How Fast Do Philodendrons Grow? (+How To Grow The Faster)

Philodendrons can be a great addition to your houseplants collection, and they add life to your house with their unique foliage. These can grow fast if you provide the right living conditions, but how fast can philodendrons grow? Let’s find out.

Philodendrons can grow anywhere between 5-10 cm every week. If you can provide a warm and humid environment, you’ll notice a lot of growth in your philodendron plant. However, low temperatures and sudden drops of humidity levels can affect the growth of your philodendron and slow it down.

It is easy to take care of philodendrons, and they don’t require a lot of attention. They are forgiving, so you can revive them even after making a mistake in the care routine.

But since you are reading this article, you’ll get an idea about how much growth you can expect in your philodendron if you provide the correct living conditions and care to it.

How fast does philodendron grow in water?

When propagating or growing your philodendron in water, you will need to wait for a few months before you see any growth in the plant.

After taking the cutting, you must place it in a jar of water and place the jar in bright indirect light.

The cutting of the philodendron should take about a month to grow roots that are one inch long. Take care of the plant and keep changing the water in between, and you will notice that the roots have grown 2-3 inches long after two months.

Within 4-5 months, the plant will start growing leaves. You must use a balanced fertilizer to fertilize the plant so that it grows faster.

Changing the water after few days is important if you want to keep your philodendron healthy.

Does philodendron grow faster in water or soil?

Philodendrons can adapt and grow in both soil and water, growing faster in soil than in water.

However, there can be exceptions to this, as you may notice that a philodendron grown in water is growing faster than a philodendron grown in the soil.

The growth depends mainly on the external conditions and the care that you provide to your plant. If you are taking care of your philodendron correctly, you will see it thrive irrespective of being grown in water or soil.

Philodendron not growing new leaves

You must take a good look at your philodendron and analyze the living conditions and the care routine if your philodendron is not growing new leaves.

We will now discuss some basic requirements of your philodendron that you must not neglect.

Lighting

You must check if your philodendron is receiving the right amount of light. Proper light can boost the growth of the philodendron.

Sufficient bright and indirect light can help in the growth of new leaves in the philodendron. 

Light helps the philodendron to carry out the photosynthesis process, along with other functions that are required to keep the plant healthy.

But if you keep your philodendron in the dark corner and neglect it, its growth will slow down due to lack of light. The stem will become thin, and the leaves will grow smaller. The leaves can fall off the plant eventually.

The stems will start stretching in search of light and will become leggy. So, low light can stop the growth or reduce it and even lead to unhealthy growths on your philodendron.

Placing your philodendron in a low light area will not allow the soil to dry fast, leading to soggy soil that can cause root rot or encourage fungal and bacterial growth on the soil.

All these issues will damage the philodendron, due to which it will not be able to grow fast.

Even excess light and direct sunlight can be a hindrance to the growth of the plant.

Excess direct sunlight will make the soil dry and decrease the humidity level, due to which the philodendron will not be able to grow fast.

Also read: What Kind Of Light Does A Philodendron Need? (Light Requirements)

Water

Water is another vital element required by plants. If you notice slow growth in your philodendron, you must check the watering schedule.

You must understand how much water the philodendron requires, as, without that understanding, you are likely to underwater or overwater the plant.

If you are giving too much or too little water to your philodendron, the plant can develop issues restricting its growth.

Sometimes we might overwater our plants out of too much care, which will suffocate the roots by keeping them wet and blocking oxygen flow into them.

Root rot can be a big reason behind the stagnant growth of your philodendron.

On the other hand, if you give your philodendron water after long intervals, the soil will get dry that the philodendrons don’t appreciate.

Philodendrons require the soil to remain slightly moist, and letting it get bone dry will lead to an under-watered plant that will not grow due to a lack of water and nutrients in the soil.

If you notice issues like wilting of leaves, discoloration, along with stunted growth, you need to reevaluate the watering schedule.

You should not let the soil get extremely dry and water the philodendron whenever the soil is 50-75% dry. This will help the plant get enough moisture and nutrients required for its growth.

Also read: How Much Water Does A Philodendron Need? (Water Requirement+How Often)

Soil

Philodendrons need proper aeration in the soil to keep the roots healthy. If the philodendron doesn’t get the right soil mix, it will have a hard time growing.

If your philodendron is not growing, even during the growing season, you must check the soil after ensuring that you are watering it correctly and giving it proper light.

Check the soil mix to figure out if it is suitable for the philodendron.

If the soil doesn’t contain enough nutrients or is contaminated, your philodendron will not grow efficiently.

Philodendrons require a well-draining soil mix that doesn’t hold excess water and allows it to drain out of the system.

If you use a rich soil mix, you should take the philodendron out of its pot and repot it in a well-draining soil mix.

A well-draining and well-balanced soil mix will keep your philodendron healthy and boost the plant’s growth.

Also read: What Type Of Soil Does A Philodendron Need? (Best Soil Mix)

Fertilizer

If everything else seems fine, you should check if you are fertilizing the philodendron properly.

Philodendrons require proper fertilization to support their growth. However, if you don’t fertilize the philodendron properly, the plant can get over-fertilized or under-fertilized.

First of all, you must fertilize only during the growing season. Depending on the external conditions and how your plant reacts to it, you can fertilize the philodendron once or twice a month.

If you fertilize more than that, the fertilizer will build upon the soil and can burn the tip of the leaves and the roots.

If you don’t fertilize at all, your philodendron will not show fast growth. Philodendrons need nutrients for good growth, and the plant will not get nutrients if you don’t fertilize it.

You must use a well-balanced fertilizer and if you want to boost the plant’s growth, use a fertilizer with a high nitrogen ratio.

Also read: What Kind Of Fertilizer For Philodendron? (Best Fertilizer+Fertilizer Ratio)

Temperature

A warm environment is essential for the growth of philodendrons. Philodendrons require a 70-80°F temperature range to remain healthy.

However, if you live in colder regions, low temperatures can be a challenge for the philodendron. You may notice stunted growth due to the low temperatures. Even a sudden fall in the temperature levels can shock the philodendron.

Philodendrons can thrive in several cultural conditions, but you should not expose them to low temperatures. High temperature with high humidity levels is what they require to grow fast. Do not keep your philodendron thirsty for too long.

Pests

Brown spots and distorted foliage are some signs of pest infestation on your philodendron.

Pests are tiny creatures that are hard to identify, but these can be a reason behind the slow growth in your philodendrons.

Pests can infect the philodendron if placed in low light or is getting overwatered or from surrounding houseplants. They suck on the plant’s sap that contains all the nutrients and sucks it out of the plant, making it weak.

Due to lack of nutrition, the plant fails to grow new leaves, and its growth slows down. If you keep ignoring the plant, the pests will eventually kill it.

How can I make my philodendron grow faster?

You can make your philodendron grow fast by following the steps mentioned below.

1. Provide sufficient indirect light to your philodendron.
2. Avoid overwatering by watering the soil when it is 50-75% dry.
3. Use well-draining and nutritional soil.
4. Try to maintain the ideal temperatures between 70-80°F.
5. Feed the philodendron with a balanced fertilizer once a month during the growing season.

Sufficient indirect light

Philodendrons can survive in low light conditions if the other cultural conditions are right. You must give good indirect light to your philodendron if you want to see fast growth in it.

If you place your philodendron in a sunny spot, you will notice fast growth in your philodendron.

Along with bright indirect light, you need to maintain the correct temperature levels between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. 

You can place your philodendron near the south, east, or west-facing window. Make sure the philodendron is not burning with direct scorching light from the sun.

If the temperature level drops below 50°F, you will notice pale leaves and stunted growth.

You will see rapid growth in your philodendron if you maintain the ideal range of temperatures.

You can place your philodendron near the furnace or wooden stove in the freezing climate but don’t keep it too close as it will burn the leaves.

Avoid overwatering your philodendron

Water the philodendron after making sure that the top few inches of the soil are dry. You must not follow a watering schedule blindly, as that can lead to overwatering.

However, you need to consider other external factors while watering the philodendron. The watering will depend on the soil, temperature, humidity, and placement of your philodendron.

Ensure that the drainage holes of the pot are draining the excess water after you water your philodendron. If the excess water doesn’t get drained, it will create an environment of overwatering.

Use a well-draining and balanced soil

Your philodendron will survive different cultural conditions, but expecting the philodendron to thrive in an unsuitable soil mix is not going to be fruitful.

Philodendrons require well-balanced soil that contains a lot of nutrients and doesn’t retain excess moisture. The ideal pH level of the soil for the philodendrons should be 5.0-6.0.

You can use peat-based potting soil and add some perlite to it to make it well-draining.

Other than well-draining soil, you need to ensure that the drainage holes of the container of your philodendron are working well.

If you want your philodendron plant to grow fast, you must choose the right kind of soil and the correct pot.

Feed the philodendron with a balanced fertilizer

Using a good quality fertilizer that contains the correct ratio of nutrients will boost the growth of your philodendron.

You can fertilize the philodendron during the growing season once a month. If the soil mix contains sufficient nutrients, you can fertilize once in 2-3 months.

Avoid fertilizing in winter as the philodendron doesn’t grow actively in winter and doesn’t require fertilizer.

Do not water the philodendron with water that contains too much chlorine or other minerals, as those can discolor the leaves of your philodendron.

Tips to grow a healthy philodendron

15 Philodendrons I own | Plant Haul | Indoor gardening

• Make sure the soil mix supports good airflow and allows excess water to pass out of the pot.
• Fertilize the philodendron with liquid fertilizer and dilute the dose to make it half-strength.
• Use terracotta or clay-based pot that will support proper aeration and between the pot and the soil.
• Spray neem oil solution on the philodendron to keep the pests at bay.
• You can mist the plant sometimes to increase the humidity level and keep the foliage shiny and clean.
• You can water the philodendron using the bottom watering method to avoid overwatering.
• You can use the moisture meter to check the moistness of the soil before watering the philodendron.
• If you water the philodendron with tap water, let it sit overnight to remove the extra chlorine and minerals.

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Ref: Evaluation of Different Species of Philodendron Under Indoor Conditions, University of Florida, University of Vermont, ScienceDirect, Academia, Wikipedia, Britannica.