I'm like that guy in China who raised the puppies that turned out to be bears. I bought a little houseplant (a philodendron?) about six years ago, and now I have this problem. Phil, as I call him, is scraping the ceiling with no sign of stopping. He even blooms. What's the best way to repot him which may take some of height off? I'm thinking of cutting off some bottom leaves and coiling (If I can get it to bend) the stem in a new pot to lower the height but I'm worried about rot. I also need to be careful to support the heavy new growth, I'd think. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Well Phil sure looks happy. I doubt you'll be able to coil the bottom part of the stem around. Have you tipped it out of the pot to see just how deep the roots go, if it's root bound and to what degree ?
Have you thought about taking a top cutting and rooting it ? It would encourage to send out new shoots from the bottom, plus you could plant the cutting once it's rooted back in the pot and it would fill out the pot more.

mjsponies said:Well Phil sure looks happy. I doubt you'll be able to coil the bottom part of the stem around. Have you tipped it out of the pot to see just how deep the roots go, if it's root bound and to what degree ?
Have you thought about taking a top cutting and rooting it ? It would encourage to send out new shoots from the bottom, plus you could plant the cutting once it's rooted back in the pot and it would fill out the pot more.

Thank you for the advice! I'm more of an outdoor gardener and anything that survives indoors is by pure luck. Poor Phil is far from home here in Alaska, and yet he's done so well.

I just dug with my hand and the roots don't even start until about six inches down in the pot. I remember that when I repotted him a couple of years ago, I was surprised that he wasn't root-bound.

I have thought about cutting the top off, but I'm afraid of killing the part which is doing so well! It's even blooming up there!



Would I just put it in the soil perhaps with some rooting hormone on the cut stem? I made a vague attempt at trying to get some of the air roots to become ground roots by wrapping some wet sphagnum moss around the stem, and putting clingwrap over it, but I found it hard to keep it wet and I didn't notice any new growth. Will the air roots function as ground roots if I cut the stem with a good amount of them and cover with soil?

Thank you again!

Those aerial roots will get your off to a great start. The bloom won't last long once it's open, maybe a day or so. Soon as it closes up you can cut it off.
I would put the new cutting in a separate pot, smallest you can manage .Get as many aerial roots as you can into the soil. Rooting hormone is good, Careful with watering till you see that they are getting established. Try to keep the humidity as high as possible and give bright light no sun.
The bottom piece will probably throw out a side shoot or 2 by spring.

small world, we have a philodendron named phil as well.

yours is looking great, good luck!

Wow, what a gorgeous plant, great growing! Your lovely Phil looks like Blushing Philodendron (Philodendron erubescens)

More information can be found here: http://www.exoticrainforest.co...

In nature, P. erubescens climb trees and can grow as high as 50 feet or more ... and from the looks of your plant, if it had a tree to climb, it would be out the roof!

I agree with mj, with all those adventitious/aerial roots, you can propagate it by taking cuttings and potting them up separately, making sure you get as many of the wayward roots under the soil as possible.