Philodendron help ..

[MadGreen23]

I am new to plants so be gentle.. I just received my moonlight philodendron and I am not sure what to do with the brown sticklike things coming out of the plant. I would like to know what they are, and if I should cut them.. Any help would be greatly appreciated..
The plant was shipped from Florida and I just set her free from her packing.. I washed her off, gave her a good soak, and wiped the leaves down.

 

[Meadowlark]

Welcome @MadGreen23

You have a beautiful plant there. Really nice.

Those brown sticklike things are aerial roots that are totally normal and healthy on that philodendron. They absorb moisture from the air as I understand and provide support to the plant. You can trim them they say but I would just tuck them back into the pot myself.

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[MadGreen23]

Thank you for the reply.. Meadowlark. It was much bigger than I expected and much more beautiful. So just push the tips back down into the soil?

 

[MadGreen23]

@Meadowlark It is currently in a 4 inch nursery pot. I want to leave it in there, but it is leaning and the soil is VERY compact. I can’t even push my finger down into it. Should I repot or give it a month or so to adjust and then repot? Or not repot at all? I can send pictures of the roots if that helps.

 

[Meadowlark]

Do you know how long it has been in that pot? At some point you will need to re-pot to a just slightly larger pot. You can check for root bound condition by carefully raising the plant and observing the roots.

It is curious that you describe the soil as very compact. Most nurseys use a potting soil which is generally loose.

 

[MadGreen23]

I was thinking the same thing but it is very hard when I push on the top. Very hard. I didn’t check at the time because I didn’t think of it, but maybe they put the aerial roots back into the soil and they are causing it? I am going to look at it closer later..

 

[MadGreen23]

These are what the roots look like.

 

[MadGreen23]

@Meadowlark. I am not sure how long it’s been in that pot..

 

[Meadowlark]

@MadGreen23 ...The plant would benefit from upsizing the pot with some fresh potting soil added. A 5-inch pot or so would work nicely.

 

[MadGreen23]

@Meadowlark Ok. Thank you so much. I kinda felt that too. Should I give it time to acclimate . Like a few weeks or do it as soon as I can..

 

[Meadowlark]

To me, you have time. No big rush. The plant is great and this should just make things better for it.