How to Care for Philodendron Micans?

If space is an issue in your apartment or office, yet you still want a philodendron plant to lighten up your room or workspace, the philodendron Micans is a perfect small space plant.

Although it’s a climbing plant, it can look great in a hanging basket or it can crawl up a trellis or burlap covered pole.

What’s different about this philodendron with heart-shaped leaves is the texture of the leaves — they’re velvety and soft to the touch. Leaves come in different shades from deep green or rusty hues.

If I piqued your interest about the Micans variety, check out the care tips below for more info on how to cultivate this plant in your home.

Size & Growth

On average, this philodendron variety reaches 8-12 inches in height and 24 inches in spread. They grow fast and require potting in a hanging basket or allowed to climb a structure.

Depending on the size you want to keep it at, you’ll need to do some pruning, which will also encourage it to grow fuller.

Light Requirements

Bright light is the best for the philodendron mican, just avoid exposing it to direct sunlight. The leaves are sensitive and will burn if blasted by the rays of the sun.

I recommend placing this plant farther away from the window, and make sure that it’s protected from excess direct sun exposure.

Watering

If you had other philodendrons before, you may already know the drill with watering these plants. The key is always to avoid overwatering, but also avoid drying out the soil completely.

The way to achieve this somewhat delicate balance is to test the soil dryness. Simply stick your index finger into the soil until the first knuckle. If the top inch of soil feels dry, water your philodendron.

If the soil feels moist, check back again in a few days. Even though philodendrons enjoy slightly moist soil, the keyword here is “slightly”. If the soil is too wet, rotting inducing fungi will spread wreaking havoc in the root system.

Soil Type

A quality, well-draining, loose potting mix is required for philodendrons. Best combinations include regular potting soil mixed with peat moss, vermiculite, or perlite, or combinations of these.

If the soil is prone to compaction and water retention — as regular potting soil is — you’re going to have issues with root development and root rot.

If you don’t want to prepare your own potting medium mix, you can plant your philodendron in African violet potting mix.

Temperature & Humidity

If you’re keeping this plant indoors, temperature usually isn’t a big issue. Your philodendron micans will thrive in average room temperature all year long.

You do, however, need to make sure it’s not exposed to frost or cold drafts, because it cannot tolerate any frost. Don’t expose this plant to temperatures below 55 F.

Fertilizing

Because the plant is a fast-grower, I recommend that you consider regularly feeding this philodendron variety.

Not because they’re heavy feeders, but because all that growing consumes extra resources that are best replenished.

Fertilizing also comes in handy if you notice that your philo micans is simply not growing as it should and it produces tiny leaves.

Now, this can be explained with environmental factors, too. But the most likely cause is lack of nutrients that could support better growth and development.

Use a weak solution of balanced liquid fertilizer designed for foliage plants and feed your micans philodendron monthly. During periods without active growth — fall and winter — you can phase out the feeding to every 6-8 weeks.

Potting & Repotting

For this philodendron variety, you can use hanging baskets or a regular pot. Make sure any pot that you use is fitted with draining holes.

If the plant has outgrown its pot, you’re going to need to transfer it to a bigger pot. You also need to transfer the plant if it has been in the same pot for too long and the root ball has become compacted.

Schedule repotting to early spring just before the plant enters into the new growing season. Deeply water the plant the day before repotting to make it easier to dislodge the plant from the pot and to reduce stress.

Choose a pot that’s around 2-3 inches bigger than the current pot, so that you don’t oversize the pot. Oversizing the pot can cause watering issues (e.g. the soil stays wet for longer).

How to Propagate Philodendron Micans?

The best time to propagate philodendron micans is in spring or summer when new growth takes place. You can either harvest viable cuttings when you’re pruning your plant or simply choose cuttings with at least 2 leaf nodes.

Make sure the cuttings have leaves on them. Place the cut end of the cuttings into potting medium or water. If you’re rooting in water, you should replace the water often. If you’re rooting in soil, you should keep the soil moist (not soggy though!).

Keep in a warm location, out of direct sunlight and you should see roots appearing on cuttings that you’re rooting in water.

Once this happens, you can transfer them to their own pots with soil. Choose the same type of well-draining soil you would for an adult plant. Usually, small cuttings are ready to be transplanted into their own pots in about 2 months.

Wrapping Up

Philodendron micans don’t require much attention. Once you offer the plant the environment it needs, it will reward you with vigorous growth and beautiful velvety leaves.

Be mindful especially of light recommendations and watering instructions. If exposed to the powerful rays of the sun, the plant can easily scorch, so keep that in mind, especially if you’re transferring it outdoors during the summer.

Likewise, make sure you don’t water this plant in excess. If the roots sit in water for extended periods, rotting will occur causing wide-spread destruction not only to the roots but the entire plant.

If your plant is not developing well, assess its growing conditions and try feeding it with a balanced liquid fertilizer.