I am not experienced with plants and have just been given a 40 yr old house plant from my father. It is a Philodendron bipinnatifidum. This plant – given it’s age – has a very very long trunk and tons of vines growing off the trunk. Due to the length of the trunk it is now growing almost horizontally. I was wondering if it is wise (or possible) to do some plant surgery – essentially hosing off the root ball and cutting half the trunk off (leaving many of the root vines growing from it) and replanting it so it sits upright. I love this plant but want it to sit upright (it takes up a huge amount of room). I also would feel horrible for killing the thing given how long my father had it. Thoughts?
That won't hurt it - you'll just end up with two or three plants where you had one before. You can also pot up the portion of trunk you cut off (at an upright angle as well) and that way you're not losing the lovely big leaves it's got now. I wouldn't hose off the rootball, though - if that's healthy, leave it in its soil as it is. That way you'll avoid the possibility of root rot (which Meconostigma group Philos like yours are prone to when the roots are exposed). If you want to encourage it to keep growing upright, try finding it a totem or something similar to climb. The vines you see growing off the trunk are holdfasts that it would normally use to attach itself to a tree (in the wild, Philos this size are climbers). And this link contains a ton of excellent info on care and feeding of your P. bipinnatifidum. http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Philodendron bipinnatifidum pc.html
Thanks for the advice - very helpful! Just a few details I'd like before I start my handy work... Should I cut the trunk in half? It is about 3' long. Should I just use a handsaw? I am assuming I should try to separate the vines so each half of the trunk keeps as many vines as possible. How do I go about planting the top half? Do I just plug it into a pot of topsoil with its vines and it will take it from there? I am a big plant rookie. Is the worst that will happen that I will kill just the top half or will this "procedure" jeopardize the whole pant?
A hacksaw will do more harm than good - I'd go for a very sharp kitchen-type knife if you've got one. You're bang on about the vine separation. To root the top, you plug it into a pot but not of topsoil. A blend of about 50% orchid bark, 25% peat or coir, and 25% potting soil is better, since fast drainage is key for healthy Philos. The worst that will happen is that the top half drops its leaves; I have yet to meet anybody, no matter how black their thumbs were, who has actually succeeded in killing a Meconostigma Philo of this size by propagating it. You definitely won't be jeapordizing the rootstock portion of the plant either, however you will likely cause it to branch.
