my philodendron just wont grow! What should I do?

[Gardener77]

I'm really upset about this...
I've had this plant from many years ago. I took a clipping from a friend and made a healthy plant. Over the last year it stopped growing. I've re-potted it and done a few things to be sure the soil was good.
What else can I do.....

 

[digitS']

Are you sure it has adequate light?

All plants grow thru photosynthesis. Even a vining plant that will by its nature, stretch out and go looking for light. Stretching is common with any plant but it still requires light energy to do that.

They may not die but plants with chlorophyll need adequate light for growth. Plants behind glass receive about 10% less sunlight than those in the open. If there are 2 layers of glass, they will have 20% less light. Many houseplants are not even kept close to a south window and certainly not where sunlight can reach them from all sides. A philodendron doesn't require a great deal of direct light but that's about all I can think of since you have given it nutrients and adequate room for its roots.

Steve

 

[Mickey328]

The light issue was the first thing I thought of too. While they don't like too much direct sun, they do like quite a bit of light. Can you move it to a north or east window? If not, can you put it where a light from the house will hit it quite a lot? Years ago I had an African Violet that was perfectly healthy but just sat there. One day I rearranged things and stuck it on the end table where I sat to read. Well, that light was on most all evenings and within a month that violet was huge and blooming.

 

[Gardener77]

Thanks for the responces.
I have the plant in a north east window. Perhaps I should put it in a better place, but up until a few weeks ago, it got early morning direct doses of light.
What about the possibility of it being in shock? Could it stop growing for that reason? But in regards to that possibility, It has been in the same pot in the same spot for several months now. And I mind you, It had been in this present state form several months prior. I'd say it has been stunted for about a year now.
I'm getting discouraged about this.
This plant has a long story behind it....

I took a clipping from a very lovely young lady back in 2004.
I said to myself that the way I will take care of this plant is how I will care for my wife...
Little did anyone know that the young lady who gave me the clipping was who I was thinking about.
She was not ready...
So my plant grew...and grew...
Watering... re-potting...fertilizing
It represented my hope for the future...
So, after years of waiting, the day finally came... the young lady became my bride.
It was at that time we began living together, and the plant flourished in our room.
It must have been at least 3 feet long at times.

But now it has just stopped growing. It is down to only a few leaves. It is no more that 3 inches tall...
My wife as since gotten several similar to it. But I don't want those!

Could there be mold or fungus on the roots?

Any further input will be greatly appreciated!

 

[digitS']

Oh, my!

You have a relationship with a plant. Unless you go way metaphysical on this, the plant is not the relationship.

We, plants, people, us critters . . . are all together in the world. We do the best we can and sometimes don't know how to even share our problems, hopes, accomplishments with those creatures most like us.

The plant may be suffering from a disease, some mineral imbalance. It is not likely something that it can share with the people with which it shares a home.

I once lived in a forest of mostly Lodgepole pines. I came to believe that there was not just "a pine," there were multiple pines and there was just "a way of thinking" about the trees, separate from the forest. Jack Pine represented them all. Aspens are really, really that way. They are interconnected by roots. They can be one organism represented by many, many trees.

Steve

 

[catjac1975]

Have you repotted it? Sometimes when a plant gets stunted like that we tend to overwater to compensate for it. You may hate to hear this, but, I would heartlessly cut it back, repot it in fresh soil and make some cuttings. If the original plant does not make it the cuttings are just as precious as the mother plant.

 

[Gardener77]

I'm trying to post a picture so I think I need to have more posts before I can have URLs or images in my post so...

 

[Gardener77]

i'm going to....

 

[Gardener77]

make a few posts.....

 

[Gardener77]

to get my number of posts...