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dellis326

Air roots on my Philodendron

dellis326 (Danny)
16 years ago

Several years ago I received a cutting of a split leaf Philodendron (not sure of the actual species) I brought it to my work studio and I stuck it in a jug of water and then it kind of got buried behind some other plants and supplies and while not forgotten I couldn't really reach it to do anything with it. Last spring I finally made a point to get it out and quit neglecting it. It only had 1 small leaf and a few thin roots left.

I potted it up in a small hanging basket and placed it in a east facing window that gets full sun from just past sun up until about 11:00. In the next couple of months it grew about a foot with several new leaves big enough to start splitting and then it started to grow air roots which I though were cool but the vine stopped growing any longer or new leaves and then the air roots (4 or 5 of them) kept getting longer and now they're about 5 feet long.

So do I just cut them off to get the vine growing again or is there something else I can do? I like the look of the roots but not if the rest of the plant stops growing.

Also, can I start new plants from them?

Thanks

Dan

Comments (6)

  • exoticrainforest
    16 years ago

    Very likely correct if this is your species. Air roots on Philodendron and Epipremnum are quite common. You can easily use air layering and remove the viable end to begin a new plant. I'm certain you can find some descent articles on the net on how to do air layering.

  • dellis326 (Danny)
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks for the replies.

    Bihai, That looks similar to it. I'll take a photo next chance I get so I can compare it to yours.

    Don't get me wrong, I like the roots I think they add a lot of interest to the plant. It seem as if the plant stopped growing once these roots started to grow. and I would prefer a larger plant than just a long bundle of roots.

  • bihai
    16 years ago

    The plant you see there (that is approximately 1/10 or 1/12 of the whole plant, LOL) was grown from a single 6" long cutting. This plant now covers a vertical area of approximately 30-40 sq ft. It shares that large area with a Green Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys). They have intertwined and grown together for almost 5 years. The aerial roots from the Ginny hang down from a height of between 10-18 ft.

    Ginny isn't a small plant once it gets growing. It can be trellised for a while indoors, but eventually, it will have to be pruned back.

    Just bide your time, give it good light, humidity and regular fertilizer, and it will start to go for you. You might mist those aerial roots as well.

  • shirleeh_cableone_net
    13 years ago

    Unlike Dellis326 I don't find my Splitleaf Phil's air roots cool at all. They are 8 to 10 feet long and quite ugly and reach out in all directions. The leaves are beautifully split and are about 10 inches long and 10 inches wide.

    This plant was gifted to me about 10 years ago and was small enought to sit comfortably (at first)in the center of a dining room table. It now measures 5-6 feet across and sits in a huge pot on the floor of my sunroom.

    I want to find out if it will injure the plant to cut off the air roots. If you have reliable info on that, please respond. I really want to get rid of them. Thanks for your input.

  • dellis326 (Danny)
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    My plant has been ID'ed as Monstera deliciosa. I did end up cutting the roots but I only cut them long enough to reach the soil during a re-pot so they could take root and serve out their natural function. My theory with doing this is that it would provide more nutrients to the upper portions of the plant than it would receive through the stem only.

    But yes, you should be able to cut them off without harming it but you might want to leave some of each one so they can still absorb moisture if you mist of spray your plant.