A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Unknown Tropical Plant?

I am hoping someone can help me. I have a tropical plant that I purchased from wally world about a year ago. Of course the plant marker only said "Tropical plant". It is non-fussy & grows very rapidly & I just love it. Here's my two questions...

1. What is it? I would sure like to put a name to my plant.

It is growing so big I need to re-pot it, while that normally wouldn't be a big deal, this plant has a sponge type stick trellis in the pot that it is growing on. It is stuck to the stick, it actually seems to be growing into the sponge in many places. This trellis was in the pot when I bought the plant. The trellis is much too short for it & it needs a something new to climb.

2. How can I re-pot without damaging the plant?

3. Do I have to use a sponge type trellis for this type of plant, or will a wood or metal trellis be ok?

This is the plant:


Thanks for any help you can offer me:)
Chrissy

Heart leaf philodendron ?...

Those often come complete with a pole in the middle of the pot as they are often nicer climbing up than growing down. Repotting might be complicated though, as the plant will have rooted into the post and will possibly be damaged by pulling it off.

A plastic or metal trellis works fine also - that's how I have my own philo growing and it's doing great.

hey crabby, right on the first guess... normally, i would move this to mystery plants, but since we already know what it is, i am going to leave it and give the necessary info to repot and care for it.

ok crissy, here is what you do...

to re pot it, you have 2 options,
1 - very gently pry the plant loose from each place where it is stuck in the sponge board and then repot it, or...

2 - (this is what i would do) remove the entire root ball, sponge board and all, and repot the whole thing. then, just add a metal or woold trellis to it or better yet, put it in a hanging basket.

beyond that, it looks like you are caring for it perfectly, so i wouldn't change a thing!

by the way, pothos will grow just like that, and is often planted just like that. there is a plain green variety, and i have learned that pothos are in the philodendron family. the main difference between the two is the thickness of the stems and leaves.

also, don't let it near a wall that you don't want it to grow to, because they can and will attach themselves to wall paper and/or drywall. just fyi

Thank you so much for all of this great information:) I am so happy to finally know what it is that I am growing lol:) I think I will take your advice & repot with the sponge board & just add a new trellis along with it. Thanks for the tip about the growing onto walls too...my hubby would kick my as* if it grew to our drywall I guess I better move her after I get her repotted! LOL Thanks so much, Chrissy

P.S. Sorry I posted in the wrong area...won't do it again

I have a big problem with wallyworlds plants.....chrissy like you said they are always all labeled tropical plant......as if we don't already know that......I absolutely can't stand when they don't put the name of the plant, drives me nuts.......That's a nice healthy looking plant you have there.....

It drives me nuts too...every single plant I have ever purchased at WW has a useless label. Living in the middle of nowhere though I haven't access to any decent nurseries. I can order online, but sometimes I just want to buy a plant & take it home that day, not wait 2 weeks or more for the mail to deliver my plant orders...so I give in & buy anonymous plants from wally lol:) I am so glad you guys are here to help me identify my unknowns. I have a few other mystery plants I will likely be posting too lol:) I rescued this plant off the $2.00 sale rack, had lots of brown leaves when I brought her home, so I am pretty proud of the progress she has made.
Chrissy

I am going to urge you very strongly not to repot your Philodendron or to replace whatever it is that it is attached to. Philodendrons do not like to have their roots disturbed. There is a high probablility that you will lose the plant if you try to repot it.

I have about 50 Philodendron totems like yours that I care for. I keep them full and compact, like yours is, by pruning off the new growth rather than trying to make it grow ever taller. The pruned cuttings can be used to start new plants or can be inserted at the base of the plant, if there is room. Pruning helps keep the plant compact and will extend its longevity.

If you are determined to have it grow taller and/or do not want to prune, then buy some tall green bamboo garden stakes and insert them deep into the center of the pot. Slide them in from the top and in between the existing stems. They should stick out above the top of the plant. You can then entwine the new growth around these stakes to make the plant taller without resorting to repotting.

Thanks for the additional information Will...my only problem though is that the root ball of this plant really does seem to be over congested. It is so tight in the pot I can barely get water to it. Plus it is in a very unattractive thin plastic throw away type pot that has actually cracked along the backside do too being so cramped in this small pot. I feel I need to repot it, but will do it very carefully so as to not disturb the roots as much as possible. I will leave the sponge board in the pot & add bamboo stakes as suggested. I do thank you for the advice. Chrissy