Are you looking for an easy, trailing houseplant? You’ve found it! I’m sharing tips for Philodendron Brasil care including pruning, propagation, repotting, and more.
Do you want an easy to grow indoor plant with jazzy variegated foliage? Here’s one you need to add to your list of “must buy houseplants”.
Philodendron Brasil
This is one of the Heartleaf Philodendrons. Brasil has beautiful yellow/green patterning in the middle of the heart-shaped leaves that are edged in a rich green. No 2 leaves are the same.
If you’ve been reading this blog for any time now, you know I love Chartreuse Foliage and flowers!
Uses
The Philodendron Brasil is a hanging or tabletop plant. It can be trained to grow up a trellis, over a bamboo hoop, a moss pole, or a piece of bark.
Growth Rate
If you’re looking for a fast-growing plant, you’ve found one. Mine has grown over 2′ in the year and 9 months I’ve had it.
Size
You can find them in 4″, 6″ and 8″ grow pots. The most common size that I’ve seen sold is 6″, usually a hanging pot. My Philodedondron Silver Stripe (a close relative) has 5-6′ trails.
Some Of Our General Houseplant Guides For Your Reference:
- Guide To Watering Indoor Plants
- Beginner’s Guide To Repotting Plants
- 3 Ways To Successfully Fertilize Indoor Plants
- How to Clean Houseplants
- Winter Houseplant Care Guide
- Plant Humidity: How I Increase Humidity For Houseplants
- Buying Houseplants: 14 Tips For Indoor Gardening Newbies
- 11 Pet-Friendly Houseplants
The highlights of Philodendron Brasil Care
How to Care for Philodendron Brasil
Light/Exposure
Like many houseplants, the Philodendron Brasil does best in bright, natural light. This would be moderate or medium light levels.
Mine sits on a floating shelf in my kitchen next to a sliding glass door in an east exposure. There’s also a skylight about 7′ away. We get ample sunshine all year long in Tucson so that’s the sweet spot for mine.
If you’re in a less sunny climate then a south or west exposure is fine. Just keep it out of hot, sunny windows and avoid direct afternoon sun otherwise your Brasil will burn.
In the darker winter months, you might have to move yours to a location with more light. Here’s a guide on Winter Houseplant Care which will help you out.
If the light levels are too low, your Brasil will grow slower. In addition, the plant will gradually lose the chartreuse variegation and the foliage will become smaller. It’ll look more like a Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) with solid green foliage.
Watering
I keep mine slightly moist. This is a bit of a vague term but basically, I don’t let it go completely dry. In the summer it gets watered every 6-7 days and in winter about every 14 days.
Don’t water it too often or let it sit in water because it’ll eventually succumb to root rot.
Yours might need to be watered more or less frequently than mine depending on the pot size, type of soil it’s planted in, the location where it’s growing, and your home’s environment.
My guide to Watering Indoor Plants will shed some light on this subject.
Temperature
Average home temps are fine. If your home is comfortable for you, it’ll be so for your indoor plants too. Be sure to keep your Philodendron Brasil away from any cold drafts as well as air conditioning or heating vents.
Humidity
Philodendrons are native to the tropics. Despite this, they do just fine in our homes which tend to have dry air. Here in hot, dry Tucson my Brasil is growing beautifully and has no dry tips.
I take mine to the kitchen sink every couple of weeks and give it a good spray to temporarily up the ante on the humidity factor.
If you think your Brasil is looking stressed due to lack of humidity, then fill the saucer that sits under it with pebbles and water. Put the plant on the pebbles but make sure the drain holes and/or the bottom of the pot aren’t submerged in any water. Misting a couple of times a week will help too.
Fertilizing/Feeding
This is How I Feed Indoor Plants, including all my Philodendrons. We have a long growing season here in Tucson and houseplants appreciate the nutrients these plant foods provide. Once or twice a year might do it for your plant.
Whatever you use, don’t fertilize houseplants in late fall or winter because that’s their time for rest. Don’t over-fertilize (use too much or do it too often) your plant because salts build up and can burn the roots of the plant. This will show up as brown spots on the leaves.
Be sure to avoid fertilizing a houseplant that is stressed, ie. bone dry or soaking wet.
Soil/Repotting
Repotting a Philodendron Brasil is best done in spring and summer. Into early fall is fine if you’re in a climate with warmers winters like me.
Mine is currently growing in a 6″ pot. Next year I’ll repot it into an 8′ pot.
I’ve done a general Guide To Repotting Plants geared for beginning gardeners which you’ll find helpful.
Generally speaking, Philodendrons like a rich, somewhat chunky soil mix with a good dose of peat that drains well. You don’t want the roots to stay too wet otherwise they’ll rot out.
The mix I’ll create will be roughly 1/2 potting soil and 1/4 coco coir (which is also called coco fiber) and 1/4 pumice. Coco coir is a more sustainable alternative to peat moss and has basically the same properties. I’ll throw in a few handfuls of compost for richness.
Use a potting soil that is peat-based and formulated for indoor plants. I alternate between Happy Frog and Ocean Forest, and sometimes I combine them. Both have lots of good stuff in them.
I”ll top it all with a 1/4″ layer of worm compost (for extra richness).
RELATED: How to Feed Houseplants Naturally With Worm Compost & Compost
I have many plants (both indoors and outdoors) and do a lot of planting and repotting so I have a variety of materials on hand at all times. Plus, I have plenty of room in my garage to store all the bags and pails.
If you have limited space, I give you a few alternative mixes suitable for a Philodendron Brasil repotting listed below which consist of only 2 materials.
Alternative mixes:
- 1/2 potting soil, 1/2 coco fiber or peat moss
- 1/2 potting soil, 1/2 orchid bark or coco chips
- 3/4 potting soil, 1/4 pumice or perlite
Training
The stems of this Philodendron grow long. I’m going to let mine trail.
I included this section because you might want to train your plant to grow upwards if you don’t want it to trail. Moss poles are a common method of support but you can also use a smaller-sized trellis, piece of bark, or bamboo hoops.
Here’s how I Trained My Hoya and the DIY Trellis for my Swiss Cheese Vine.
Pruning
I haven’t yet done any pruning to my Philodendron Brasil. You’ll need to prune yours to train it, propagate it or control legginess.
Whether you tip prune or do more extensive pruning is up to you.
Propagation
I’ve never divided a Heartleaf Philodendron mainly because they’re so easy to grow from stem cuttings.
The Brasil is a snap to propagate. You’ll see nodes on the stems. In nature, those are the aerial roots used for anchoring their stems to other plants.
To propagate by stem cuttings, prune a stem right below a node and aerial root. Make sure your Pruners Are Clean & Sharp. They can be put in water or a light mix to root. By the way, you should see roots appearing in about 2 weeks.
I prefer to root in water because I can easily see the progress. Keep the bottom node or 2 covered with water. Change the water every 5-7 days to keep it fresh.
I recently propagated my Philodendron Brasil via stem cuttings in water so you can get a more detailed step-by-step in this post.
Pests
My Brasil has never gotten any pests (so far anyway!). They can be susceptible to Mealybugs, Scale, and Spider Mites so keep your eyes open for those.
Pests tend to live inside where the leaf hits the stem and also underneath the leaves so check these areas from time to time.
It’s best to take action as soon as you see any pests because they multiply like crazy. They can travel from houseplant to houseplant fast so make you get them under control pronto.
Pet Safety
The Philodendron Brasil, like other plants in the Araceae family, is considered to be toxic to pets. I always check out the ASPCA website for my info on this subject and see in what way the plant is toxic.
Most Houseplants Are Toxic To Pets in some way and I share my thoughts on this topic.
Questions about Philodendron Brasil Care
Your Philodendron Brasil is turning green because the light level is too low. They need bright natural light to keep that beautiful chartreuse variegation in their foliage.
Yes, it can. I’ve had Pothos (a relative) stem cuttings in water for almost a year now and they’re doing fine. For the long haul, it’ll grow better in a soil mix.
First of all, if it’s an occasional yellow leaf, there’s no need to worry. That’s the natural growth habit of any plant.
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause without knowing more details like pot size, soil type, watering schedule, and your home’s environment.
There are a few reasons for yellowing leaves: inconsistent watering (including too much or too little), too much fertilizing, light exposure (too much or too little), the soil mix is too heavy or there’s a lack of drainage.
It’s not integral to Philodendron Brasil care, but if your home is dry, it would certainly appreciate the misting. No need to overdo, once or twice a week would be plenty.
If yours has small brown tips, that’s in reaction to dry air. If the tips are larger, that’s usually a watering issue.
Your Philodendron Brasil will do fine if slightly root-bound. They grow fast so it’ll do much better if you repot it 1 size larger. For example, mine is currently growing in a 6″ pot and when I repot, it’ll go into an 8″ pot.
Philodendron Brasil care is easy, the plant trails like crazy, and the foliage is flashy in a fun way. What’s not to love?!
Happy gardening,
Check out more of our helpful gardening guides!
- Monstera Deliciosa Care
- Neon Pothos Care
- Pothos Care: The Easiest Trailing Houseplant
- Easy Tabletop & Hanging Plants
- Philodendron Congo Repotting
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