Help!

Gerald T
by Gerald T
My 8 ft tall philodendron got knocked over, now is bent at 90 degree angle. if I prune it down to 3 ft, will it live?
  4 answers
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Dec 16, 2011
    You don't say what kind of philodendron you have, Gerald, but most of them (Philodendron selloum being an exception) tolerate pruning very well. Cut with a sharp knife between the nodes. You can probably even root the top part. Good luck!
  • Gerald T Gerald T on Dec 17, 2011
    Thanks, I don't know what kind it is, was a gift in2005, has great big leaves
  • If this is a self heading variety it will have a pretty thick trunk,perhaps 6 to 8 inches or more,and most likely is the selloume variety and it would be very high risk to cut that agressively. If it is selloume then I would find a great spot with a lot of space, plant it straight and consider the curved trunk a novelty. Older plants are known for their curved trunks and it could end up turning into something quite unique.As a specimen in the right spot this plant would be considered valuable monatarily as well as artisticly.In the spring it could be underplanted with bright flowering Pentas which would be a great butterfly attracter and they could be the show plants of the neighborhood. There are two varieties that have big leaves,selloume which is highly divided and giganteum which is solid and very large but this variety is quite rare to see in central Florida.The selloume variety can easily get 8 to 10 feet or larger and is quite common to find all sizes growing in most parts of central Florida.One of the unique aspects of selloume is that huge trunks can be cut and propagated successfully as a giant cutting,however we have noticed that cutting too low is hit or miss as to the base comming back. I have seen them come back slowly,others come back agressively and yet other trunks just die off completely. With nature there are no guarantees.
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Dec 17, 2011
    If you post a photo, Gerald, we can help you determine the variety. The leaves on selloum have deep spits, which is not the case on giganteum. As Garden Rebel points out, plants with curved or twisted trunks are often highly prized, so you may be able to turn misfortune into opportunity.