How to Grow Philodendron Tahiti - Soil Seed and Garden

Last Updated on April 13, 2022 by Admin

The Philodendron Tahiti is best known for its large, deeply cut leaves. This makes it commonly mistaken for the Philodendron mayoi. Although these two philodendron plants are different. And you’ll quickly realize that upon closer inspection.

The plant’s green leaves are also unique in that they will somewhat cascade as they get longer and bushier. As such, while the plant does best when given a support to climb, many growers keep it in pots and let it grow more sideways that upwards.

While it is a fast-growing philodendron, it requires low maintenance and is quite easy to care for.

How do you care fore Philodendron Tahiti? This plant does best in medium to bright, indirect light and moderate to warm temperature. It also likes high humidity although it will tolerate humidity of 40% and above.

When watering, make sure to let the soil slightly dry before adding more. Also, use well-draining soil and a pot with drainage to avoid overwatering and waterlogging.

Table of Contents

Philodendron Tahiti Plant Care

Light Requirements

Light is a very important aspect of caring for a Philodendron Tahiti. It needs sufficient light to produce leaves and maintain their beautiful green colors.

Additionally, light plays a role in the development of the very distinctive splits on the edges of its leaves.

Ideally, the Philodendron Tahiti does best in bright, indirect light.

It will likewise be happy growing in medium light. And while it can tolerate some low light, I don’t suggest leaving it there because its growth will slow down, and it can become leggy if illumination gets too low.

As such, the best spots for this Philodendron indoors is towards and east or westing facing window.

In the east, you can keep it right beside the window as it will appreciate the bright, gentle morning sun. In the west, it will need a bit more protection because the light coming from this side is afternoon sun (which is too intense for the plant).

As such, try to distance the plant so the sun’s rays never touch its leaves at any point of the day. You can also use blinds or curtains to filter the light if you want to keep the plant near the window.

On the other hand, a south or southwest facing window is best during winters. Both get the most sunlight which makes them too harsh during summertime.

But in winter, there’s little sun and these locations will give your plant the most light possible.

In case you don’t get a lot of natural light into your home, you can likewise use artificial lights on their own or to supplement the sun.

Outdoors, the best lighting for the plant is partial shade. Avoid leaving it under full sun as the sun’s strong rays will eventually burn its leaves.

Temperature

The Philodendron Tahiti enjoys warm climates. It enjoys temperatures between 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

This makes it quite easy to accommodate in homes and other indoor spaces like offices because humans feel most comfortable in this temperature range.

The plant is used to this kind of weather because it is native to the tropical Americas. Thus, it is used to living in warm, sunny environments all year round.

For this reason, you want to be wary about the cold.

The plant has poor tolerance for the cold. And it will struggle if kept in temperatures 50 degrees Fahrenheit and below.

Therefore, it is important to keep it away from this temperature indoors and outdoors.

Indoors, the problem usually comes from air conditioners and open doors or windows where cold drafts come in.

Outdoors, it is important to keep the plant from snow, frost or freezing conditions. This is why it grows well outside in USDA Hardiness Zones 9b to 11. These locations get sunshine all year round with not cold winters.

However, even if you live below these zones, you can still take it outdoors during the summer. Just make sure to bring it back indoors once the temperature nears 50 degrees around fall.

Humidity

The ideal humidity for the Philodendron Tahiti is between 60% to 70%. Although it will be perfectly happy and be healthy in humidity of 40% to 50%.

The plant can also tolerate slightly lower levels depending on how well-hydrated it is and the kind of soil that you use.

But the lower humidity drops away from this minimum range, the more likely you will see the plant’s leaves turn brown on the tips and edges. You’ll also these areas crispy up and become brittle due to the lack of moisture.

As such, it is a good idea to keep an eye on room humidity as well as observe what your Philodendron Tahiti is telling you.

I like to keep a hygrometer near my plants so I can easily tell what the humidity is at any given time. You can also easily carry and move this small device from room to room to check on different plants.

This way, if humidity drops below 40%, you know to start monitoring the plant for any signs of the air being too dry for its liking.

In case this happens, you can get a humidifier. This device will let you set a target humidity level to make it easy to keep air moisture where your plants need it. Some models also come with timers.

Alternatively, you can mist the plant or put it on top of rocks in a tray of water. Both will help boost humidity but to varying levels. Therefore, some guessing and trial and error is needed here. But they are both free.

You can likewise move your plant to the bathroom or give it a shower once it a while.

Related

How Often to Water Philodendron Tahiti

The Philodendron Tahiti has moderate watering needs. This means on average you’ll need to water it about once a week or so.

But the frequency will vary because the weather changes during different times of the year.

In the summer, when the climate gets hot, the plant will need to be watered more often because of heat and evaporation. Often, this comes out to 2 or 3 times a week depending on where you live.

During the winter, the cold weather and lack of sunshine means it takes much longer for soil to dry. And because the plant does not like wet feet, you want to allow the soil to dry out more during this season.

This usually comes out to watering above once every 2-3 weeks.

That said, these are all just guidelines. Because each home and each plant owner will take care of the plant differently, it Is better to watch what the plant is telling you.

Therefore, the best way to water your Philodendron Tahiti is to wait until the top 2 inches of soil has completely dried.

To do so, always test the soil before you add more water.

You cans stick your index finger into the soil down to the second knuckle and check for moisture. if the soil is moist or wet, hold off then check again in 2 days.

Only water if the soil at that depth has dried out.

This works well because the Philodendron Tahiti is susceptible to overwatering. By allowing the soil to partially dry, you prevent this from happening.

Philodendron Tahiti Potting Soil

The best soil for Philodendron Tahiti is loose, well-draining soil that has good aeriation. This makes an Aroid mix perfect if you don’t want to make your own DIY potting mix.

Aroid mixes are designed for plants in the Araceae family. This includes philodendrons, monsteras and anthuriums just to name a few.

It is light, well-draining and allows air to circulate to reach the roots.

In case you prefer to make your own potting mix at home. You can go with 2 parts potting mix and 1 part perlite. This is the simplest potting soil recipe you can use with the fewest ingredients.

However, a better potting mix recipe for the Philodendron Tahiti includes:

30% potting soil
40% bark
20% peat
10% perlite

Then add some agricultural charcoal

This gives you a combination of good drainage and a more chunky texture. The chunkiness of the charcoal and bark allow more air to reach the roots while helping with drainage as well.

Fertilizer

The Philodendron Tahiti is not a heavy feeder. However, it is a good idea to give it fertilizer because this helps it grow faster, produce more foliage that are green and lush and prevent nutrient deficiencies.

That said, it is important not to over fertilize the plant since it does not take much to do so.

Additionally, this will end up damaging its roots over time due to the salt buildup in the soil.

To feed your Philodendron Tahiti, give it a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer diluted to 50% when it is actively growing.

If you live in a tropical or subtropical region, you can feed the plant all year round since the perpetual sunshine will let it keep growing.

But if you live somewhere with four seasons, its growing season will be limited to spring, summer and the earlier part of fall.

Therefore, apply only during these times to avoid over fertilizing.

All the plant needs is once a month feeding. Stop fertilizing it once the cold weather arrives.

Pruning

The Philodendron Tahiti will grow to about 2-4 feet high and 2-4 feet from side to side. it has a fairly fast growth rate which makes it perfect if you want to see leaves emerge more often than not.

Additionally, it is worth noting that if you give the plant a support to climb, it will grow faster, will likely get taller and produce larger leaves.

That’s because this mimics its natural habitat.

However, I’ve noticed many of its owners also like to place it in a pot and let it be. That’s because its leaves will cascade and hang outward.

Here, the plant will look shorter, fluffier and wider. Letting it get bushy this way gives it a great look.

As such, how much you prune will vary depending on how you grow the plant.

The thicker, bushier you let it become, the more manicuring and shaping you may need to do especially on the sides to make it look the way you want.

But overall, the Philodendron Tahiti does not need a lot of pruning making it low maintenance in this regard.

How to Propagate Philodendron Tahiti

The most efficient way to propagate your Philodendron Tahiti is by stem cuttings. This makes the plant easy to propagate since the process is straightforward.

And like most philodendrons, the Tahiti responds quite well making propagation fairly easy and not problematic.

To propagate the Philodendron Tahiti from stem cuttings.

Begin by choosing a healthy stem or stems. You can use a stem tip or take a longer stems and split it into multiple cuttings.
The most important thing is to make sure each cutting has at least one node. And as much as possible 2-3 leaves.
Once you’ve selected the stem to propagate, use a sterile knife or pruning sheard and cut just below the node.
Next, prepare the container. You want a pot that can hold the cutting. Avoid one that is too big or too small.
Then fill the pot with fresh, well-draining potting mix.
Dip the cut end of the stem into rooting hormone. This is optional. But I’ve found that this helps speed up rooting and improves propagation success rates.
Plant the cutting into the potting mix. Make sure that the node or nodes are all buried under the soil.
Water the soil until moist but not wet.
Leave the new plant in bright, indirect light.

It will take about 3-4 weeks for roots to develop.

Note that you can likewise root the cutting in water.

Here, you’ll place the cutting in water instead of planting it in soil. After about 3 or so weeks, you’ll see enough roots.

Once the roots grow to 2 inches or longer, you can transplant the cutting from water to soil.

How to Repot or Transplant Philodendron Tahiti

The Philodendron Tahiti only needs to be repotted once every 2-3 years.

More specifically, you want to wait until it gets root bound before doing so.

Like many other houseplants, it does not like being transplanted or repotted since the process stresses it and can even cause shock.

As such, wait until you see roots coming out from the holes at the bottom of the pot before you repot. It won’t need repotting before that time.

When the time comes, choose a pot that is one size larger than its current container. Also, replace the soil with fresh, well-draining potting mix.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Yes. Unfortunately, this lovely plant is toxic. But only when ingested. That’s because the calcium oxalate crystals are activated once they enter your body.

As such, the plant is safe to touch when kept intact.

Also, be wary when handling the plant because the toxic substance is in its sap. Therefore, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth after you just pruned or propagated the plant.

Philodendron Tahiti Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

The Philodendron Tahiti is not immune to pests. Fortunately, it is not a magnet for them either.

However, pests can still come around especially when the plant is weak, ill, stressed or in shock. During this time, its resistance is down making it more prone to bugs.

As such, the best way to keep pests away is to keep the plant healthy and clean its leaves. That’s because the insects are attracted to dust.

The most common pest problems the Philodendron Tahiti faces come from mealybugs, spider mites, aphids and scales.

Diseases

On the other hand, root rot is the biggest issue you want to watch out.

Luckily, you can avoid this by ensuring that you do not overwater the plant, use well-draining soil and a pot with drainage.

On the other hand, also watch out for leaf diseases including leaf spot infections and blight. Both are cause by excess wetness.

As such, avoid wetting the leaves too much without allowing them to dry soon after.