Philodendron Gloriosum Care
The key to philodendron gloriosum care is to keep it out of direct sunlight, give it enough humidity but not too much water…
Philodendron Gloriosum Care Summary
| Light needs: | Bright indirect sunlight. No direct |
| Watering needs: | Check weekly, water if top 50% of the soil is dry. |
| Fertilizer: | A balanced feed once a month in spring and summer. |
| Soil: | Well draining, rich. |
| Humidity: | 50%. |
| Temperature: | 18-27°C (64-81°F). |
| Where to buy: | Try one of these Rare Plant Shops. |
| Common issues: | Spider mites, aphids, overwatering. |
Introduction
The philodendron gloriosum is my favorite plant I have 5 of them at the moment. They are awesome, just a big bold leaf our of the ground! I love the way they grow sideways too.
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Light Needs
The gloriosum will do best with bright indirect sunlight. Do not let them get any direct sun as it will burn the leaves. They will do fine further back from the window though and mine have done just fine in mediumly lit areas.
See also our other posts: Philodendron Glorious Care as well as our posts about propagating gloriosums: Philodendron Gloriosum Propagation In Leca, Philodendron Gloriosum Propagation In Water, Philodendron Gloriosum Propagation In Moss.
How Often to Water
They do not want to sit in wet soil for too long, so check them once a week and only water them if the top 50% layer of soil is dry. Do not soak these your gloriosum at watering time, but give it just enough until it drips out of the bottom. Make sure you empty out any water after ten minutes so the plant does not sit in water.
Fertilizer
Use a balanced plant feed once a month in spring and summer.
Soil
The best soil mix for a gloriosum is one rich in organic matter and really well draining, with plenty of perlite.
For more on Philodendron soil see our guide on what to buy or how to make your own: Philodendron Soil.
When To Repot
Pot it up when it outgrows it’s current pot, the best time of year is in spring. If you want your gloriosum to grow large leaves you need to let it crawl, so a big pot with plenty of space for it to grow sideways is ideal. Something like a big window planter is great as the plant can develop and grows sideways. You can leave it in it’s current pot and take cuttings when it grows over the edge too, but you should really find out how great it looks when allowed to crawl and develop big leaves!
Humidity
50% is ideal for a gloriosum, you can go even higher up to 80% even. They will thrive if given 50% or more. The higher humidity the more you need to be careful of fungus on the leaves.
Temperature
The ideal temperature range for a gloriosum is 18-27°C (64-81°F). Don’t let them get too cold in winter a cold draft can really damage them.
Philodendron Gloriosum Propagation
To propagate a gloriosum wait until the new growth out the end of the plant has developed into a full leaf, then cut it off at the base, making sure to include the node the bottom.
Let the cutting heal over for 2 hours or so for the wound to heal, this will reduce the chance of the cuttings rotting. Then you can water propagate them in a far of water for two months before moving them to soil or leca.
We go into more detail on propagating philodendrons, see our step by step guides here (with pics of me propping my own plants): Philodendron Gloriosum Propagation In Leca, Philodendron Gloriosum Propagation In Water, Philodendron Gloriosum Propagation In Moss.
Philodendron Gloriosum Chonk
Gloriousums are often sold as chonks, which are really small node cuttings. They are expensive plants and so sometimes the only way to get one is by buying a chonk. Often a seller will have a chonk, as naked nodes are common, all it takes is for a leaf to die back.
To grow a chonk you should place it in moist (but not soaking wet) sphagnum moss. It is important to remember that gloriosums grow sideways and not upwards, so the chonk should not be fully buried, but only half buried, and it should be horizontal – not pointing into the moss, but laid across it. Put a plastic bag around it to keep the humidity high, but leave a small hole for air. It should root quickly within a few weeks and you’ll see growth out the end soon after.
For on propping gloriosums in moss see Philodendron Gloriosum Propagation In Moss.
Philodendron Gloriosum Varieties
There are a few different gloriosum varieties on the market for sale:
- Philodendron gloriosum zebra – more pronounced veins.
- Philodendron gloriosum pink form – with a pink back and pink around the petiole.
- Philodendron gloriosum round form – larger, with rounder leaves.
- Dark Form (see below)
Let us know if you see any more.
Philodendron Gloriosum Dark Form
There is some controversy about the dark form gloriosum, most that are on the web as dark form are just slight variations, or darker matured normal gloriosums that are grown with less light. The jury is still out on this, we’ll keep you posted!
Philodendron Gloriosum Vs Glorious
They are really similar as the glorious is a hybrid of the gloriosum (with a melanochrysum). The gloriosum has rounder leaves that the glorious which are a bit more elongated. The gloriosum has a crawling growth pattern, the glorious is a climber.
See also: Philodendron Glorious Care and Philodendron Melanochrysum Care
Philodendron Gloriosum Vs Zebra
The philodendron gloriosum zebra is a term used a gloriosum with whiter, more pronounced veining.
Philodendron Gloriosum Vs Splendid
I wrote about this in more detail in our Philodendron Splendid article here: Philodendron Splendid.
Here’s am image from that article showing main differences.
For more on philodendrons see our philodendron category with all our philodendron care guides.
Where To Buy
Try one of these Rare Plant Shops.
Other Names
The velvet philodendron.
Philodendron Gloriosum Care FAQs and Common Problems
The gloriosum’s big leaves can be susceptible to spider mites, aphids and other plant pests so keep an eye out for them when watering. Also be very careful you don’t overwater this plant if in doubt leave it a little bit longer, it absolutely should not sit in soggy wet soil. Overwatering and root rot are a major cause of death in this plant so just be careful.
It is a crawling philodendron, they grow sideways across the soil, not upwards
They are toxic to cats if eaten, and can cause vomiting and numbness. So seek vets advice immediately if your pet eats any.
They can grow outdoors year-round in zones 10-11. Be really careful these plants are better indoors under a more consistent environment.
Some times old leaves die off naturally. But sometimes more than one dies back on my gloriosums, this can be due to underwatering, or when they fill out their current pot, they sideways and when they hit the side of the pot they become crowded and at this point sometimes older leaves die off as new ones come through.
The are slow growers as philodendrons go.
The plant puts out bigger leaves the more space it has to grow. It is a crawling philodendron, so needs horizontal space, as it grows wider it puts out bigger leaves. Some people grow them in the plastic tubs you get inside window boxes as they are long and thin. You can plant a small gloriosum at one end and it will grow along the length of the window box and put out bigger leaves, with the biggest being the newer ones. So give it as much space as you can by giving it a wide space to stretch out and you should see bigger leaves.
They are fairly easy to care for, probably not a beginner plant, but they should thrive if you can give them space to grow and decent humidity, while being careful not overwater them.
Other Articles You Might Like
You might also like our other articles: Philodendron Splendid (aka Philodendron Verrucosum x Melanochrysum), Philodendron Spiritus Sancti, Philodendron Florida Ghost.
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