Philodendron pink princess: Chop or no chop?

by Sam
(Manchester)

Hello!

I bought this philodendron pink princess 2 or 3 months ago and it didn’t look good then, nor does it now.

Im strongly considering chopping each node and propagate the entire plant because it just looks a little bit ugly and it isn’t doing much anyway.

Should I cut between each node, apply some rooting hormone, and pot it into some soil? If so, would you recommend removing the unhealthy leaves?

Should I maybe remove ALL leaves and propagate it as a leafless stem? That way surely something should come out right?


Anyway, would love to hear your input on how I can make the plant look better, but I would definitely like to propagate it 😈

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Mar 27, 2022
 Ah, I see what you mean
by: Jacki Cammidge, Certified Horticulturist

You're worried about the damaged leaves, right?

This looks like mechanical damage or even frost damage (possibly from being against a window in the winter?). However, even though ugly, they are still doing their job, so don't cut them off! I've never had much success trying to root a leafless stem. Sometimes you'll get roots, but most often they just rot.

So here's what I would do; cut the plant into two or three sections, each with at least one adult leaf, and several nodes. Use rooting powder if you wish, then put the lower part of the stem in sterilized damp potting soil. Then put the whole thing, pot and all, into a clear plastic bag - dry cleaner bag, maybe, as they're big enough to hold those giant leaves.

Then blow air into it, from your lungs, to expand it over the plant so it's not touching. This is my secret - your breath has CO2, or Carbon Dioxide in it, which plants breathe, unlike us who need oxygen.

Good luck with it!

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