Philodendron Florida beauty is the perfect plant for house planting activities. People who are new to house planting activities can buy them because the caretaking process of this plant is straightforward and they do not need extra attention or time. They also look stunning and attractive, making them ideal for your house’s interior design. Florida beauty is a small plant with star-shaped leaves that can be placed anywhere in the house.
It Is a rare plant that is not that hard to find and can be readily available in specialized plant stores or websites online. They need bright but indirect light for their survival, and the soil requirement for these plants is also moderate; you can use basic soil used for house planting to grow these plants.
What Is Philodendron Florida Beauty?
The philodendron Florida beauty is a hybrid plant which day stays green for 12 months. It belongs to the Araceae family. Most people think Florida beauty is made by a cross between Philodendron pedatum and philodendron squamiferum. However, there is no clear evidence of this. It is said to be a trailing or climbing plant, so they often need string or a stick for support.
This plant comes with beautiful foliage and flowers. Leaves of Florida beauty are dark green and variegated. The color of the flowers is bright green which matches the leaves of this plant, and together they look much more attractive.
It will be perfect for you if you choose these plants for house planting activities as they are easy to take care of. The origin of these plants is not particular, and no one knows their original location. They are ancient plants, so it is often problematic for people to understand their history.
How to Care For Philodendron Florida Beauty?
This is a straightforward process for Florida beauty because they are mainly designed for people new to planting activities, which means they would be effortless to take care of. The temperature range of around 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit will be perfect if you want your plan to grow better. Florida beauty plant thrives in their original vegetation in a warmer climate.
In addition, a standard potting mix is excellent for these plants, and they do not need any particular potting mix to grow better. But make sure that this soil must be rich and well drained. The water requirement of this plant is also very high; they need regular watering, but that doesn’t mean that you should keep the soil soggy.
Water logging can damage your plant easily. Moreover, they need at least 50 % of humidity for their better development which is fair to be added. Eventually, they need bright but indirect light for their survival.
Light Requirement
If you want your Florida beauty plants to grow dense and brighter leaves, ensure they get enough bright and indirect light. It would be idle to keep your plant in the east-facing window because the light here is Suitable in the daytime.
However, if your house does not have an east-facing window, then you might also use the West and South facing windows, but some adjustments should be made before keeping them. Below are some tips that might help you get direct sunlight from the window.
- You should use curtains in your window because when the sunlight is very harsh, it might damage your plant, and curtains would be perfect for giving them indirect light.
- You can also place your plant 5 to 6 meters away from the window where the light is not direct.
- It is also necessary to rotate your plan from time to time so that each and every part of your plant can get enough light to grow. For example, it would be a golden chance if your house had east facing window because the light in an east-facing window is low to medium, and you don’t have to worry about damage to your plant.
You can know whether your plant is getting enough light or not just by simply checking the plant’s leaves. If your plant is getting the proper quantity of light, it will start developing lush green leaves with a yellow to cream design. And if it is not getting enough sunlight, then it might lose its variegation.
Water Requirement
The water requirement of philodendron Florida beauty is higher than that of usual philodendrons. Their soil should always be moist but not exceed the limit of water and make it soggy. Watering in these plants should be according to climatic and weather conditions. In summer, they usually need watering once or twice a week.
On the other hand, in winter, giving them water once in 14 to 15 days would be okay. However, you should remember that while watering again, make sure your plant must be dried up, and if you are not sure about that, you can check it by putting your finger in the upper layer of soil. If the soil field dries, you must water them in immediately and if the soil is still moist, wait for a couple of days until it dries.
Two overcome the water logging problem, and you can make your potting mix lose so that water can drain out from your plant with the help of tiny pores in the soil. Overwatering can cause root rot, so only provide a considerable amount of water to your plant.
Soil Requirement
An ordinary and loose soil with extra drainage properties can be perfect for your plant, and make sure that you put compounds like perlite, bark, and vermiculite to improve the drainage and aeration of the soil. Well-drained soil is soil that, after using enough water, drains extra water through tiny pores.
You can use decomposed materials such as manure and other natural ingredients to make your soil rich. However, wholly decomposed materials are only suitable for your plants, and if your manure is not decomposed completely, then it might be dangerous for your plant because it can cause infection and other diseases.
Temperature Requirement
Idle temperature for philodendron Florida beauty during the daytime must be 55 to 65 Fahrenheit which is equal to 14 to 20 degrees Celsius, and add the night time it should be slightly lesser than the daytime. They love to survive in warm temperatures, and they are not capable of handling temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Florida beauty is a highly adaptive plant, but you have to keep them far away from air conditioners and heaters because they can cause damage to your plant, such as leave dropping or ultimately killing your plant.
Humidity Requirement
Their natural vegetation is said to be in a very humid environment, so humidity of around 50 to 60% would thrive your plant’s growth. Humidity helps your plan to grow better, keeps them healthy, and gives them immunity to fight diseases on their own.
There are many ways by which you can provide humidity to your plant, such as giving water to leave so of plant with the help of a cotton ball. Dip cotton in water and start rubbing them over the leaves of your plant. But if you are a working man or woman and you don’t have enough time to look after your plant, then it might be a good time for you to buy a humidifier.
The humidifier is a device that helps you to create the environment of your house humid, and it works according to the requirement of your plant. It does not make the whole climate humid in your house but it only provides humidity to plants.
Fertilizer Requirement
Fertilizers are essential for enhancing the beauty of your plant. They are suitable especially for the foliage sector, as they can make variegation look more beautiful. Experts have recommended providing liquid fertilizers once every month in their growing stage. The increasing stage of philodendrons is generally in summer and late fall. Therefore, make sure that you feed fertilizers to your plant only twice in the whole winter season.
In the spring and summer season philodendron growth boost, while in the winter season, they stop growing., Aside from this, you can also use natural manure like your house waste, composed, and cow dung to provide additional growth features to your plant.
Potting and Repotting
These two are basic things that are important for the growth of your plant; potting is the first process that you need to start the development of your philodendron Florida beauty. These basic things are elementary to do; with a bit of help, you can easily pot your plant below guide will help you to pot and repot your plant.
Potting – You will need some necessary items during the process of potting, such as a brand new pot, water, soil, fertilizers, potting mix, and house planting equipment. Your pot must be small in its initial stages because they are small-sized plants, and it takes around one to two years to become a little bit bigger.
To start the process of potting, you need to collect soil and fill it in half in the pot that you bought for your plant. After that, place the plant carefully in the pot and then start filling it again with the rest of the soil. Additionally, it is recommended that you should keep your potting mix very loose so that water can drain through tiny pores quickly. Finally, after completing the whole planting process, please give them a little amount of water.
Repotting – This is one of the vital aspects of your plant growth because, after one to two years, philodendron Florida beauty needs a new and bigger pot for their further growth. That’s why repotting is a very necessary process for your plant. It is very crucial to select the timing of reporting and experts suggest that it should be done in the summer season or late falls because, in the winter time, the plant stops its growth.
So it makes the summer season ideal for this process. Use a bigger pot than the previous one because your plant is going to thrive and become bigger in size. This process is necessary for all philodendron plants.
Pest and Diseases
Philodendron Florida beauty are highly adaptive plants, and they can fight diseases and infections on their own. But in many cases, there can be several problems that can damage your plants. So it is necessary to take care of them, and some of the most common diseases and pests are spider mites, scale, mealy bugs, and aphids.
They can be responsible for killing your plant if they are left untreated for many days. Removing them is a straightforward process because they can be removed by alcohol, and you can use a sprayer to spray alcohol on your plant. Moreover, you can also wash your plant in the kitchen sink to remove these bugs. Make sure to check your plant regularly if they are suffering from problems or not.
Height and Growth Rate
Florida beauty is a medium-growing plant, and the leave of this plant is vast; the height can reach up to 90 feet, equal to 27 meters because it is a climber plant and it often needs a pole for a post to climb as it grows bigger. If you are going to plant them inside your house, but then from time to time, pruning must be required for these plants because they can grow so much more significantly.
Does Philodendron Florida Produce Flowers?
Florida beauty produces flowers in skin color, which look perfect with the variegated leaves of this plant. However, they only can be seen when they are grown in natural habitats; it is rare to see flowers in Florida beauty which is planted in the house. If you want your plan to grow flowers in them, then you need to mimic the environmental effect of tropical rainforest.
How to Propagate Philodendron Florida Beauty?
Stem cutting is the best way by which you can propagate your philodendron Florida beauty. They are effortless to propagate; you can grow several stems through the stem-cutting process. You can place them anywhere like in water and a tiny pot for this process.
Use a garden cutter or a sharp knife to remove a portion of the stem from the mother plant and apply it with another leaf; the cut you have made should be at least two to five inches long.
After that, within two to three weeks, Florida beauty will start growing roots and forming new leaves; this is how propagation can be done quickly.
Is Philodendron Florida Beauty Poisonous?
Almost every philodendron plant contains toxins in its leaves, which can be activated by chewing and biting the leaves. So it is essential to know that if you have kids around your house or pet, then make sure to keep these plants out of their reach. The toxin inside this plant won’t kill you, but it can give you a lot of stomach pain for two or three days.
What Is the Worth of Philodendron Florida Beauty?
These plants are rare to find, but they are too expensive. They can be readily available at a specialized store for around $100 to $800 U.S. dollars. This amount is not very big before such beautiful plants. You can buy them from the local store or specialized online websites. And if you have people who do house planting nearby, you can also ask them for the propagation of these plants.
Comparison Between Some Similar Plants
Philodendron Florida Beauty vs. Florida Ghost
They are almost similar to each other, and the shapes of their leaves are identical. But the thing that makes them different from each other is their variegation. Both the plants are peadtum, but Florida beauty is a Darker green version of Florida ghost with a white green pattern on its leaves. They become darker as they become more mature.
Philodendron Florida Beauty vs. Squamiferum
It is said that philodendron beauty is a cross between squamiferum and other plants. So they are related to each other, but the mother plants have a much wider range of giant leaves than Florida beauty.
Common Problems
Florida green can usually suffer from two common problems, which are turning off leaves into yellow color and sunburn foliage.
Yellowing of Leaves
This problem can be caused by improper soil moisture level, which is often caused by soggy soil. So it is vital to check the soil’s moisture before watering them again. First, let the soil completely dry, and then you can give them water again.
Sunburn Foliage
It is already evident from the name that this problem can be caused by sunburn. So if your plant is getting excess sunlight directly, you might need to change the location of your plant. Sun can damage the color of leaves and is capable of making your plant unattractive.
Final Words
Florida green is an Evergreen and subtropical climber plant, making it very suitable for beginners who want to try house planting. Therefore these plants need a minimal amount of caring time. Due to their beautiful leaves, you can also use them as decoration to design your house.
