Identification: I have no idea what this is, or what might be wrong with it...

I think this is some sort of philodendron, but I really don't know. We bought it for my boyfriend's office, but it came back home when he changed jobs and I fell in love and wouldn't let him take it back again. LoL. Anyway, it overgrew its former pot, so I repotted it (in the winter before I found out it was a bad idea) in moisture control soil mix, because he just gets watered when it seems like he's looking a little sad or extra dry, and misted every couple days or so which he seems to like. After I potted him he started wilting and a few of the stalks died out and the main stalk snapped. I stuck it in some water, hoping to save it, and it did well. Finally Dr. Phil (Cheesy, I know, but that's the big potted one) has gotten some resistance and colour back and is growing new leaves again, but he's stayed dark in colour, and only one or two leaves are becoming verigated again. Little Phil (the spawned) is very light and happy, and he's just living in water and rocks. They get diffuse daylight from a large sliding glass door facing north and under a balcony. If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts, I'd love to hear them. And I apologize if I've given too much info or not enough, it's my first time here, and my knowledge about plants is fairly limited!

 

could you post some pics of big phil and lil phil?

it sounds like you've probably got the id correct - a pic will let us see it and be sure.

 

Epipremnum aureum, and Dieffenbachia, both can tolerate morning sun and would prefer potting mix to being in water.

HTH
Chris

 

Your Epipremnum appears to be too dry. Although this plant should not be grown in soggy soil, it is a rain forest species and grows well in soil that is kept damp. Epipremnumaureum is a climbing species and will do much better if you give it a totem to climb. I have it climbing a post 12 feet tall in my atrium and it has continued on up above the post and found the rafters. The leaves are now close to 17 feet up and have grown to close to 22 inches in length. Once it reaches that height it begins to drop vines and those vines extend all the way to the floor and have dropped into the pond as well. Rain forest species receive far more water than most growers are willing to offer, so keep it damp. Water it more frequently and include a dilute fertilizer. You'll see it grow since this one is tough to kill!

 

chris and steve beat me to it! :)

a good mix for the soil is cactus mix/orchid mix done at almost half/half - go a little heavier on the orchid mix.

i bought a small bamboo trellis for my phil - it had lost quite a few of the leaves along the vine and steve recommended getting a totum to me as well. it's still pretty small at the moment and i couldn't find any totums, anyway, and the little trellis i got is the perfect size for it (at the moment). only a couple of weeks and there's new growth on the parts that had become bare. and i just noticed new growth at the ends yesterday.

definitely get that phil in an upright postion!!

 

Your Epipremnum aureum, or Devil's Ivy is a very easy plant to care for. I let the soil get pretty close to dry before giving a good drink. If it gets too dry the leaves will wilt and that's something you don't want to keep happening over and over or roots can dry up. Give it good bright indirect light and a little bit of dapple sunshine is ok too or a little morning sun, not hot afternoon sunlight, or the leaves can burn.

 

Joyclyn, here's a great source of totems up to 4 feet tall: https://www.secureserver.com/mosserlee/orderonline.html

Although I've read a lot of people suggest Epipremnum not be grown in bright light or given a great deal of water, that isn't they way the plant grows in the Solomon Islands where it originated.

In the rain forest this species climbs up to the top of the canopy and produces leaves that are very large as a result. As I described earlier, I have them doing the same thing and right now they are bumping the Lexan at the top of my atrium. They will do everything possible to stretch for the light. Part of the trick is to have a soil mix similar to what Joclyn described and keep it damp all the time. I use soil, peat, Perlite, and orchid potting media containing gravel, charcoal, and bark all mixed together with great results. If you don't want it to get big, then don't let it climb. But if you want to see it morph, then let it climb and keep it damp, just not soggy.

Compare the leaves to the 2 x 6's at the top of the building to get an idea of their size. The longer thin leaves are Philodendron sagittifolium while the more ovate leaves are Epipremnum. Epipremnum is the Asian and South Pacific equivalent of Philodendron. Philodendron don't grow outside Central America and South America as a natural species and Epipremnum are not native to the Americas. But you'll find both all over the globe now due to man importing them to most parts of the globe.

 

So, two plants actually came from one pot, and were rooted together... Are you actually saying they are different species? I was wondering why they looked so much different! I will make sure to get Dr. Phil something to grow up, but I don't know much about potting, so i was trying to let little phil get a good root system going so he had a better shot. (He just grew his first leaf since he broke off.) Since you guys are so fantastic at this, maybe you could tell me what this plant is. I found him sitting on a table looking for a little love, so I brought him home with me but a couple of the leaves turned brown almost as soon as I got him home. I've had him maybe six months now, and he's only growing a little tiny bit... I thought he was an airplane plant, but I cant tell. Any thoughts?

 

Don't recognize that one but I just want to make sure you know which plant is which.

The one with the cane is the Dieffenbachia. The one that looks like a vine is the Epipremnum. And yes, two vastly different species. The Dieffenbachia is likely South American (although your plant is almost certainly a hybrid) and the Epipremnum is from the Solomon Islands north of Australia. The soil mix and care for both will be approximately the same.

One caution about the Dieffenbachia. Although not a dangerous plant, don't take a nibble on any part of it. And don't allow a pet to nibble on it either. The common name is "Dumb Cane" and the reason is it can paralyze your throat. Two or three deaths have been reported. DON'T PANIC! Just don't chew on it! They make beautiful plants and it can grow quite tall. A bank where I worked in the early 1970's had one almost 12 feet tall! We had to use a long 2x4 to support it!

 

Hi Steve,
What is your opinion? Don't plants that are grown indoors have different needs as far as light and water to plants grown outdoors, in an atrium, or greenhouse?
If you keep a devils ivy wet, or all the time moist indoors it will eventually rot. If given too much direct hot sun, the leaves will burn, or scorch the leaves.
Outdoors, or in an enclosed moist environment like an atrium, or greenhouse, plants would want more water, and light, right?
I always thought greenhouses and the like were the perfect environment for plants, but being indoors in a stuffy house, they needed a more subdued, or gentle touch.

 

Vampire, I agree with the above comments. We have one Epipremnum growing inside and if you wanted a variation on the totem, we have ours just about all over the lounge room!!!
He goes over the TV, on the floor, back up a cabinet etc.
Last plant may be a Dracaena sanderiana????

Ed

 

steve, thanks for the link! i guess you missed me asking where i could find totums on that other post :)

i agree with ed, dracaena - not positive on the sanderiana part, though.

 

Bluewing, the trick is the soil mix. Certainly, you are correct about in a home environment plants don't receive the humidity. But they will still grow better if you mix the soil correctly. Soil mixes like Miracle Grow have tried for years to convince everyone their soil is perfect for all plants but in fact it stays muddy. So if you use it (nothing wrong with the product, just that its not best for aroids) it is going to stay muddy after you water. As a result you're going to have to wait for it to dry out before you can water again. If you do your own mixing before you plant you can avoid the problem.

First, use a pot that will drain quickly. One that has holes in the bottom is a must and in your home a tray of some sort beneath the pot is a must to catch the water as it runs through the soil mix. Promise, if you mix it right, the water will flow right through. But if you mix up a really porous soil with lots of peat, Perlite, orchid potting media and a good soil (like Miracle Grow) you will create a mix that is closer to a rain forest medium. In the forest there are leaves and dead vegetation falling to the forest floor all the time. They decompose and become part of the soil again, and along the way they produce a natural fertilizer. Nobody is going to run around the rain forest and sprinkle Miracle Grow all over the ground! (sorry about that, I just had to throw that one in) If we do what we can to duplicate what nature provides before we even pot the plant those plants will respond in ways most of us can't imagine.

The other thing is the ability to climb. Almost all aroids we grow climb in the forest. There just isn't enough room on the forest floor for all of them to exist! So they scurry up any and every tree trying to reach the light. As they reach the stronger light, the morph. If we allow them to duplicate that in our homes they will show you "faces" you often can't imagine. Many aroid growers never get to see even a "teenage" growth form because we don't allow them to climb. We only see the juvenile forms.

One great example, and I know I've used this one before, is Philodendron hederaceum. Many know it as Philodendron scandens, or Philodendron miduhoi, or Philodendron micans, but all are really one species, Philodendron hederaceum. It is simply one species with many "faces". Most of us never see a leaf bigger than 4 or 5 inches! But in nature they grow to four or close to 5 times that size! And they do it because they climb.

So order some of those totems, mix your own soil, and water whenever the soil looses the dampness. Promise, you will be surprised!

 

Steve,

Thanks for you input!

That's why I mix my own, what's in the stores is too heavy. I have always wondered why the "soil people" don't make the appreciate soil for each plant group without having to add anything. maybe it's a money thing;>)
I agree about soil and drainage being important, the pot size is as well. If you can get those in line, then you would be off to a good start I think.
I had to learn by my BIG mistakes along the way, lost a few, ahh hmm plants and I'm sure I'll probably lose a few more:>(
Yep, that would be something to able to see what we call "houseplants" outdoors growing wild and huge like crazy, what a sight!

 

Thank you, everyone for the responses. I have the Epipremnum in a plastic pot, with drainage holes all around the bottom. The soil he's in is Miracle-Gro Moisture Control potting mix, I'll post an ingredient list at the bottom. If it isn't helpful please disreguard. I want to avoid repotting him if I can help it, because he still seems so fragile from the last attempt, and my thumbs are black, heh. If there is anything I can/should add to his soil, I would rather try that first. On the watering I let the top of the soil get semi dry between waterings, but I don't let it get dust dry or anything. He always gets water if he looks sad, but he never has a chance to get really wilty. I don't water him enough to drain through the bottom, but he can if I give him too much water. (Generally he gets roughly one cup to one and a half cups twice a week maybe and misting regularly (at least every third day)... it's enough to thoroughly wet the soil down to the bottom, looking through the holes the colour is nice and dark.) I'm going to check the local nursery and get a totem tomorrow, but what is the best way and depth to get it into the pot without damaging roots? Also, what is the best way to convince him to climb it? If I wrap his limbs around, will he just grab on? On the Dieffenbachia, How long should I let the roots grow for/to before potting him in soil, or should I wait for it to be warmer? It has been in water rooting for about two months maybe, and the longest root is about an inch and a half to two inches long. (He grew a new leaf that is just unfurling now, yay!) The last photo I posted definately isn't a Dracaena Sanderiana, although I do have one of those too. The closest photo I could find for comparison was a spider plant, but all the photos I saw all had verigated leaves, and he is solid green (where he isnt brown anyway!). My Dracaena Sanderiana just had to be repotted, he was getting too wide for his old pot. When I repotted him, his roots were covered in a gelatinous... goo... I didn't take it off, since he's been doing well with it on, was that a good choice? And what was that stuff? I wanted to train him and make him all twisty, but then I found out it could take a decade or more to grow them the way I wanted, and I decided the ones in the mall weren't so expensive, and that mine was lovely standing straight up, Lol. Anyway, I hope I haven't asked too many stupid questions, but I love my plants and want them to flourish, not just live...

Miracle-Gro Moisture Control potting mix

Nitrogen .21%
.12% Ammoniacal Nitrogen
.09% Nitrate Nitrogen
Phosphate .07%
Soluable Potash .14%

Arsenic 3.39 ppm
Cadmium .03 ppm
Cobalt .04 ppm
Mercury .2 ppm
Molybdenum .04 ppm
Nickle .52 ppm
Lead .01 ppm
Selenium .5 ppm
Zinc 5.39 ppm

 

The Miracle Grow Moisture Control is better for aroids but still needs to be amended to make it more porous. If you add about 1/4 to 1/3 orchid mix (Schultz brand has gravel, bark, and charcoal) that will help make it porous.

My recommendation would be to get it into soil now.

 

Ok. Should I plant the Dieffenbachia with the same type of soil I use for the Epipremnum?

 

Is the gooey stuff clear? Could be a product that is added to soil to absorb moisture and then slowly release it. As for giving a limited amount of water each time you water--I don't agree. If your pot has drainage you should water till there is some water in the saucer. You want to be sure all the roots are moistened. If there is a lot of standing water in the saucer--dump it........

 

It is clear, I thought maybe it was some sort of feeding system or something... I will start offering more water, and see if he likes it better.

 

If the pot is the correct size, that is, the smallest pot you can fit it in with very little root room, maybe an inch of root room, you should only be watering once a week, plus, Epipremnum plants don't really need misting.