Heartleaf Philodendron
Scandens oxycardium
Philodendron cordatum
Sweetheart Philodendron
There are over 200 different varieties of philodendron plants that come in different sizes, colors, and leaf shapes. The Heartleaf or Sweetheart Philodendron has dark green, shiny, heart-shaped leaves and looks great as a table or hanging plant. Heartleaf Philodendrons are some of the most popular indoor plants we use in homes and offices because they thrive on neglect and are almost impossible to kill. Another great plus, philodendron plants remove air-born toxins such as formaldehyde from the air.
All philodendron are considered poisonous and should be kept away from pets and children. Read more about common houseplants that are poisonous in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants
Light
A Heartleaf Philodendron can survive in low lightWhen you select “Low Light” a list of the most adaptive plants in our database appears. These plants can live in lighting conditions too low to support any other plants in our database, but will grow faster in medium and high light. Variegation (color) in the leaves is often lost in low light. A plant in low light needs less water and fertilizer than the same plant in better light. Place a low-light plant within 2-3 ft. of a window with a northern exposure, 3-5 ft. of a window with an eastern exposure, 4-10 ft. of a window with a western exposure, and 10-18ft. of a window with a southern exposure. A low light area has between 50-150 ft. candles of light. The best low light house plants are: Chinese Evergreen, Dracaena Janet Craig, Peace Lily, Heart leaf Philodendron. conditions, but grows faster and produces more leaves in medium or bright indirect lightVery few houseplants should be placed in direct sun. High light refers only to bright indirect light since direct sun often burns the leaves of indoor houseplants. An area that is too hot and dry encourages Spider Mites and causes blooms to quickly fade. A northern exposure really doesn't provide enough light for high light plants. These plants need to be placed directly in front of an east-facing window, within 1-3 feet of a west-facing window, and within 5 ft. of a south facing window. A high light area has over 300 ft. candles of light.. Never put any philodendron plant in direct sun.
Water
Water well and then allow the top 50% of the soil to dry out before watering again. Yellow leaves on a Heartleaf Philodendron indicate over-watering and brown leaves mean the plant needs more water.
Fertilizer
Feed a Heartleaf Philodendron monthly in the spring and summer with a basic houseplant food diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength. Fertilize every other month in the fall and winter. Heartleaf philodendron are fast growing houseplants and need quite a bit of plant food, but should be fertilized only when they are actively producing new leaves.
Temperature
Heartleaf Philodendrons grow well in temperatures between 70°-80ºF (24°-27ºC) during the day and above 55º F (13ºC) at night.
Humidity
Basic household humidity is fine for a Heartleaf Philodendron though higher humidity encourages larger leaves.
Flowering
A Heartleaf Philodendron does not produce flowers indoors.
Pests
Keep an eye out for AphidsSee a picture, learn to identify, and read about Aphid houseplant pests in the Glossary of Houseplant411.com., spider mitesLearn how to identify and treat Spider Mites on plants. This sucking plant pest causes yellow blotchy leaves with a red haze and a gritty feel to them., Mealy BugsLearn how to identify and treat Mealy Bugs, a houseplant pest that leaves sticky, white, cottony residue on houseplants., thripThrip are tiny winged brown insects that feed on the surfaces of plant leaves, flowers, and buds. They leave silver spots around their feeding areas and dark dots of excrement. Thrip not only weaken plant growth and distort buds and flowers, they transmit viruses from plant to plant as they fly around. The Green Solution, Neem Oil, and Yellow Sticky Cards all are effective in eliminating thrip., and scaleSoft Brown Scale is the most common scale that attacks indoor houseplants especially ficus, ivy, spider plants, ferns, aralia, and schefflera. It appears as small bumpy brown spots that appear to move. As the scale sucks on the sap of the plant it secretes a sticky substance called honeydew. The honeydew attracts black mildew. Because of the shell-like exterior, sprays are only partially effective against scale. Wipe off the lines of brown oval bumps with your finger, a cloth, or a child’s toothbrush then spray the plant with Neem Oil. Use the Green Solution to clean off the black mildew..
Diseases
Root-rot from over-watering is the main disease that affects a Heartleaf Philodendron.
Soil
Use a well-aerated all purpose potting soil that drains quickly.
Pot Size
Re-pot only when a Heartleaf Philodendron only when it has become root-bound in its existing container. Smaller pots help prevent over-watering.
Pruning
It's important to keep the long vines pruned so that the plant continues to look full and not leggy. Wash the leaves frequently to prevent dust from clogging the pores of the plant.
Propagation
A Heartleaf Philodendron is easily propagated using stem cuttings, especially during the growing season. Be sure the stem cutting has several nubs on it. Nubs are the little bumps where the leaves meet the stem. When the philodendron stem cutting is placed in water or soil, new roots develop from these nubs.
Clean Air Plant
NASA lists a Heartleaf Philodendron as a clean air plantCertain houseplants clean the air of harmful chemicals. that removes formaldehyde, a chemical found in insulation, floor coverings, cleaning agents, pressed wood, and even paper towels, from the air.
Poisonous Plant Info
All Philodendron plants are considered very poisonousPlants are a great addition to homes and offices, but it’s important to know whether your plants are dangerous to children, pets, or even adults. Some plants contain chemicals such as oxalates, solanine, glycosides, or alkaloid lycorine that may cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, swelling and redness of the mouth, throat, and lips, and trouble breathing. Touching parts of certain plants, especially the sap, may cause various skin irritations. The weight and age of the human or pet involved, and the part and amount of plant eaten determine how severe the reaction to the toxins will be. Although plants may be listed as non-toxic, they can still cause individual allergic reactions. If there is any question after a houseplant has been ingested or touched immediately call the Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222 The Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants [Paperback]is an excellent reference to keep around if you have young children and pets. with a #2 toxicity levelThese are general guidelines that describe how poisonous certain houseplants are. It's possible for an allergic reaction to occur from contact with any houseplant, toxic or non-toxic. If there is ever a concern, call: Poison Control Center: ******1-800-222-1222******
Level #1: Houseplants with low toxicity, may be mildly irritating, especially the sap of the plant.
Level#2: Houseplants with medium to severe toxicity. Eating parts of these houseplants may result in vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains, skin irritations, and breathing difficulties.
Level #3: These houseplants are very poisonous. When eaten, especially in large quantities, severe vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains, skin irritations, and breathing difficulties can occur.
Level #4: These houseplants are extremely poisonous. Eating parts of these houseplants can be be life threatening.
Every plant listed in our Popular HousePlant guide has a section explaining whether or not it is poisonous and, if so, how poisonous. Amaryllis, alocasia, dieffenbachias, crotons, ivies, azaleas, lilies, and philodendrons are just a few of the highly poisonous plants we use in our homes and offices all of the time. If you don't know whether your houseplant is poisonous, go to Ask Judy on the HousePlant411.com website, send her a picture of your plant, and she'll let you know if the houseplant should be kept away from small children and pets.
See colorful pictures and get more information about poisonous houseplants in
Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants
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Why are the new leaves on my heartleaf philodendron smaller and further apart on the stem than my older leaves?
If the leaves on your heartleaf philodendron are getting smaller and further apart on the stem, the plant needs more light. Although philodendron houseplants can survive in low lightWhen you select “Low Light” a list of the most adaptive plants in our database appears. These plants can live in lighting conditions too low to support any other plants in our database, but will grow faster in medium and high light. Variegation (color) in the leaves is often lost in low light. A plant in low light needs less water and fertilizer than the same plant in better light. Place a low-light plant within 2-3 ft. of a window with a northern exposure, 3-5 ft. of a window with an eastern exposure, 4-10 ft. of a window with a western exposure, and 10-18ft. of a window with a southern exposure. A low light area has between 50-150 ft. candles of light. The best low light house plants are: Chinese Evergreen, Dracaena Janet Craig, Peace Lily, Heart leaf Philodendron., they do much better in medium to high indirect light.
How do I get my heartleaf philodendron to look full and not so straggly? I have lots of long vines but the middle of my plant is very bare.
In order to get your heartleaf philodendron bushy and full, cut the bare vines back to 6”-8” from the rim of the pot. This encourages the stems to branch out rather than just get longer. Every few months, pinch off the growing tip of the stems to encourage this new growth.
How do I propagate a heartleaf philodendron?
A heartleaf philodendron is easily propagated using stem cuttings, especially during the growing season. Be sure the stem cuttings have several nubs. Nubs are the little bumps where the leaves meet the stem. When the philodendron stem is placed in water or soil, new roots develop from these nubs.
Does my heartleaf philodendron get brown leaves because I am over-watering?
A Heartleaf Philodendron gets brown leaves when under-watered and yellow leaves when over-watered.
A Heartleaf Philodendron gets brown leaves when under-watered and yellow leaves when over-watered.
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