Philodendron Eva Care & Propagation Step by Step

Last Updated on April 15, 2022 by Admin

The Philodendron Eva is a beautiful plant with pointed, light green/bright green leaves. It somewhat resembles the Philodendron Lime thanks to this feature.

This bright color makes it easily stand out among any philodendron or houseplant collection. Thus, it is a good plant to enjoy in homes.

How do you care for the Philodendron Eva? Keep the plant in bright, indirect light. It needs plenty of light to maintain its lovely leaves. But avoid very strong, direct sunlight as this will burn its leaves.

High humidity and steady warm temperature are likewise ideal. Only water once the top few inches of soil have dried, never before that. It is prone to overwatering.

Table of Contents

Philodendron Eva Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Philodendron Eva thrives in medium to bright, indirect light. This makes it easy to grow indoors.

That said, I’ve noticed that giving it plenty of light makes a big difference in the vibrancy of its leaves, not to mention it also produces more leaves in this condition.

For this reason, I suggest keeping the plant near an east facing window. Although, a west facing window will work too as long as you keep it away from the sun’s intense rays during the afternoon.

The plant can tolerate low light.

But I would limit this as much as you can. This does affect its leaf color a bit.

And the less light you give it, the less lime green/light green they will be and instead turn more green.

Fortunately, the plant also responds well to artificial light.

Therefore, if you don’t get a lot of natural light in your home, you can use fluorescent lights or LED grow lights to supplement or replace it.

Of the two, I prefer LED grow lights since they produce less heat and have a better color quality. But they also cost more. So, do consider both options and decide for yourself.

On the other hand, keep the plant away from intense direct sunlight.

It cannot tolerate more than 2 or 3 hours of this on a daily basis. As such, be careful of a south facing window which gets a bit too much light for the plant.

If you want to keep it in that direction, distance it from the window so the sun’s rays never touch the plant. Usually 3 feet away is enough.

Or if you want to keep the plant near the window, filter the sunlight by using sheer curtains or a shade cloth.

Temperature

The Philodendron Eva is native to the tropical regions of South America. This is why it enjoys consistently warm weather.

Thanks to this, it easily acclimates to home conditions since we enjoy this kind of moderate to slightly warm weather as well.

The plant’s ideal temperature is 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. And it will happily live in hotter climates as well easily tolerating 95 degrees without stress or harm.

Note that in addition to the warm environment, the plant likes consistently.

That’s because the weather in the tropics stays sunny and warm all year round. And while there’s some change between summer and the later part of the year, the difference isn’t significant.

To give you an idea, its scorching hot in the summer. And still hot in the winter although not as bad as summertime.

In fact, if you go to South America and even Southeast Asia between November to March, which are both in and around the equator, you’ll see people wearing t-shirts, shorts and flip flops walking around.

That’s why many who live in the northeast usually fly down to Central America and the Caribbean during winter to escape the cold.

As such, be wary of sudden temperature changes indoors.

Additionally, keep the plant away from air conditioners, heaters, stoves, ovens and fireplaces.

With temperature, the most important thing for the Philodendron Eva is to avoid the cold.

It has poor tolerance to cold weather and will have issues if temperature drops under 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thus, don’t leave it outside through the winter as it won’t survive.

Humidity

The Philodendron Eva is a fan of high humidity. Ideally, keep the plant where humidity is between 60% and 70%.

However, it can likewise tolerate 40% humidity and slightly lower than that as well. This makes it somewhat easier to grow indoors.

Nevertheless, it can be challenging if you live somewhere with dry air.

The Philodendron Eva is used to humid conditions because it grows in the tropics. Additionally, its natural habitat is the rainforest.

As such, the regular rains, often a few times a day, keeps the environment damp.

If you’re not sure what the humidity is in your home, I suggest getting a hygrometer. This is an inexpensive device that will let you immediately know the humidity in any room in your home.

Note that indoor humidity is always lower than outdoor humidity.

So, please don’t rely on the weatherman’s report to estimate relative humidity in your home.

One of the most common symptoms of lack of humidity is brown, crispy leaf tips and edges. And your Philodendron Eva will develop these if the air gets too dry.

Therefore, if you see this happening, it means it is time to help the plant out.

You can increase humidity by using a humidifier. Or, you can likewise mist the plant regularly. I prefer to use a humidity tray which works the same way as a pebble tray.

Best thing about them is you can make them yourself with just a few things.

How Often to Water Philodendron Eva

The Philodendron Eva likes moist soil but hates wet or dry conditions.

As such, staying in the middle is the key. However, this is also what makes watering the plant tricky.

That said, you want to watch out more for overwatering than underwatering. That’s because overwatering can eventually kill the plant.

In contrast, the Philodendron Eva is able to quickly bounce back from underwatering.

The reason is root rot.

Excess water or watering too frequently will eventually drown the roots in too much moisture. This will prevent them from getting enough air which they need to stay healthy.

As a result, they will suffocate and die.

This is how root rot occurs.

The problem is rotten roots don’t function anymore. Nor will they come back to life.

This means the plant won’t be able to absorb water or nutrients from the soil even if you’re watering it or fertilizing it regularly.

Thus, over time, the plant will weaken and die.

For this reason, it is important to allow the soil to slightly dry between waterings.

Here, you have a choice depending on your personality.

If you’re an aggressive waterer, please wait until the top 2 inches of soil has dried before you add more water. This is the bare minimum.

Otherwise, you increase the risk of overwatering the plant.

If you’re busy or sometimes forget to water, you can wait until the soil has dried about halfway down. Note that you don’t need to be precise. A rough estimate will work.

So, don’t stress out even if you’re late a few days. It won’t harm the plant.

That said, try to avoid letting the entire root ball go bone dry. That’s when the roots get dehydrated and the plant won’t like it.

Philodendron Eva Potting Soil

The Philodendron Eva prefers moist, well-draining potting soil that is light and airy. The key thing here is good drainage and aeration.

Again, this has to do with the roots which need both air and water to stay healthy.

For this reason, you want to avoid very heavy soils as well as overly sandy soils.

Heavy, dense, compacted or moisture-retentive soils will hold more water than the roots of your Philodendron Eva likes.

This increases the risk of overwatering or waterlogging. Both can lead to root rot.

On the other hand, very sandy soils cause too much drainage.

What happens here is that the water you pour will drain very quickly soon after that the roots don’t get enough to drink. So, after a while, the plant will become underwatered, then dehydrated.

Either way, both are bad.

This is why well-draining soil is ideal.

It holds just enough moisture to keep the roots hydrated. But will quickly drain excess water to avoid overwatering.

If you prefer buying soil commercially, look for an Aroid mix. This is perfect for the Philodendron Eva.

If you’re like me, you can make your own DIY potting mix at home for the plant. Just mix:

1 part potting soil
1 part orchid bark

If you don’t have orchid bark at home, you can use coco chips or coco fiber. I’ve also tried peat moss in place of the orchid bark and that works well too.

So, you have a few options here.

The similarity here is that they all increase drainage which prevents overwatering and waterlogging.

Fertilizer

Feed your Philodendron Eva fertilizer to help it grow. This will allow it to grow faster, produce more leaves and larger ones at that.

You can use many different kinds of fertilizers since the plant isn’t overly picky about what kind it gets. As long is it receives the nutrients it needs, it will be healthy and happy.

The most common one used by growers is a balanced, liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength. Apply once a month during the spring and summer.

You don’t need to feed it during fall and winter.

Alternatively, you can also use a slow-release fertilizer. These come in pellets. So, you need to distribute them evenly.

But they reduce the frequency of application to about 2 to 3 times a year.

Another option is fish emulsion or fish fertilizer.

This is a good organic option that’s also affordable. Just be aware of the strong fishy smell when you use it. Although this goes away once the fertilizer dries up.

Pruning

The Philodendron Eva will grow to about 2 to 3 feet tall and around 2 to 3 feet high. Although, how tall and how wide will usually depend on how you trim the plant.

Some growers like to prune the sides, so they end up with a taller plant that’s not as stocky.

On the other hand, some growers will keep the plant short and bushy.

Therefore, it is really up to you.

Since the leaves make up most of the plant, how you trim it will affect its appearance.

That said, the Philodendron Eva is a fast grower. So, you should see a good amount of leaves over time. This will let you manicure the plant whichever way you want.

In general, you’ll only need to prune it once every few months because it looks much better full than sparse.

Finally, when pruning, avoid trimming away more than 1/3 of the plant’s leaves in one sitting. Instead, spread out the work over weeks and months.

How to Propagate Philodendron Eva

The Philodendron Eva propagates well from stem cuttings. And you can grow it in water, soil or sphagnum moss.

All of them are effective media. But they will work at different paces.

From my experiments, how much the cuttings root from each of these mediums will also vary.

But that’s a minor thing that you don’t need to worry about.

Just choose whichever method you’re most comfortable with and get the best success rate with.

Here’s how to propagate Philodendron Eva from stem cuttings.

Begin by taking healthy stem cuttings. Make sure the stems you choose have at least one node each and a 2-3 leaves.
Use a sterile pair of scissors or shears, then cut each stem just under a node.
Once you’ve taken the cutting or cuttings, it is time to decide where you want to propagate it.

You can propagate the Philodendron Eva in water, soil or sphagnum moss.

Propagating the Philodendron Eva in Water

Place the stem cuttings into a glass container filled with water. Submerge the nodes in the water. But make sure to remove the lower leaves. Leave the upper leaves intact.
Place the container in bright indirect light.
You’ll also need to change the water every 2 weeks or so to avoid it from getting cloudy.
In about 3-4 weeks the cuttings should develop roots.
Once the roots reach about 1-2 inches or longer, you can transfer the cuttings from water to soil.

Propagating the Philodendron Eva in Soil

Propagating the Philodendron Eva in soil is similar to that of water. But you skip putting it in water. Instead, you plant the cuttings directly into soil.

Prepare a pot and fill it with well-draining potting mix.
Apply rooting hormone to the cut end of the stems.
Plant the cuttings in soil with the nodes buried under. Remove any of the lower leaves that end up in the soil.
Water the soil and keep it moist.
Also, place the pot in bright, indirect light.

In about 4 weeks, some roots will have developed. And they will begin establishing themselves in the soil.

Propagating the Philodendron Eva in Sphagnum Moss

Propagating Philodendron Eva in sphagnum moss is similar to soil. But it is actually much simpler.

Again, you don’t need to root the cuttings in water. But this time, you use sphagnum moss instead of soil.

Take a handful of sphagnum moss. You want enough to give the cuttings an entire bed to rest on.
You can use any kind of container. I like to use glass baking ware although plastic Tupperware works well too. Try to choose one that’s wide and flatter but about 3-4 inches high. Something that’s use to bake lasagna or casseroles in works well. Avoid tall, thin containers.
Moisten the sphagnum moss by spraying it with water. Then place it in the container.
Place the cuttings in the sphagnum moss. The goal is letting the stems and nodes stay in contact with the moss.
Cover the container to keep humidity in
Spray the moss as needed to keep it moist.
Keep the container in bright, indirect light.

You can remove the lid every now and then to let fresh air in.

The glass will let you easily see the plant’s progress.

And in about 3 weeks or so, you should be able to see a good amount of roots growing from the stem cuttings.

How to Repot or Transplant Philodendron Eva

The Philodendron Eva is a fast grower. Although, you don’t need to be in a hurry to repot it.

It usually takes about 2 years before it needs repotting. Therefore, don’t repot every 6 or 12 months. The plant does not like it.

Only repot when the plant has outgrown its container.

You’ll be able to tell once you look at the bottom of the pot. If you see roots coming out from the holes at the bottom of the pot, it means the plant needs more room to grow.

The best time to repot is during spring and summer.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Sadly, yes. The Philodendron Eva contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals which are toxic when ingested.

It is toxic to both people and pets. Therefore, it is a good idea to keep the plant out of reach of young children, dogs and cats since they can accidentally chew or consume the leaves.

Philodendron Eva Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

The Philodendron Eva can experience common houseplant pests. The usual bugs that like to attack the plant include mealybugs, spider mites and aphids.

All of these are very tiny in size. So, they may seem harmless.

But they will grow in number very rapidly. Additionally, they feed by sucking on the sap of the plant. This makes them very dangerous.

The reason is they’ll take moisture and nutrients from your Philodendron Eva.

And once they’ve grown into an infestation, they can cause lack of moisture and nutrient deficiencies. This usually begins in the leaves.

As such, you’ll see yellow or brown spots that will later turn into holes.

Diseases

Overwatering can lead to root rot which can ultimately kill your Philodendron Eva.

The problem with overwatering is that it can drown the roots of the plant. When this happens, the roots won’t be able to breathe and later suffocate.

As a result, they die.

Once this happens, your plant won’t be able to drink or get nourishment since it is the roots absorbing water and nutrients from the soil.

Therefore, avoid overwatering and waterlogged soil at all costs.