Plant Bio
Philodendron Micans 10" size pot with totem Native to the Caribbean and Mexico, these plants have velvety, heart-shaped leaves.
The leaves never grow more than three inches wide and the nodes are deeply packed to make it easy to propagate.
Occasionally, you will see the Philodendron Micans with other names such as Velvet Leaf Philodendron.
The botanical name for the plant is Philodendron hederaceum var. hederaceum. That is quite a mouthful! I call it the Philo Micans for short.
Philodendron Micans are easy plant to grow indoors, they are also one of the best houseplants for removing toxins in the air.
Philodendron Micans have curling leaves that unfurl as they grow into a myriad of colors depending on the amount of natural light they have. They can be deep green, to chartreuse in color.
Philodendron Micans are a trailing plant and look extremely elegant hanging from a basket. Another option is to give them a climbing pole to encourage them to grow upward.
SOIL
Philodendron Micans grow well in any high quality, fast-draining potting mix. I typically mix my own potting soil with peat moss.
I have also mixed it with peat-vermiculite or peat-perlite and have had excellent results.
LIGHT
These plants do well with bright light but not direct sunlight as it can burn the leaves.
If your window has direct sunlight, place the plant a bit further away from the window so that their light source is bright but indirect.
Philodendron will tolerate lower levels of light, but they will not thrive.
In my experience, the best Philodendron Micans care is bright light but making sure it doesn’t directly hit the leaves.
WATERING
The best philodendron Micans care is to water from the top. I allow the top inch of soil to dry out between watering.
I check this by inserting my finger in the soil and if it is dry to my first knuckle, then it is time to water.
Pour water from the top until it is running out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.
If the leaves get droopy, it usually means the plant has been overwatered. This will correct itself once the watering schedule is fixed.
I water more in the hot months and in the winter months, I let the soil get dryer in between watering. Overall, they are a pretty forgiving plant if the schedule gets thrown off
TEMPERATURE
Philodendron Micans do best in temperatures of 65-75 Fahrenheit during the day and around 60 Fahrenheit at night.
HUMIDITY
Since philodendron Micans are from the Caribbean and Mexico, they thrive in humid conditions.
Part of Philodendron Micans care is to mist their leaves during the dry months. January is the most humid month and March is the least humid in the Caribbean so that tends to be the schedule their growth follows.