Philodendron Squamiferum Care Guide

Philodendron squamiferum is a bit more sensitive to overwatering than many other aroids and it doesn’t like its soil constantly moist. Instead, you should let the top few inches dry out before watering again.

I can’t give you an exact watering schedule for any houseplant because so much of it depends on the environment you grow it in as well as of the season. Assuming your squamiferum is in a bright spot and grown in a loose soil medium as it should be, you’ll probably be watering around once every 6-7 days during the summer months and once every 11-12 days outside of the growing season.

Nell has written a guide to watering indoor plants which you might find useful

Humidity

This is a jungle species so it does like things humid, although it has proven to be relatively resilient even if growing conditions aren’t ideal.

For those with a hygrometer (device to measure humidity that comes in very handy for houseplant enthusiasts): try to aim for about 40%. That’s also a nice humidity level for a human anyway, at least during the warmer months. Much lower and both you and your squamiferum will start to feel uncomfortable. The plant might develop brown leaf tips while you will notice dry skin, chapped lips and more frequent colds.

Luckily there are plenty of tricks to make things more comfortable for your Philodendron squamiferum and possibly also for yourself. Running a humidifier is very helpful. Grouping houseplants together is also a good option, as is placing your plants on a dish with pebbles and a layer of water.

Temperature

As with many houseplant care aspects, we need only look at the plant’s natural habitat to figure out what temperature it requires in our homes. The rainforests that Philodendron squamiferum naturally grows in are pretty toasty and this species definitely won’t appreciate being cold.

You should keep things above 50 °F in order for this aroid to thrive and ideally no warmer than 77 °F. That’s the great thing about tropical houseplants: they’re comfortable when you are! Room temperature is perfect for this species.

Fertilization

As mentioned earlier, Philodendron squamiferum is not the quickest grower. As such, it’s not the heaviest feeder either. That doesn’t mean you should never give yours some plant food, though.

During the growing months (spring and summer, maybe into early fall), water the plant with a dash of fertilizer about once every 1-1.5 months. If you’re not sure what kind of plant food to use, try keeping things simple and going for a fertilizer made for Philodendrons.

After summer you might do well to give the soil a good flush just in case excess salts have built up. This avoids fertilizer stress on the roots, which can manifest itself in unsightly leaf spot.

Soil

Because Philodendron squamiferum is naturally an epiphyte, its roots were made for gripping. The species won’t like being suffocated in dense media like pure potting soil: you’ll need something much lighter and coarser.

A nice mixture for a Philodendron squamiferum would contain a moisture-retaining element (like sphagnum moss or coco coir) as well as bits with a larger particle size to allow excess water to escape, like perlite. You can also add some pine bark fines (partially composted pine bark).

Tip: Nell’s DIY succulent mixture is a good choice. You can replace the coco chips with pine bark fines if you really want to make it fancy. Some stores also sell special aroid mixes for those who don’t want to mix their own soil.

Potting

If you find your Philodendron squamiferum is drying much more quickly than usual or not growing as well anymore, it’s probably time to give it a repot.

You won’t need a huge planter because, as mentioned, not much of the action takes place in the pot for this epiphytic species. Just make sure the container offers good drainage; a standard plastic nursery planter works well and can be hidden in a decorative pot.

Be sure to repot houseplants during the growing season, which is spring and summer.

Pruning

I don’t see much need to prune a Philodendron squamiferum, with two exceptions.

If your plant has suffered a bit due to low humidity or another issue and it has some ugly leaves, you can remove those for aesthetic reasons. Houseplants also naturally abandon some of their leaves, especially the bottom ones. You can pick yellowing and dead ones off.

Another reason you might want to prune a Philodendron squamiferum would be just pure size control. If you don’t want your specimen to outgrow its trellis or plant totem, you might eventually have to grab some clean pruning shears or scissors and snip off an unruly vine or two.

Once you’ve given your squamiferum a haircut, you obviously don’t want to lose perfectly good bits of such a lovely plant. Move on to the next paragraph!

Propagating Philodendron Squamiferum