How to Grow Philodendron Luxurians at Home

Last Updated on April 13, 2022 by Admin

The Philodendron Luxurians is a stunning well-sought after plant that usually comes with an expensive price of $250 or higher. That’s because it have one of the most beautiful leaves you’ll see on a philodendron.

That said, the plant is very similar to the Philodendron Gloriosum because of the size, shape and veins of their foliage.

It is also worth noting that this is often found creeping on he ground in the tropical forests of South America, particularly in Colombia to which it is native to.

How do you care for the Philodendron Luxurians? Keep the plant in bright, indirect light in a warm location with good humidity. Use well-draining soil and allow the potting mix to dry out a bit between waterings.

This will prevent overwatering and root rot. Also make sure not to over fertilize it because this can damage its roots.

Table of Contents

Philodendron Luxurians Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Philodendron Luxurians does well indoors in a wide variety of lighting conditions. For best growth, supply it with bright, indirect light.

That said, it has no problem with medium of low light as well.

However, with the latter, you want to monitor your plant because past a certain point, the lack of light will affect its growth.

And with a plant that produces magnificent leaves like the Philodendron Luxurians, slow growth means fewer and smaller leaves.

That is not something you want with this plant.

Similarly, avoid strong light and direct sunlight. The plant can only tolerate about 2 hours a day of this before you being to see the excess exposure’s effect on its leaves.

If it gets too much intense light, its foliage will turn yellow, and potential get sunburn marks. Unfortunately, then its leaves get scorched, you’ll end up with brown patches or spots on them.

As such, the best location for the plant indoors is near an east facing window where it gets a lot of bright light from the morning sun. This is much gentler than that during midday which the plant can tolerate without harm.

In fact, it will appreciate it and grow faster.

If you decide to leave your Philodendron Luxurians in a south or east facing window, make sure to distance it at least 3 feet from the opening. This will keep it away from sun’s rays especially between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. when the sun is harshest.

Alternatively, you can also filter or diffuse the light using blinds or curtains.

Outdoors, the plant will grow best in partial shade.

Temperature

The Philodendron Luxurians prefers temperatures between 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the range where it is most comfortable and will grow the fastest.

But it can likewise tolerate warmer conditions as it Is native to the tropical regions of South America.

Therefore, it won’t have a hard time acclimating to environments up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Still, it is not a good idea to push the plant to that extreme because the heat causes it to lose more water and the moisture in the soil to evaporate quickly. This can lead to dehydration if you don’t water it enough.

On the other hand, because the tropics don’t see snow or freezing temperatures, the Philodendron Luxurians has poor tolerance to the cold.

Avoid leaving it in temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it gets below this level, you’ll see its growth slow down which is a sign that the plant is not comfortable with the environment.

If you leave it there longer or let the temperature drop further, it will begin to struggle. Soon, you’ll see it wilt, drop leaves and eventually die.

This is why it is important to bring the Philodendron Luxurians back indoors once the weather gets cold late in the year. It will not survive the snow or frost in winter.

Instead, it prefers USDA Hardiness Zones 10 and 11 where the sun is always out 365 days of the year. In these areas, it will be happy to stay in a pot outside or grow in your garden.

Humidity

The Philodendron Luxurians likes high humidity between 60% to 70%. It is accustomed to this kind of weather since its native habitat is a tropical rainforest.

Thus, the heat, and humidity are part of its natural environment.

Fortunately, the plant is also amenable to humidity between 40% and 50% which makes it easier to care for in homes.

However, depending on where you live, humidity may be sufficient or lower than what the plant requires. As such, this one works on a case-to-case basis.

If you live somewhere with tropical weather, in a coastal city or near a lake, then you should not be an issue. It will easily be above 40% or 50%.

But if you live somewhere with dry air like the desert, it is important to keep an eye on the level.

I like to keep a hygrometer near my plants so I can see what the humidity is every day the moment I get up. This lets you immediately know if I should take action on any of my more moisture sensitive plants.

In case humidity does stay in the low 30s or even in the 20s most of the time, it is a good idea to get a humidifier. You can likewise mist the plant 2-3 times a week to keep it healthy.

Lack of humidity will eventually turn its leaves brown. Therefore, once you see the tips and edges become brown or crispy, this is a sign that moisture in the air is too low.

How Often to Water Philodendron Luxurians

Watering is the trickiest part of caring for the Philodendron Luxurians. That’s because it needs consistently moist soil during the spring and summer but is likewise susceptible to overwatering.

Therefore, it is very important to find that balance between giving the plant the moisture it wants and overdoing it to the point where the soil is left wet or soggy.

The problem with too much water is that it can lead to root rot.

This is why overwatering is the number one cause of plant death. And since the damage in the roots are happening under the soil, you do not see them until the stems and leaves start to show symptoms.

By then, there has been some or even quite a bit of damage sustained by the roots.

This is why watering can be tricky.

Additionally, you don’t want to let the soil go completely dry. This will leave the plant dehydrated and cause wilting and drooping.

Therefore, the best way to water your Philodendron Luxurians is to stay on the conservative side.

This means allowing the top 2 inches of soil dry out between waterings. This will let the roots stay moist but keep you from watering too often.

Similarly, you can wait until the soil is dry about 25% to 50% from the top. Anywhere between these levels works well.

It keeps the roots hydrates while allowing you to avoid the risk of overwatering.

Related

Philodendron Luxurians Potting Soil

Since overwatering can be a big problem, the soil you use for your Philodendron Luxurians is also very important.

This plant needs well-draining soil that is loose and has good aeriation.

Avoid heavy soils or those that tend to retain a lot of water. These will negate even a perfect watering routine since the soil will end up retaining too much moisture for too long.

As such, even if you water correctly, the roots still end up swimming in water.

Similarly, avoid soils that can get compacted. This will close out the small air gaps where water and oxygen pass.

Since roots need a balance of water and air, compacted soil becomes an issue as both cannot penetrate through the soil to reach the roots.

Instead, supply your Philodendron Luxurians with loose, well-draining soil.

An easy to get this is to look or ask for an Aroid mix. Your local nursery or favorite online store will likely have it. Although, I’ve noticed that not all plant shops carry them since they need to make the mix themselves.

If you cannot find an aroid mix or prefer to make your own potting soil at home, here’s a great recipe that works very well for the Philodendron Luxurians. Just combine:

1 part potting mix
1 part perlite
1 part orchid bark
½ part horticultural charcoal

The potting mix gives you the water retention to keep the soil moist and the plant hydrated.

Meanwhile, perlite, bark and charcoal help with draining. The latter two are also chunky which easily lets air and water reach the roots.

Therefore, this lets your plant’s roots breathe while draining excess moisture quickly. But it holds onto enough water to keep the plant happy.

Fertilizer

Once you get the hang of watering your Philodendron Luxurians, the rest becomes easy. That’s because they are fairly low maintenance.

In the case of fertilizer, make sure you feed the plant. it needs to nutrients to grow optimally.

However, do note that it is not a heavy feeder. Therefore, it does not need a lot of plant food. Nor does it always need to be fed.

The reason why this is very important is that many home growers become too enthusiastic about feeding the plant believing that more plant food will help it grow bigger.

But that’s not the case.

Instead, too much fertilizer damages the plant because the salt residue from the fertilizer can cause chemical burns on its roots.

Therefore, it is important to know how much to apply and when to apply.

For the Philodendron Luxurians, all you need to do is follow the instructions on the product label.

Feed the plant with a balanced houseplant fertilizer. Dilute it to half strength whenever you apply. And doing fertilize the plant when the soil is dry, only when moist.

This will prevent too much concentration of the chemicals in the fertilizer.

Additionally, your Philodendron Luxurians only needs fertilizer during its growing season.

So, you can stop feeding by early or mid autumn. Don’t feed the plant as well during winter as it won’t need the plant food due to the cold weather.

Alternatively, you can also use a slow-release fertilizer. This will reduce the number of applications you have to do.

Pruning

Pruning is a low maintenance task when it comes to the Philodendron Luxurians.

That’s because of three reasons.

One, the plant does not produce a lot of leaves. At any given time, you may have around 3 to 6 or so leaves. it won’t get near 10 or more leaves.

Second, the leaves are big. Therefore, cutting off one leaf will quickly leave a gap in the plant. This will make one section visible more bared. So, you likely won’t want to trim more than 1-2 leaves at a time unless necessary.

Third, the leaves make up a large part of the plant. Leaves make up about 80% or more of the plant. Its stems are hidden behind the leaves. And while long, they are thin. These stems are also long to give the leaves clearance about the pot and the ground.

Altogether, this means you don’t need to prune the plant a lot or often.

How to Propagate Philodendron Luxurians

The simplest way to propagate the Philodendron Luxurians is from stem cuttings. Although there are other methods you can use as well including root division and air layering.

From my experience, stem cuttings are the most effective because they’re easy to do, are fairly quick to root and have high propagation success rates.

Also, many sellers online won’t give you the entire plant, instead they will see you a stem cutting. Thus, it is a good idea to learn how to do this.

That said, it takes a bit of practice. So, don’t worry if your propagation fails the first time. Just try again.

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

Begin by taking a healthy stem cutting. You want to look for a healthy stem with at least one node and at least one leaf on it.
Make sure the cutting has a node, otherwise there’s no way it will propagate. Similarly, if you buy a cutting online, make sure that it comes with at least one node. I’ve seen some sellers scam buyers by giving them stems with no nodes.
Once you’ve selected a stem, use a sterile pair of scissors or pruning shears. Then cut the stem from the parent plant just below the node. This ensures the node comes with the cutting.
Prepare a pot and fill it will fresh, well-draining soil.
Use your finger to make a hole in the soil. Then insert the cutting. Make sure the node or nodes go under the soil.
Water the soil until it is moist but not wet.
It will take about 3-4 weeks until the cutting grows roots.

How to Repot or Transplant Philodendron Luxurians

Like pruning, repotting is likewise a low maintenance task. The plant only needs to be repotted once every 2 years or so.

However, a lot depends on how quickly it grows. Therefore, I prefer to watch its growth and listen to what it is telling me. And use the 2 year repotting frequency as a guideline only.

Unless there is an emergency, the only time you need to repot the Philodendron Luxurians is when it gets root bound. Beyond that, let it be as it does not like to be bothered or moved a lot.

The easiest way to tell when to repot is to check under the pot.

Once you see roots coming out from the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot, the plant is telling you that it needs more space to grow.

Thus, this is your cue to repot.

To repot, carefully take the plant out of its container. Then check the roots and separate any tangled ones.

Then, fill a container that’s one size larger with potting mix up to about a third of the way.

Place the root ball in the soil and fill the remaining space with potting mix.

Water the soil until moist.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Yes. The plant is toxic but only when ingested. This is because it contains calcium oxalate crystals which can cause a variety of side effects when consumed by humans or pets.

Therefore, if you have young kids, dogs or cats in the house, I suggest keeping the plant out of their reach to avoid any accidental ingesting from happening.

Philodendron Luxurians Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

Pests are always a problem for any houseplant owner. The good news is that the Philodendron Luxurians is fairly resistant to them.

However, it can only put up its natural resistance when it is healthy.

When your plant is weak, ill, stressed or under shock, this makes it very susceptible to pests. And the bugs will know this.

Another thing that attracts insects to your plant is dust. So, it is important to clean its large leaves when you see dust start to collect on them.

The most common pests for the Philodendron Luxurians include spider mites, mealybugs aphids and scale. All of these will feed on the plant’s sap thus weakening it.

Therefore, it is very important to regularly inspect your plant especially on the undersides of the leaves for any pests or signs of their eggs.

Use neem oil or insecticidal soap to get rid of them if you find any.

Diseases

Moisture is your plant’s number one enemy not only because it is a threat for root rot but also because it can increase the risk of bacterial and fungal infections.

This is why excess moisture is something you want to avoid. Instead, keep the plant on the drier side.

This will help you avoid having to deal with root rot or diseases.