Philodendron Micans

Philodendron Micans is a gorgeous houseplant with dark velvet leaves. Get the best care tips, including lighting, soil, and water requirements.

Soft Velvety Dark Leaves Makes the Philodendron Micans a Favorite

Can you believe the how luxurious the leaves on the Philodendron Micans look? This is an easy houseplant that really elevates a home. It's dark green soft leaves add a comforting touch to any decor.

If you love dark vining houseplants, this is a winner. It's also easy to care for, and I share my best tips to help you grow a happy plant.

Philodendron Micans Appearance

Philodendron Micans has luxurious dark green velvety leaves. The leaves are a rich deep color that contrasts beautifully with the light green and pink hue stems.

Leaf Shape

This plant has a modern heart shaped leaf. Many leaves don't have a deep dimple on the top of the heart. But the top of the heart is rounded. The bottom of the heart ends in a classy point, sometimes a bit curved.

Plant Colors

Leaves on the Philodendron Micans are a rich dark green on the top. The darkest part of the leaves have a seaweed green hue.

In contrast, light green (almost neon) run down the middle of the leaf and into some veins. The underside of the leaves are have a pinkish burgundy hue.

When new leaves come out, they are covered by muted pink sheaths. It contrasts so gorgeously with the dark green leaves.

Do Philodendron Micans climb or hang?

Philodendron Micans can either be grown as vines or as a climbing plant.

Personally, I love the look when Philodendron Micans grow long gentle vines. I think the look matches the soft texture of the leaves.

My plant has vines about 6 feet long. I wrap the vines gently back around the hanging planter to make the plant look fuller.

The plant can look extremely full when it grows up a moss pole. But to me, they start looking like scales when the leaves overlap, and it creeps me out.

Philodendron Micans Care

Are Philodendron Micans hard to care for?

Not at all. It's easy to get into a good care routine for this beginner friendly houseplant. Three basic requirements:

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

Keep reading for more details on each of these requirements.

How Much Light Does Philodendron Micans Need?

Like many houseplants, Philodendron Micans likes bright indirect light best. If you keep your plant in a bright spot in the house, it should be happy and produce new growth fairly quickly.

I have had my Philodendron Micans in various spots in the house over the past years. It's a pretty easy going plant so it survived all the various locations. Not surprisingly though, it grew better in some spots than others.

Can Philodendron Micans take full sun?

Philodendron cannot take full sun. Its delicate leaves can burn pretty quickly and easily.

At first, I had this plant in the entry way next to an east facing window. It grew pretty fast. However, even the weak direct morning sunlight caused leaf burn. If you see the photo below, you can see the burnt spot. It occurred on several leaves when it was by the east facing window.

The leaf burn spot you see in the photo occurred over 2 years ago. I never cut off the leaf, and burn spots never heal. It's been that weird yellow hue for 2 years now. I keep waiting for the leaf to die off completely, but it never has.

Is Philodendron Micans low light plant?

Next, I moved it to our bedroom, which has light all day, but not bright. The room has a north facing sliding door and very small west facing windows. It was set a bit away from the windows and I would consider it a low light spot.

The plant barely put out growth in that location. That being said, it also survived. So if you need the plant in a low light spot, it's worth a try.

Just be aware that the plant may grow leggy or slowly if it is not given adequate amount of light.

My plant is doing well with medium indirect light

Currently, I have this plant sitting in our open space living room. The room has huge south facing sliding doors and west facing windows. The plant is set just about as far away from the windows though, and hanging against a wall.

In this location, the plant has been consistently putting out new growth. When I bought the plant, the vines started out with about 1-2 leaves each only. They are now each over 6 feet long.

I think with more light, my plant would grow faster. However, I think it is happy enough in its current location. Plus, I like where it hangs, right over my writing desk.

What Kind of Soil For Does a Philodendron Micans Need?

I always believe getting your plant into the appropriate soil is the most important part of its care. It simplifies the watering process tremendously. After you buy any plant, check to make sure that it is in a good mix and repot it if necessary.

Philodendron Micans need chunky and airy soils that give the roots space to breathe. I always make my own mix. I have found that my philodendron plants grow well when I use my Homemade Hoya and Aroid Potting Mix.

In summary, 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

For full details, hop over to read more about my Hoya and Aroid Potting Mix.

How Often To Water Philodendron Micans

How often to water your plant is dependent on many factors. Most importantly, the potting mix makes the most difference. Other factors include the temperature and humidity of your house, the size and material of the pot, and the size of your plant.

In general, pot your Philodendron Micans is in the appropriate potting mix (chunky and airy) and let the soil nearly dry out between waterings.

For my micans, I water the plant about every 12-14 days in the winter when it is colder, there is less light, and the plant isn't growing as rapidly.

In the summer months, I find the plant enjoys being watered every 7-9 days. The plant isn't in a super bright spot of the house. So even in the summer, it doesn't grow super fast.

Help! My Philodendron Micans leaves are curling

One sure sign that the plant needs water is that the leaves will start to curl. Give the plant a thorough watering as soon as you notice the leaves starting to curl.

If the leaves are only beginning to curl, then that's just about the right time to give the plant water, if not a tad late. I aim to water the plant the day before I think the leaves will start to curl, so I don't cause the plant any unnecessary stress.

I'm not proud to admit that I have gone way too long between waterings before. My plant has shown me pretty extreme leaf curl when that has happened. The leaves were so floppy and curled that I thought the plant was a goner. But surprisingly, the plant recovered fine after a very thorough watering and waiting about 18 hours.

Are Philodendron Micans Rare?

Philodendron Micans are not rare. You can find the plant in big box stores, grocery stores, plant shops, and online.

Because there are so many varieties of philodendron plants, shops might not always have a micans at any given moment. However, the micans should be part of the regular rotation of plants that shops sell.

I bought my 4" plant at the grocery store for about $12. It's not too pricey, and you can easily propagate it to grow more vines too.

Styling Philodendron Micans

I absolutely love how this plant looks when hanging in a pot and growing long vines.

To hang it from the wall, I use a lantern hook to bring it away from the wall. There are so many varieties, so find one that suits your home. Then I use a leather plant hanger and a simple glass pot without drainage.

The actual plant is potted inside a plastic soup container from the grocery store. I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage, and it fits perfectly inside the plant pot.

Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below. Also, I'd love to hear about your plants!

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