Sunday, October 26, 2008

Philodendron cuttings


I took cuttings of my kitchen philodendron, which has totally outgrown its window. In place of one pot I now have five. I have no idea where I'll keep them if they take root. Perhaps I'll get rid of the mother plant, which has cold damage from touching the window pane. I decided to plant the cuttings directly into the soil instead of first rooting in water. I mixed some rich potting soil 1:1 with a very light orchid soil I had left over, I hope they like it. I've never rooted philodenedrons before. It seems weird to do it in late October but apparently there is no time of the year when they are guaranteed to root better than at other times. So I did it this afternoon - outgrown as it was it would only get worse during the winter.

Now the kitchen window looks empty and I have little privacy from the street. I'll have to put some other plants there.. I like the jungle look - lots of foliage of different shapes and sizes - but it's not easy to achieve because my apartment, and in particular the north-facing kitchen, doesn't get very much light. I think I'll try rotating plants from other rooms.. each plant will spend a couple of days in the kitchen with insufficient light and will then be replaced by another and returned to a brighter spot.

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