Split Leafed Philodendron - Moving inside to office

[Nifty]

My brother use to grow / propagate Split-Leafed Philodendrona a lot and then he moved to Arizona and left a bunch of them here.

We inherited a good sized one, but unfortunately weren't very good at taking care of it. It's been amazing how hardy the thing is. It seems that every year we get a hard freeze and the entire plant dies only to come back pretty strongly during the Spring / Summer.

I've got a new office and would love to add a nice plant to the corner and I'm thinking this is a perfect time to move this poor plant inside so it can grow vs. being killed back every winter.

We don't have a lot of plants inside and there are a few things I'm thinking I need to take into consideration:

1) Bugs: I want to make sure I don't bring anything into the house or create a home for any crawlies. Any ideas on what I should do to treat the plant / soil before bringing it inside?
2) Size: I'm wondering if this thing is possibly going to grow too big. I've never seen it at growth past 2 years. I guess I can always move it to another room or take it back outside if it gets too big.
3) Pot: I want it to look nice, so I'm wondering what kind of pot to replant it into.

Here it is right now in a 5 gallon container:

 

[Smart Red]

You can treat the ground with a solution of Sevin to kill any insects in the soil. Also put a large plastic bag over it and spray Sevin over the plant. I suspect it will take several years for it to grow too tall as they are slow growers.

My choice of a pot would be the five gallon one you currently have set into a decorative pot with no hole, no soil in it. At least until it needs a bigger container.

 

[Carol Dee]

WOW That is one big split leaf. Good looking one, too. I think Red is right. Just drop it into a pretty pot for the office.

 

[Nifty]

Thanks!

What's crazy is that all that green growth is just this last season!!

I'm guessing the root system is pretty substantial to support all that growth so quickly.

 

[NwMtGardener]

I just got mean and abandoned mine to the compost. It was only ever in a pot, and i would put it outside sometimes in the summer, but it got so big and i was tired of hacksawing bits off of it to try and fit it back inside the house at the end of the summer. But! It took years to get to the obnoxious point! They're hardy indoor plants and stay looking nice.

 

[so lucky]

I have one that a friend grew from seed, believe it or not. It doesn't get real lush/full like yours, but has a long stem. Maybe it needs more light. I put it in a pot with a slab of wood so it would attach to the wood and stay upright. I tied it on, to make it have good contact with the wood.

I agree with the other posters; just find a decorative pot or basket to put yours in, pot and all.

 

[Nifty]

Ooohh... now there's an idea I didn't think of, a basket with something in the bottom to catch excess water!

 

[StupidBird]

Split leaf philodendron, Monstera deliciosa, has a fruit said to be quite edible. The Athens, Ga. State botanical garden had one reaching twenty feet along with fruit visible some years ago in their conservatory. Has anyone here ever tasted it?

 

[Nifty]

I read that the leaves are poisonous, so I'd be leery to eat anything off of one.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I know nothing about this plant but Niftys comment about the leaves being poisonous so hes leery of the fruit got me to thinking, a tomato leaf is poisonous but the fruits not. So anyway I did some web surfing and came up with this article.

http://wimastergardener.org/?q=Split-LeafPhilodendron

It doesnt sound like youll get any fruit Nifty but if you do, make sure it is really ripe before you eat it. Otherwise you could have some real problems.