Propagation of philodendron xanadu?

K

Kim

Active Member
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26/03/08
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36
San Diego, California USA
In the interest of bringing some order to my visually chaotic garden, I wanted to plant multiple phil. xanadu along a retaining wall. Instead of five 1-gallon plants, I came home with two much larger, overstuffed pots. Does it work to divide these? Or must I take cuttings?
 
Kim,

It would be hard for me to say without seeing the plants/pots. Are they such that they have multiple stems that could be pulled apart? Or are they branching from the same underground main stem, and would need to be broken off?

Having asked that, I think that these plants could be divided in either case. Knowing the grower that you are, I am sure you could pull it off easily. I had one of these that (I hate to admit) stayed in a turned over pot, under a tree, neglected for 6-8 years, and it just kept growing.

if you take cuttings, I would say you can almost just lay these on the ground. In other words, don't plant to deeply. I have rotted some of my favorite philos by giving them too much wet soil.
 
I'll have to take them out of the pot to see the roots better. The thin stems are really dense and I can't see if they're connected to one or more main stems. I'm hoping for more than one plant tangled together.

My only experience with this plant is in a pot, from which it sends out long exploratory roots. If I put it in the ground is it going to take over the garden?

What is the correct way to take a cutting?
 
Kim,

I think the only thing you need worry about, if going the cutting route, is the rotting issue. I think it may be best to let a fresh cutting callous over before letting it get wet. And I would only half bury it as it becomes established by laying it on the ground (or well draining potting soil) and only partially covering it. Then water less than you would like, except if the weather is like I heard it has been there.

I think too much TLC may kill them. :D

And as far as taking over an area.............I don't think that is a worry. I don't believe those "exploratory roots" will send up plants away from the main stalk.

"Insert disclaimer about all of the above info here" :D
 
I divided several offsets from large clumps in 8" pots .. It was a bit dificult , I had to hose of all media and untangle the roots to pull clumps apart . Tip cuttings can be taken of this cultivar , as long as you have 3 roots above the cut .. And this is an Australian cultivar , despite what some are trying to publish .
 
This really a hard plant to devide. You might take a shovel and devide the clump into two or three different clumps. But, forget about trying to pull these apart. If so, your going to end up with a bunch of single stem plants which will look really bad in the landscape. And they never will become full.
 
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