There are lots of philodendrons that can be wonderful for your home, but one variety known for its bright color and vibrant growth is the Lemon Lime Philodendron. They are great as indoor houseplants that can brighten almost any room in no time.
This article covers:
- What a Lemon Lime Philodendron is and what it looks like
- How to care for it including the right light, water, and soil conditions
- Common problems and what to do to address them and keep your plant healthy
Let’s go!
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Table of Contents
What is a Lemon Lime Philodendron?
A Lemon Lime Philodendron, or Philodendron Hederaceum, is a tropical plant native to South America that’s, as the name suggests, the color of light green akin to certain lemon-lime soda brands.
Like other Philodendron types, it is known for being an easy-to-care-for houseplant, perfect for indoor growth. While it can be grown outside too, you will have to live in the right climate to ensure lively colors and rapidly growing leaves.
The leaves of this plant, like other Philodendrons, are large, shaped like hearts, and stay green year-round. The plant growth can be sporadic, but can also grow quite large, even in compact environments. If you keep it in a hanging pot or basket, then the stems will grow like vines and cascade toward the ground.
To learn about two different types of growth for Lemon Lime Philodendron varieties, check out this informative video:
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How to Care for Lemon Lime Philodendron
While Lemon Lime Philodendron plants are very easy to take care of properly when compared to other houseplant types, you still need to know how to water them and the right type of soil and amount of light to provide if you want them to grow fast, bright, and vibrant. Keep reading to learn exactly how to do that!
Light
Since this plant originates in South America, they do like bright light, but you should avoid using direct sunlight because they naturally grow under the shade of a rainforest canopy. Bright indirect light is best, but if you can only provide low light conditions that should be okay too, but it may not grow as fast.
We suggest placing your Lemon-Lime colored beauty in a south-facing window, but not too closely unless you have a shade of some sort. Usually between 2 and 3 feet from the window works great!
If you don’t want it in a south-facing window, any others should be fine, but you may have to tweak the distance, use curtains or other forms of shade, and mess around with other factors to get it just right.
Water
Since these plants are native to rainforests, you can bet that they want lots of water but that doesn’t mean they need to get too much because that can lead to root rot and other problems. That’s why you always need to make sure the first top half of the soil is dry before watering again. If you follow this rule, then you will give it the right amount of water all year long.
Just an extra tip: brown, soft, or wilting leaves usually mean that the plant doesn’t have enough water while yellow leaves or fading coloration points to too much water. When you adjust, you also need to water until moist – not too much and not too little. Keep an eye daily until the plant rejuvenates to its attractive appearance.
Soil and Fertilizer
You should use well-draining, loose soil for your Lemon Lime Philodendron plant. Traditional potting mixes that include peat in the formula tend to work really well.
The roots need to grow easily, which is why you want soil that isn’t very compact. Furthermore, we recommend avoiding sandy soils because even though they are well-draining, they are a little too dense for the roots to stay happy and healthy.
Early in the growing season is the time to repot into healthier, newer soil. While it may not need repotting every single year, you should repot regularly to avoid stunting the growth.
In addition, it is a good idea to feed the Lemon Lime Philodendron fertilizer once a month or so during the spring and summer. You can use standard plant fertilizer, but dilute it to at least half strength and possibly a quarter strength.
Temperature and Humidity
These plants like it in similar temperatures that we like, which is why they are perfect for indoor growth. You want to maintain 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day. It can handle dropping a little lower at night, but you want to keep it away from drafts and any frost.
While it can handle warmer or cooler temperatures for short periods, you need to be careful leaving it outside of that range for any extended period.
As far as humidity goes, you probably don’t need to adjust unless you live in an extremely dry household or climate. However, you can try to increase the humidity with a humidifier machine or other plants, and the leaves may grow longer and faster.
Regular Maintenance
These plants are very easy to maintain and care for, so there’s not a lot that you will have to do to keep them looking lovely and attractive, but they do require some pruning occasionally.
If you see dead, discolored, damaged, or sickly leaves, then trim them off using sharp, sanitized shears or scissors.
If the growth is getting too large for your compact area, then you can certainly trim it down. Just make sure you do so above the leaf nodes. When you do this, it can contribute to a healthier, more compact appearance and stimulate growth. It can also even out the growth to ensure that it doesn’t look lopsided or jagged.
Finally, you may want to occasionally wipe the dust off of the leaves using a damp cloth and careful, gentle rotations. This will help them breathe the oxygen in the air and also help prevent pests that can damage your Lemon Lime Philodendron.
Common Problems with Lemon Lime Philodendron
While Lemon Lime Philodendron plants are really easy to take care of, there are some problems that can arise. The good news is that these problems are usually not too serious as long as you address them quickly. That is why it pays to learn the common problems and their causes before you encounter them!
Brown Leaves
When Lemon Lime Philodendron leaves start to turn brown, you are probably not watering it enough. As soon as the top half of the soil completely dries out, you should water it.
While it can withstand low water for a little while, the leaves will begin to dry out. Additionally, you need to water it thoroughly every time so that the surface of the soil is moist and water drains out the bottom of the pot. Still, you don’t want to waterlog it or have any floating or puddling water at any time.
Yellow Leaves
Gnats are not very harmful to the plant itself but can be quite annoying anyway. Make sure you regularly remove plant debris, dead leaves, and dying stems. In addition, try not to have soil that never dries out enough.
Lemon Lime Philodendrons have lemon yellow leaves, so a little yellow in the shading is completely normal and looks great, but if they start to turn ugly yellow then you might be overwatering your plant. Do not water just because you thought of it, instead, wait until the top half of the soil dries completely. Then, you can water as normal.
Pests
Lemon Lime Philodendron can attract some bugs and pests that can harm its health and be frustrating to your care. The most common pests for this plant are gnats, mealybugs, and spider mites.
Mealybugs will look like cotton has infiltrated your plant. They spread rapidly and will transport to other plants. To get rid of them, remove all the visible plants by wiping them away with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol. Then, use neem oil to spray the entire plant once per week. Repeat until all the mealybugs are gone and then occasionally thereafter.
You can do something similar for spider mites, which look like red or black moving spots on your plant. Spray the plant with a combination of rubbing alcohol, neem oil, and hydrogen peroxide once every week until the infestation is eradicated.
Wilting Leaves
If the leaves start to wilt, then you may be overhydrating the plant. However, at this stage, it may have already developed root rot, which means addressing the problem is not as simple as adjusting your watering schedule.
Instead, you will have to replace the soil with new, dry soil before watering again. Furthermore, while doing this, make sure you remove the rotting portions of the root system completely so that you get rid of the problem before putting it in a new pot and new soil.
Final Thoughts on Lemon Lime Philodendron
A Lemon Lime Philodendron is a wonderful plant that has light green leaves that are very nice to look at. Plus, it is an easy-growing plant that is quite durable as long as you give it some attention, partially to the watering schedule and the light conditions, which work best when it is in indirect bright light throughout the day. Good luck!