In fact, you’ll want to let the soil dry out slightly between waterings. In fall and winter, you can cut back on how often you water your philodendron moonlight. If it’s dry to touch and the soil falls off your finger or is clumped, it needs more water. With your knuckle or finger, touch the top inch (3cm) of soil, if it sticks to your fingers, it’s wet enough. The key to achieving the perfect balance is to water your houseplant differently depending on the time of year.ĭuring the spring and summer months when it’s experiencing periods of growth, you’ll want to keep the top inch of soil moist to touch. What it doesn’t like is waterlogged soil.
The best time to repot is during the spring or summer months when your plant is actively growing. If left long enough, the accumulated salts will cause yellowing and browning of leaves. This plant is sensitive to the salts that gather on the soil during watering. It’s recommended to replace your moonlight plant’s soil and container every 1-2 years. It’s likely teeming with microbes that you definitely don’t want to introduce to your new houseplant! Repotting Some friendly advice, please don’t use soil from your back garden. P.S I’ve seen an unnerving trend growing on Tiktok where plant owners are using already-planted garden soil to grow this houseplant. Philodendrons are also heavy feeders! Adding rich organic matter to the soil helps your plant absorb a steady stream of key nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Most high quality potting mixes are loose and fast draining, but it’s always best to double check. They’re sensitive to overwatering and hate water-logged soil. Well draining soil is absolutely fundamental for philos. The philodendron moonlight is no different. Most philodendron varieties thrive in moist, well-draining potting soil mixed with some form of organic matter such as perlite or peat moss. This plant can cope with medium to low light conditions, however, you might lose some of that gorgeous neon coloring if it’s kept in the shade for more than 2-3 months. This will scorch the leaves and cause unsightly browning edges, a yellowing discoloration or even blackened spots on its foliage. This type of dappled sunlight mimics its natural growing environment the dense, tropical or subtropical canopy of South America.Ī key thing to remember is to never place it in bright, direct sunlight. To find that sweet spot, your plant needs to be in a place where the sun’s rays aren’t directly hitting the plant but instead are reflected off another surface. Your philodendron moonlight will look its best when it’s given ample bright, but indirect sunlight. This guide will help you do exactly that. The key to keeping your philodendron moonlight’s bright yellow and green leaves looking happy and healthy? Mimic the conditions found in its natural growing habitat as much as humanly possible. No two plants are alike, so you can rest assured, your plant truly is one of a kind. Originating from the dense tropical and subtropical canopies of Central and South America, the philodendron moonlight is a stunning hybrid variety that has distinct bright leaves that fade to green with age. It shot to fame in the past 10 years or so, and thanks to this huge increase in demand, it’s now deemed a semi-rare houseplant, although it can be found abundantly where it naturally grows. This easy to care for houseplant has seen a surge in popularity over the last few years thanks to glamorous social media shots.
With its bright neon-colored leaves and spade shaped foliage, the philodendron moonlight is a real eye-catching plant to have in your collection.