Philodendron Micans Care

Welcome to our guide to philodendron micans care and propagation. Philodendron micans care is all about keeping it humid but not overwatered.

Philodendron Micans Care Summary

Light needs:	Bright indirect sunlight.
Watering needs:	Check weekly, water if top 40 or 50% is dry.
Fertilizer:	Balanced feed, monthly in spring and summer.
Soil:	A well draining potting mix.
Humidity:	50-60%.
Temperature:	18°C to 25°C (64-77°F).
Where to buy:	Try one of these Rare Plant Shops.
Common issues:	Overwatering.

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Introduction

The philodendron micans is a velvet-leaved philodendron with dark pink undersides of it’s leaves. A really popular and cheaply available stunning plant. They grow quickly and propagate very easily too.

See also: Philodendron Thai Sunrise Care, Philodendron Dark Lord, Philodendron Care.

Philodendron Micans Light Needs

Bright indirect sunlight is optimal, they will be ok in a bit less light, further back from the window. Make sure they do not get direct midday sun though. They do well in most pants in the home, the lower the light, the more ‘leggy’ they, so keep and eye out and move it to brighter spot if you want a fuller plant.

How Often to Water

Let the top 40 or 50% of soil dry out before watering again. Check the soil once a week with your finger. Give it just enough water so that water just drips through the bottom, then empty out any excess water.

Tip: Let the soil mostly dry out before watering again, they can get root rot relatively easily. Make sure all water drains out of the pot after watering before putting it back in its external pot or saucer.

Fertilizer

Feed your philodendron micans monthly in the spring and summer, you can use a balanced plant feed or one higher in nitrogen.

Soil

A well draining mix is ideal to avoid the common root rot issues you get with philodendrons. An easy way to make a well draining soil is to mix up one part soil to four parts soil. Or for a better mix you can use orchid bark too, for more on Philodendron soil see our guide on what to buy or how to make your own: Philodendron Soil.

Philodendron Micans Propagation

Propagating a philodendron micans in sphagnum moss is really easy. Just take a cutting with at least one node and one leaf. Put the cutting in a cup of moist sphagnum moss, and put the whole thing in a plastic bag. Seal it except for a small hole for air and keep it in bright but not direct sunlight. It should root in about a month or two as long as you keep it moist and change the air every few days.

You can also use water prop or put them directly in soil. They root very quickly normally. If you are using soil, then keep it as humid as you can but with moving air, you can put the pot in a bigger plastic box with the lid half closed, so the humidity increases but air can still move.

See also: our in depth micans propagation guides: Philodendron Micans Propagation In Sphagnum Moss, Philodendron Micans Water Propagation where we cover these different propagation methods in detail, as well as our Philodendron Propagation section.

Variegated Philodendron Micans

They are real! a stunning plant, they go ridiculous prices at the moment. At the time of writing they are well over 200 euros on Etsy for a small cutting, with some established plants over the 1000 euro mark. The price should come down massively as collectors buy it and sell cuttings and they become more available. There are a few different variegated philodendron micans sports. They are as awesome as you would expect. Some of them do not have very stable variegation though, so be careful. They will need the same care as the normal micans, and are easy to look after. Just give them good direct sunlight to encourage the variegation.

For more on philodendrons see our philodendron category with all our philodendron care guides.

When To Repot

Repot them once a year in spring or when they outgrow their current pot, whichever is sooner.

Humidity

50-60% humidity is ideal for philodendron micans, which is the higher end of household humidity. You can spray them every few days to up the humidity, be careful of leaf mold if you do, it is much better to give them higher humidity.

Temperature

18°C to 25°C (64-77°F) is best for a micans, they will do well in most homes.

Where To Buy

Try one of these Rare Plant Shops.

Other Names

Philodendron micans ccientific name: Philodendron hederaceum ‘Micans’

It has been called a heartleaf or sweatheart phildondron but this name can also can apply to some other philodendrons like the scandens for example.

Philodendron Micans Care FAQs and Common Problems

The main issues are with overwatering – dropping, yellowing and browning leaves can all occur from too much water and root rot. Do not let this plant get too wet.

Philodendron Micans Vs Melanochrysum

They are similar as they both have velvety leaves, but are easy to tell the difference as the micans is a vining heartleaf philodendron, so it will trail downwards, but the melanochrysum will grow upwards and have bigger leaves.

Philodendron Micans Vs Gigas

The gigas can be told apart as it has bigger and more elongated leaves, and it will tend to grow upwards too. The micans will vine downwards.

Philodendron Micans Vs Heart Leaf

The micans is practically the same as the other heartleaf philodendrons, except the micans has velvety leaves.

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Additional Resources

Buy: we recommend a digital thermometer hygrometer (amazon affiliate link) to measure humidity.

Links:

• More info on the Kew Gardens plant page.

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