Philodendron Brasil - Plant Care 101

Learn all about the Philodendron Brasil including water, soil and light requirements. This plant is easy to take care of, and has gorgeous variegated leaves.

Philodendron Brasil

When we moved into our new house, one of the first plants I bought was this Philodendron Brasil. This plant jumped out at me when I was at the shop, and I knew I needed to take it home.

I love the cheeriness the colors add to the home. Its unfussy nature also makes this a lovable and forgiving houseplant.

Philodendron Brasil Appearance

The Philodendron Brasil is a gorgeous houseplant with variegated heart shaped leaves. Looking at it, you'll spot a few unique characteristics.

Variegated Leaves

The most striking feature of the Philodendron Brasil is the eye-catching variegated leaves. One leaf can have multiple shades of green, consisting of lemon lime, jungle green and moss green.

The variegation tends to flow down along the leaf, sometimes splitting the leaf right down the middle. Sometimes it looks like a river of lime green flowing down a mossy lake.

Philodendron Brasil Producing Pink Leaves

Like all Philodendrons, new leaves emerge from a protective sheath. The new leaves and sheaths of the Philodendron Brasil are pink colored. Surprisingly, they can be a vibrant almost magenta pink.

New leaves are often tinted pink when they first come out. It's so gorgeous and unique, like a thin layer of pink watercolor over a green leaf. The leaves then mature and turn green, losing all traces of pink.

New sections of the stem also come in pink. As the stem matures, it also turns green. The pink sheaths will eventually dry up and fall off too.

The new pink growth is one of the unique features of this plant that I love. Do you see the hints of pink in the pictures?

Leaf Size

Philodendron Brasil leaves start small and grow bigger as they mature. In the wild, the leaves can grow huge!

As a trailing houseplant, the mature leaves get nearly the size of my small hands. New leaves start out less than 2 inches in length.

To encourage larger leaf growth, use a moss pole or trellis to allow the plant to climb upwards.

Philodendron Brasil Care

As I mentioned above, the Philodendron Brasil is a very easy to care for houseplant. It is not fussy, and very forgiving. Three basic requirements:

• Light: Bright, indirect light for best growth.
• Water: Water semi-frequently, before the soil completely dries out.
• Soil: Airy and chunky soil that retains some moisture.

Keep reading for more details on each of these requirements.

Philodendron Brasil Light Requirements

The Philodendron Brasil will grow best with bright indirect light. If you give it bright indirect light, it should continuously put out new growth.

That being said, the Brasil Philodendron is not a fussy plant, so it can handle low to medium indirect light too. In those situations, the plant will likely grow more slowly.

In low light situations, philodendrons also typically become more leggy, as it reaches for more light. The leaves will be smaller and farther apart on the vine.

Where To Put a Philo Brasil?

My Philodendron Brasil you see in the photos sits in a room with a large north facing sliding door and small west facing windows. The plant is about 15 feet away from the sliding door, hanging on the wall near the window.

The plant doesn't receive direct sunlight, however the room is pretty bright overall. It's a happy plant, and I haven't noticed it getting leggy. It is continuously putting out new growth too.

My second plant is very neglected. It sits on the top of my kitchen cabinets in the corner, above and away from the kitchen window.

Not too surprisingly, it's also happy enough and still growing. It grows at a slower rate though. However, I think that might also be because I often forget watering it.

At one point, one of the plants was in a room with just a north facing window, and pretty far away from the window. In that spot, it grew and survived. But I could see it starting to produce leggy growth.

What Kind of Soil Is Best for Philodendron Brasil

Getting a Philodendron Brasil into an appropriate potting mix is likely the most important part of plant care. After you buy your plant, check to make sure it's in a good mix. I often see these plants sold in soggy and wet potting mix.

Philodendrons need chunky and airy soils that give the roots space to breathe. I tend to make my own. I have found that my philodendrons grow well when I use the following:

• 2 parts Tropical Potting Soil
• 1 part mix of airy material such as pumice, lava rocks, perlite
• 1 part Orchiata bark

Read more about my Hoya and Aroid Potting Mix.

How Often To Water a Philodendron Brasil?

In general, pot your Philodendron Brasil in the appropriate potting mix (chunky and airy) and don't let the roots dry out completely.

To determine how often to water the plant, take into consideration the soil mixture it is potted in, the temperature and humidity of your house, and the size of the pot.

In my experience, I water my Philodendron Brasil about every 5-7 days on hot summer days and 10-14 days during the cool winter months.

Is Philodendron Brasil Trailing or Climbing?

You can train a Philodendron Brasil to trail or climb. Both my plants are trailing plants because I love the look.

The plant you see in the photo has vines about 3 feet long. I just wind it back up around the plant. It helps make the plant look fuller too.

I love this trailing Philodendron Brasil in my hanging planter. The one you see in the photo is a Wally Grow Loop, which is super easy to use.

My second plant (sorry I didn't photo it), has a vines about 4 feet long that runs across the top of my kitchen cabinets.

Is Philodendron Brasil Rare?

Philodendron Brasil should be pretty easy to find, so it is not too rare. Specialty plant shops should carry this plant. I've also seen them at big box stores, though not all the time.

I bought mine at the local plant shop and it wasn't too pricey. I think I paid about $12 for a 4" plant.

Canopy Plant Co. also sells them online. I've had great experience buying from them.

Propagate Philodendron Brasil

I started my Philodendron Brasil as a 4" plant. I have since propogated and divided the plant into two plants. This plant is pretty fast growing and super easy to propogate cuttings in water.

To do so, use a sharp knife or scissor to make a cutting of a stem with at least 2 leaves. Then, cut off the bottom leaf, leaving the top leaf. Put the stem in a cup of water, so the node where the bottom leaf was growing is covered in water.

Place the container in a spot with indirect sunlight and keep the water topped up. Roots should appear in three to four weeks. You can encourage roots to grow faster by dipping them in rooting hormone before putting it in the water.

Once the roots are about two inches long, you can transfer the plant into a potting mix. There you go! You have a new plant.

Styling My Plant

This plant ooks great in just about any place in the home. It works well on a shelf because of the trailing vines.

I love my plant in this hanging planter. The leaves trail down, and I sort of wind it back on top of the plant if it gets too long. My hanging plant sits above my bed.

You can also train the Brasil Philo to climb upwards if you place in plant supports. If you train it to climb up, it would look great in a corner of a room.

Because of the variegated leaves, a solid color planter complements the plant best.