How to Grow & Care for Syngonium Podophyllum ‘Albo Variegatum’ (2023)

The Syngonium Podophyllum is basically planted due to having unique foliage plants which do have lots of color and you can easily grow them either as a tabletop plant or use them to climb up. In this article, you will be guided by various ways to grow and care for Syngonium Podophyllum.  

Key takeaways:

• Syngonium Podophyllum is a plant having colorful types that contrast variegated leaves in deep green and white. 
• Syngonium Podophyllum generally originated from Central and South America and belongs to the Araceae family. 
• If you take proper care of the plant they can be grown quite large that approximately reaches over 6 inches in length. 

Scientific Name	Syngonium podophyllum ‘Albo Variegatum’
Common Name	Arrowhead Plant, Arrowhead Ivy
Light	Bright indirect sunlight
Watering	need to water to top inch of soil is dry
Temperature	60 to 80°F (15 to 26°C)
Hardiness Zone	9a, 9b, 10a, 10, 11
Humidity	50 to 60%
Soil Type	Rich, quick-draining, loamy
Soil pH	5.5 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
Fertilizing	supply balanced amount of fertilizer during the growing season
Repotting	Every 2 years
Pruning	Summer
Propagation	Root in water
Toxicity	supply balance amount of fertilizer during the growing season
Mature Size	6 feet as a houseplant
Bloom Time	Rarely blooms indoors

Grow & Care for Syngonium Podophyllum ‘Albo Variegatum’

For planting Syngonium Podophyllum you don’t have to care much for them they just need moderate watering, indirect light, and minimal effort. The Syngonium Podophyllum is a natural climber that goes through jungle floors and upto the trees. The following are some way that helps you with growing and caring for the Syngonium Podophyllum ‘Albo Variegatum’

• Light
• Temperature
• Soil
• Humidity 
• Soil 
• Fertilizer 
• Potting & Repotting 
• Pruning 
• Propagation 

Light:

• For growing Syngonium Podophyllum you provide bright, indirect light that ranges from 10000 to 20000 lux. 
• The perfect way of achieving the exact amount of light is when you place the pot in the North or east window so that will not damage the leaves. 
• But if you place the plant in a South or west-facing room you have to find where the sunlight does not have full light. 

Watering:

• For planting Syngonium Podophyllum you need to water them and never let the soil dry out so that the soil remains slightly moist. 
• The example for watering the Syngonium Podophyllum plant is like it has a difference between a dripping wet sponge and a sponge that is wrung out so you need to just damp it. 
• If you find that a few top inches of the soil is dry then you should water the plant but don’t water them in excess. The perfect way of pouring the water is by gently watering over the surface of the pot until the water comes out of the drainage holes. 

Temperature: 

• The perfect temperature range for planting Syngonium Podophyllum ranges between 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Hence a warm temperature is good for Syngonium Podophyllum but they do have a limited tolerance level of 54 degrees Fahrenheit as below this will damage your plant. 
• You need to avoid the plant from the cold winter weather. As the freezing conditions will kill the plant. 
• You can also place the plant outdoors in summer to give the plant hot and humid conditions. 

Humidity:

• The basic requirements for Syngonium Podophyllum range between 50 to 60%.
• If you are planting the plant indoors you need to maintain the humidity level at 35% or more. 
• In case you want the plant to grow bigger and healthier leaves you need to raise the humidity level. 
• If you find that the leaves are getting brown tips here also you have to increase the humidity level. 
• You can also mist the foliage or place the pot on a pebble and fill it with water to maintain the humidity. 
• The more easy way to maintain Humidity is by using a small humidifier. 

Soil:

• The Syngonium Podophyllum plant needs porous and well-draining soil for retaining moderate amounts of moisture. 
• The pH level of the soil for planting should be between 5.5 to 6.5.
• You can easily buy the soil mix or make your own soil mix by mixing together equally peat moss and perlite. 

Fertilizer:

• For healthy growth with beautiful leaves, you can use fertilizer. 
• For example, you can use compost or slow-release granules that are good for a full growing season. 
• The perfect ratio to add fertilizer is about 10-10-10 and use them once a month during the growing season which is spring and Summer. 
• You need to dilute it according to the strength and pour the mix over the soil surface. 

Potting & Repotting:

• Repotting is not just done when the Syngonium Podophyllum grows to full size but you should do repotting to give the plant refreshing soil. 
• When you find the plant is root bounding you need to repot the plant or repotting is done after every few years.
•  If you find that the roots are growing out of the drainage holes you need to repot the plant. 
• Also if you find that the water is running out when you are trying to water it then it is also high time for repotting. 
• For repotting, you just need to 2 inches more of the diameter of the pot not just planting a larger size of pot that will let excess water transpire. Also, make sure that there are good drainage holes. 
• You need to use fresh potting soil always so that it doesn’t start growing any diseases. 

Pruning:

• The  Syngonium Podophyllum does need pruning and the best time is spring or summer. 
• The benefit of cutting and pruning makes the growth good or for keeping shorter length. 
• For getting the bushier vine you need to pinch off the stems that have too long or leaves above then 6 or 7 so that the new stem starts growing from there. 
• In case you see any leaves getting damaged or die you need to trim them off. 

Propagation:

• You can easily propagate  Syngonium Podophyllum by stem cutting. 
• The best time for propagation is in spring or summer as it is the growing period. 
• The right way for propagation is by using stem cutting for that you need to select a stem having at least 3 nodes and a leaf and cut the stem close to the soil surface. 
• For maintaining consistent moisture you can put the cutting in a jar of water or in soil medium. 

Common Problems of Syngonium Albo:

To grow  Syngonium Podophyllum in your garden there are not many problems you should worry about. But this doesn’t mean you should not take care of them. There are some common problems that you can get while growing Syngonium Podophyllum such as:

Pests:

Pests are bugs which used to target indoor plants but you can save your plant by using an organic insecticide like neem oil or insecticidal soap. You can also wipe the leaves by using a damp cloth or spraying some water over the foliage of the plants.

• In case of find any yellow bumps that means the plant has got spider mites and when you rinse the plant you can easily get rid of spider mites.
• Aphids are plants that look like small green bugs and you can see them underside of the leaves.
• The plant can also get mealy bugs which look like little white puffs and are used to grow under leaves. to get rid of them you can use a cotton ball by dipping them with rubbing alcohol.
• Scale are the pests that are used to grow on the stems and leaves which look like small brown bumps To get it way you need to scrape it off.

Diseases:

• Syngonium Podophyllum are plants which are easily infected by bacteria or fungi when they are overwatered.
• If caught by Erwinia bacteria does cause bacterial blight and stem rot.
• In case you see any dark green circles on the leaves of the plant you need to throw them out but they are just infected leaves. You need to remove the leaves as soon as possible and let the plant recover.
• It can also get fungal infection due to which it gets a Myrothecium leaf spot which causes brown spots and to avoid it you need to cut off the affected leaf and make sure to spray it with fungicide.

Growing Problems:

It is not compulsory that growing problems are only caused due to an infectious disease; they can also be caused because of the unprofitable or unfavorable conditions of plants. You need to check and improve the environmental condition for the best growth of the plant. If the leaves of the plants are drooping and turning yellow it is because of the soil getting wet and to improve the conditions you need to repot it with fresh and porous soil. When you find that the tips of the leaves are getting brown it can be due to an increase of humidity around the plant. Also if the leaves are reverting to plain green then you need to move the plant to the brighter spot so that the plant gets more light. You can also cut the green-off leaves in order to increase the growth of the new leaves.

Conclusion:

Hence after reading the article, you will easily learn how to grow and care for Syngonium Podophyllum by maintaining all the important requirements.