I got this beautiful philodendron from a nursery nearby. I dont know what type of philodendron it is, neither did anyone in the nursery. The plant was ok for a month or so, but it slowly started drying up. I live in a tropical climate and the humidity is also high in Chennai. So since I was asked not to place it in direct sunlight it is in a place wher it gets only filtered sunlight. I water it everyday. Still, there have been no new leaves for at least two weeks now and moreover, the smaller leaves are not growing, but are drying up as it is. Can someone please help ?
Is it drying up because there are too many roots in too little soil? When plants get root bound sometimes they start dying because they cannot support their leaves and roots in their current environment. Try gently working it out of the pot and looking at the roots. If you see ropey roots running in circles around the inside of the pot and very little dirt around them then you probably need to re-pot it. If that's not it you might want to find out if you have fungus gnats. If the leaves are dying from the base of the plant as well as the ends, it may be that you need to look into some pest extermination or fungus control - especially because I believe you said it was very humid. Also I would like to add that you should carefully begin cutting off the affected leaf areas. If you can do so without destroying the leaves that would probably help you plant some.
I'm with Fen - check your soil. If the plant is at all rootbound, you need to repot it into a larger pot, with drainage holes, and use soil that is at least 50% bark bits - the same soil that is used for orchids. After this, give the soil a good dusting of cinnamon to take care of any fungus that might be hiding in there. With the new soil, which drains very quickly, you can water almost daily - the point is to keep the soil moist but not soggy. So long as the main stem is still firm, not squishy, you should be fine. The symptoms your plant is presenting are consistent with being drowned (overly wet) as well as being rootbound.
This is a somewhat young specimen of Philodendron xanadu Croat, Mayo and Boos. The plant has a quite a sordid history, much of it totally fabricated by sellers. I now own one of the two original research plants used by Julius Boos and the three researchers that did all the documentation and research on the species before it was named. This plant is a member of Philodendon subgenus Meconostigma, the group that contains all the species known as the "Tree Philodendron" It is perfectly capable of self supporting itself until it grows much larger but will eventually need support. Meconostigma do in fact climb trees. The plant originated in Brazil and some photos appear to indicate it is capable of becoming very large with very big leaves. The plant needs a larger pot but the roots need to be carefully spread apart before re-potting. You should use a good soil mix which you should mix yourself. The mix is not critical but a good base is roughly 30 to 40%% soil, 30 % peat moss, perhaps 10 % sand and the balance a mixture of orchid bark, granulated charcoal such as aquarium charcoal, Perlite and good compost. Keep the soil evenly moist but don't drown it and don't allow it to dry out completely. Don't be afraid to over pot it, the roots will just continue to grow and completely fill another pot. Be certain the pot can drain! The plant can tolerate a generous amount of light and in fact will love it but avoid direct sunlight Once it produces an inflorescence that reproductive organ will be reddish to purplish. The reddish portion is the spathe and inside will be a spadix. You can see photos of one on the link below. By the way, that inflorescence is not a flower, but instead a group of flowers that grow on the spadix at the center of the inflorescence. http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Philodendron xanadu pc.html
Thanks a lot Fen Sandar, Iorax and Photopro. I will try repotting it in a bigger pot with the soil mix suggested and also dust it with cinnamon to take care of any fungus. And I am really grateful to photopro for the identification because it helps me to get hold of resources from the internet. Thanks once again to all of you for the speedy response.
