The black cardinal, like all philodendrons, is toxic to humans and pets.
For convenience, pick a ready-made aroid mix.
Alternatively, make your own blend.
The Spruce / Cori Sears
A strict watering schedule isnt a good strategy.
Instead, test the soil with your finger to measure when your plant is ready for watering.
Don’t soak the leaves, as this promote fungasl diseases.
Temperature and Humidity
The philodendron black cardinal is a hybrid originating from tropical rainforest native species.
These plants dont like cold, extremely fluctuating temperatures or drafty locations.
They do best in a spot in your home where temperatures remain above 65F.
Philodendrons are also humidity-lovers.
While humidity levels over 60% are ideal, philodendron black cardinals copes with lower average home humidity levels.
However, philodendron species are often regarded as heavy feeders.
check that you feed when the soil is evenly moist.
Applying fertilizer when the soil is dry results infertilizer burnin the dry rooots.
Pruning
The philodendron black cardinal isnt a vining variety.
Instead, it has a compact, upright, self-heading habit.
You dont have to worry about it sprawling out of control or the need for staking.
However, it is clump forming.
Fortunately, the philodendron black cardinal is relatively easy topropagate from stem cuttingsin the spring or summer growing season.
They are also a little more forgiving of being rootbound than some plants.
However, they still grow more vigorously when you repot them every few years.
Repot yourrootbound plantduring the growing season in the spring or summer.
Dont go too big with the new pot.
Excessive amounts of soil make it difficult for your plant to absorb moisture effectively.
A pot thats around 2 inches wider in diameter should work well.
In high humidity, insects such as sap-suckingmealybugsandthripsand soil-infesting, flyingfungus gnatsset up home on your plant.
These bugs are usually relatively easy to control with organicneem oilor aninsecticidal soap.
High humidity and poor air circulation may also result inugly brown spots on the leavesof your philodendron black cardinal.
Watch out for the signs below to allow you to make some tweaks to stash your plant.
But new growth turning yellow is typically a sign of stress in your philodendron black cardinal.
Sometimes, its also an early warning sign that your plant has a viral infection.
Also, consider whether you have your plant in an overly sunny position or one without adequate humidity.
A humidifier is a worthwhile investment if you have a large tropical houseplant collection.
The philodendron black cardinal is arare houseplantthat you wont find in the average big box plant store.
As far as philodendrons go, the philodendron black cardinal is a relatively slow-growing, compact variety.
When grown as houseplants, they typically reach up to 3 feet tall.
Occasionally, they stretch to 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
There are other philodendrons featuring foliage with hues other than plain green.
One example is theRojo Congo philodendron.
The leaves emerge as a coppery-red rather than a burgundy red before developing into a deep green.
University Of Connecticut Home and Garden Education Center.
