. In fact, household Philodendron Micans will rarely bloom because there are no climbing moss poles. If you want a challenge you can provide the plant with at least 30cm above climbing moss poles.

Philodendron Micans Spots

The Philodendron Micans spots are most likely caused by leaf spot disease, which is easy to infect in an environment without light and with high air humidity. It should be isolated in time and cut off the spotted leaves with a clean scissor. It is best to change clean soil on the basin again and give proper light.

Philodendron Micans Yellow Leaves

Philodendron Micans yellow leaves can occur for several reasons.

If the light is too strong and the leaves are sunburned, it will cause yellow leaves. They can be moved to the scattering light environment or provided with shading cloth.
Watering too much or water shortage can lead to Philodendron Micans yellow leaves.
Insufficient or too much fertilizer also makes the leaves turn yellow. Wash the excess fertilizer or apply fertilizer.

Is Philodendron Micans Toxic

Philodendron Micans is a poisonous plant, its juice contains toxicity. Prevent children and pets from ingesting it.

Do Philodendron Micans Require Pruning

Yes. We can prune unhealthy leaves from Philodendron Micans branches to make more new branches growing; The Philodendron Micans will grow thicker after pruning!