This plant is taking up more and more of my small property. Has multiple growing points. I keep cutting back the trunks to the base and I swear 3 more grow in its place. To add insult to injury, the areas that I successfully hacked back died like they were supposed to and are now home to a nice-size fireant colony - ask me how I found out

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to make this into a single trunked plant? I know it can be done as I've seen them with one trunk around here, but is it too late once they've put out all those growing points?

Thanks for any advice you want to share.

Monica

Monica: I've never had Tree Philo's get out of control as they seem to be doing on your property. We have a lot of then growing in our side yard that have been in place since we bought the property in 1975: Tree Philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum) all with multiple stems but they've never grown out of bounds or spread to other areas. I guess the only way to keep control of them is to dig them all up (a huge job!) or you could keep hacking back the branches ... and trade or sell the cuttings, LOL.

plantladylin said: ... and trade or sell the cuttings, LOL.

Lin, I'd have to open a Tree Philo store

It's not become more than one plant in the sense of running or becoming new plants in different areas, but it sends out lots of growing points from the base of the plant, giving an overall effect of a 10'W x 5'H big hunk o' green.

"I want mine to look like yours!!", she said whiningly. Other gardeners here don't know how or why theirs stay taller with less stems. Maybe mine is a mutant.

I might just try continually cutting it back to the base this summer to weaken it (ha!) and attempting to dig it out in the autumn.

Thanks so much for responding.

I usually prune the Tree Philo forest in our side yard every spring but I moved about seven months ago and will be renting out the old house ... the tenants can prune or not, LOL.

Can you prune everything but one stem and let it use all its energy on that one? Kind of direct it to form a trunk? Just a thought.

extranjera said:Can you prune everything but one stem and let it use all its energy on that one? Kind of direct it to form a trunk? Just a thought.

And a good thought... I've been attempting that for 5 years. But I haven't pruned off new shoots as often as I should. It's usually when I can't get around it! I've just done that (pruned out everything but one stem); now I need to keep an eye on it to whack off any new growing point. I will also talk sternly to it and threaten it with removal if it doesn't shape up.

Thanks for the encouragement. That just might work.

We have to be firm with our leafy kids sometimes Send that bad boy to his room until he comes out with only one trunk!

Love it! And no TV or computer games either!

I don't know much about the varieties of philodendrons nor the proper place to post for the information yet, so thought I'd ask for variety information please in this topic, thanks.

Mine grow slow, and wide. 3 plants have covered the entire back of the garage. They are no more than 30" tall. Very pretty, very controlled. My secret? They are in total shade. I know they are a full sun plant but I have discovered that a shady garden can grow some things just not as fast, or without flowers. If you are growing them in full sun, maybe you could shade your philodendrons some how?
Here's a pix of my split leaf philodendron, dogpack-go the the plant database for more information. However the philodendron list is quite long with many varieties.

Thank you; I'll check the list.

According to Wiki, there are over 900 species of Philodendron.