How to Grow & Care for Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ (2024)

Who would not like to have a plant that becomes an eye-catcher? In an era of show-off, let me introduce you to this trending indoor plant.

Excited to know what I am talking about? Let’s get started to explore it closely.

Here I am talking about Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady,’ which will feel like a collector’s dream come true due to its neon yellow-green foliage. Believe me, when you grow them, you will feel the same as I have felt. So if you want a plant with a pink stem to grow in your living space, then read on for more information.

About Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’

The name is given to the plant because of has leaf spots that look like a brush by hand.

Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ comes under a variegated climbing plant that is mostly preferred by collectors. The plant does have two Philodendron parent plants i.e. Philodendron erubescens ‘Emerald Queen and Philodendron erubescens ‘Burgandy’.The plant belongs to the Araceae family which is not a discovered plant but it was cultivated plant by botanist Robert McColley in 1960.

Some interesting facts:

• The Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ flower does not smell well and it takes the nutrients of the plant so removing the flower is the best option.
• The plant leaves in the start do have a neon color but it changes to deep green with blotches in its maturing stage.
• They consist of heart-shaped leaves that have a glossy texture.
• The plant does grow slowly so growing them indoors is a good option.
• The growing rate of the plant does vary taking upto five years to maturity.

Let’s learn the different ways to grow the Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’

How to Grow Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’?

You can grow the Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ easily by propagating the plant in there are different ways such as:

• Stem cuttings
• Root division 
• Air layering 

Let’s learn together about these three methods

Stem Cutting Propagation:

1. Planting Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ by stem cutting is easy if the plant has lots of aerial roots and is big.
2. For stem cutting first choose a healthy stem having at least two to three nodes and is four to six inches long.
3. Next, cut below the node.
4. Make sure to remove the leaves from the bottom of the plant but keep the top leaves there only.
5. Now make a soil mix using coco coir, bark chips, and perlite, and plant the cutting in it.
6. After dipping the nodes in the soil you need to keep cutting in a bright, warm spot place where it receives the direct sun rays.
7.  At last cover the pot with the help of a transparent, plastic sheet to help the plant to grow the root fast.
8. You will notice roots growing between two to four weeks.

Air Layering Propagation:

1. If you want to grow the Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ by air layering you need two things a mother plant and some peat moss or sphagnum moss.
2. Select a stem from the mother plant you want to grow a new plant.
3. Wrap moss around the nodes.
4. Keeping the moss moist helps in growing the roots around the node.
5. You need to cover the moss with the help of a plastic sheet which helps in capturing the moisture.
6. Remember not to wrap the leaves of the stem which will cause root rot.
7. You need to spray moss daily which helps increase the moisture.
8. You will get to see the result of new growing roots within a few weeks.
9. Lastly, remove the moss when you see the roots are growing big and place cutting in a soil mix same as you did in stem cutting. 

Root Division:

1. You will notice the growth of small plants with the matured plant so you can use those baby plants to grow new plants.
2. The root division method for growing Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ does have a high success rate and grows in less time.
3. You need to first water the plant and then remove the baby plant slowly from the soil mix so that the root ball does not get hurt.
4. Now again repot the main plant back and leave the new plant in a partial shade so that it acclimatizes to the new soil environment. 
5. Make sure not to keep the soil soggy and dry.

Just growing is not easy for plant the Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ you need to take care of the plant so that it grows in a healthy and beautiful.

How to Care for Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’?

You need to maintain the environment according to the native places of the plant. Here are some different ways that will help you healthily grow the plant:

Light:

• You need to provide Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ with bright light but also keep the plant away from the full sun.
• The perfect range of light is between 10,000 to 20,000 lux.
• Placing the plant in a north or east-facing window will meet the light requirement.
• If you place them in a south or west-facing window you need to keep the plant several feet back from the window.

Watering:

• Instead of watering the plant by making a watering schedule, you can make a soil testing schedule.
• Water the plant if you find that the top  2 or 3 inches of the soil has dried out and let the excess of the water drain away.
• You need to lower the watering schedule during the winter and water the plant only when the water is soaked by the soil completely.

Temperature:

• The ideal temperature for growing Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ ranges from  65 to 80ºF (18 to 27ºC).
• In case of the hot summer season, you can move the plant for a few months to a shady spot.
• The tolerance level of the temperature for growing them is under 55ºF (12ºC).

Humidity:

•  In rainforests, the plant used to grow between 70 to 80% of humidity.
• For growing Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ as your houseplant you need to maintain a humidity level of 40%.
•  In case you find brown tips on the leaves of the  Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ you need to provide the plant with regular misting or you can also place a pebble tray that is filled with water under the plant.
• I could suggest you group all the plants together and use a small humidifier to maintain the humidity.

Soil:

• The best pH level for growing  Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ ranges from  6.1 to 7.3.
• The best way to grow Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ is by using 100% peat moss.
• You can also use a commercial soil mix by mixing either an aroid or African Violet soil.

Fertilizer:

•  Adding the fertilizer upto a moderate amount in the growing season will help them with the foliage growth.
• A good ratio of mixing fertilizer is in with a ratio of  20-20-20.
• You can add the fertilizer by applying it about 6 inches away from the plant base.
• The other option for using fertilizer is to use liquid fertilizer once a month in the spring and summer seasons.
• You need to dilute the fertilizer to half of the fertilizer strength and spread it on the perimeter of the container.

Potting & Repotting:

• The need for repotting Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ does come once every 2 or 3 years.
• In case of finding the roots growing in the drainage holes then it’s high time to repot the plant into a new container.
• You need to use a pot that is a few inches more in diameter than the current pot.
• Need to use a pot which does have good drainage holes.
• You need fresh potting soil in the new pot to avoid the building of any disease.

Pruning:

• The right time for pruning the Philodendron Erubescens ‘Painted Lady’ is in the spring as that is the growing season.
• By cutting the stem of the plant it will help in growing bushier way rather than growing lengthy.
• For the growth of new lateral stems, you need to trim a stem above the node of the plant.
• Pruning can help in removing the dead or damaged leaves and stems of the plant.
• Always use sterilized scissors, and wear gloves that will help protect the skin from the toxic sap of the plant.

Conclusion:

So I am sure after reading this article it will be easy to grow and take care of the Painted Lady plant in your garden. you need to follow all the steps in order to get good results.