Syngonium Podophyllum Growing and Plant Care Guide

  • By: admin
  • Date: October 21, 2022
  • Time to read: 10 min.
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What Is Syngonium Podophyllum?

The Syngonium podophyllum is a light-green colored tropical vine that is popular for its easy care. The plant makes an excellent hanging basket subject because it can climb with ease and tolerate cool temperatures.

Syngonium podophyllum grows to about 15 feet high and wide, making it a perfect choice as a ground cover in the landscape or as a large potted plant on your patio. This plant bears white flowers in summer that hang down from tree branches like wisteria. It takes very little effort to maintain Syngonium podophyllum, making it a great houseplant for beginners or busy homeowners.

The Syngonium podophyllum is a tropical plant that grows naturally throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America, Florida, and Wisconsin. Because of its tolerance to cooler temperatures (as low as 40 degrees) you can grow it outside in USDA hardiness zones eight through 10 all year round. In colder climates zone 7 or warmer it is treated as an annual or brought indoors during winter months.

Syngonium Podophyllum  Care & Maintenance:

Caring for Syngonium podophyllum is easy. All you need to do is provide the plant with well-drained soil and keep it moist at all times during the growing season. In winter, allow the soil to dry out slightly between waterings.

Syngonium podophyllum thrives in bright, indirect light but can tolerate low levels of sunlight in your home or office. Keep it away from the direct sun which can burn its leaves. This tropical plant does not like extreme temperatures or high humidity so make sure that both are kept to a minimum when caring for Syngonium podophyllum indoors. Humidity levels of 30% to 40% should be adequate for this species of ficus.

Syngonium podophyllum is a popular plant for indoor use because of its tolerance to low light and humidity levels. It only needs minimal grooming so you can keep it as a houseplant or bring it outdoors during the warmer months. To control growth, pinch new stems regularly once the flowers begin to bloom every few weeks until you get your desired shape for this Syngonium cultivar.

 Light Requirements:

Bright to moderate indirect light Water Requirements: Keep soil moist, but not wet Temperature Requirements: Warm 10 – 28C Humidity Requirements: 40 – 50% Hardiness Zone: 8-10 Click here for more information about Syngonium Podophyllum.

Water Requirements:

Syngonium podophyllum plants like to stay moist and get waterlogged easily. So, water it gently until the plant is well-soaked but not soggy wet.

Watering frequency: Water your Syngonium podophyllum moderately throughout the year; making sure that the soil is always kept evenly moist.

If you see a decline in the growth rate of your ficus throughout the hottest summer days, increase watering by misting or giving more periodic deep soaking until (wait soil gets dry at least 2 – 3 inches below the surface).  No need to wait for the foliage to wilt before watering again –Syngonium tends to wilt faster than other non-toxic houseplants.

Syngonium podophyllum is said to grow better with a cool temperature. In summer, leaves of the Syngonium tend to get sunburnt easily and send out yellowish discoloration on the leaves when exposed to direct sunlight, so keep it lightly shaded or in filtered sunlight.

Do not expose your ficus plant (especially the stems) directly under strong light for a long time as it can cause leaf burn (mottling).

 Soil Requirements:

Syngonium podophyllum is like slightly acidic soil with plenty of organic matter. A mix of peat moss and potting soil works well for this Ficus, but you can also use other types of compost or even bark chips if you want to.

You can use fertilizer as little as every two weeks whereby each feeding should provide enough nutrients to last 2-3 months. You can also add a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer at the rate specified on the label, just once in summer during active growth.  

Depending on your preferred choice, try to select one that is labeled for indoor plants or “Tropical Plant Food”. Most fertilizers sold in stores are geared towards outdoor garden plantings and contain only macro and secondary nutrients. In order to promote healthy growth, do not fertilize your Syngonium podophyllum when the plant is in full bloom. The blooms are so attractive and beautiful that you may just want to leave them!

Temperature and Humidity Requirements:

Try to maintain a temperature in the range of 60 – 70F all year long. If your area has a tendency to get really cold, you can try bringing it indoors and moving the plant back outdoors gradually as the temperatures improve in early spring.

The ideal temperature for growing other ficus indoor plants is between 65°F (18°C) and 80°F (27°C). 

Like most plants, Syngonium podophyllum does not like drastic changes in temperature. The ideal humidity levels are around 40% to 50%. Too much moisture or low humidity will cause brown leaf tips on your ficus leaves with resulting in poor growth.

Always keep an eye out for pests such as mealy bugs, scale insects, spider mites, and aphids. You can use neem oil if the infestation is severe. If you’re growing Syngonium podophyllum outside its natural range in a very humid climate, such as Florida or Hawaii, it will need to be watered more often. It also needs shade from full sunlight too since it grows so well there!

Fertilizing Requirements:

You can feed your Syngonium podophyllum with a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer at the rate specified on the label, just once in late spring and once again during active growth. If you’re growing other ficus indoor plants outdoors, make sure they will not freeze or get frost burn before winter. This tropical plant does very well in cooler climates if kept outside year-round.

In nature, Ficus is said to produce their own food through photosynthesis but you may still want to fertilize your green ficus at least every 2-3 months using a special soil mixture for ficus. Or else use some high-quality organic liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength and sprayed onto the leaves. 

You should, however, avoid applying fertilizer to this plant when it is in bloom. You can fertilize during the active growth phase of ficus at the rate of one-third recommended strength each time you water your plant.

Although Syngonium podophyllum can survive without supplemental CO2 enrichment, it will do better if given some extra addition. The reasons behind this are many but there have been studies that showed a very positive response from doing so. Whether you decide to add CO2 or not is up to you. But I am still strongly recommending for those who live in high altitude areas, suburbs, and low polluted cities since these places tend to be more acidic, and acidic soils cause nutrient deficiencies in the roots of plants.

All you need to do is purchase a CO2 emitter like this one:

Or build your own DIY CO2 system using yeast. Add the emitter into your terrarium, place it as close to the plant canopy as possible. Then just turn it on! It will automatically provide an extra amount of co2 for better growth and bigger healthier leaves!

Potting and repotting Requirements:

Potting and repotting requirements of ficus are the same as most other houseplants. When you bring your potted-up plant indoors in early spring, do not place it directly into its permanent container. Instead, break up the root ball and make a fresh new planting hole in a slightly larger pot with fresh potting mix.

This way you avoid disturbing the delicate roots too much which can result in loss of water from the leaves and lower leaf drop. Continue to water regularly so that the root system has time to re-form before being permanently potted into its final container for good.

As Syngonium podophyllum grows older, it will also become top-heavy since this ficus tends to grow side shoots along the top. I suggest that you give your plant a one-inch trim to encourage new growth at the base of the plant or turn it into bonsai to retain its natural look!

Syngonium Podophyllum Propagation:

Propagating ficus is very easy. All you need to do is cut a branch and stick it into some moist potting mix in another pot or directly into the ground if you’re planning on growing this outdoors!

Syngonium Podophyllum Problems:

Mealybugs, aphids, whiteflies, and red spider mites are the most common pests that will attack indoor ficus plants.

Flaking or shriveling leaves may be caused by overwatering at any time during the year as well. If your plant’s leaves have turned yellow from over or under watering then you can encourage new growth by letting it dry out some more before continuing to water properly.

Syngonium Podophyllum Care Rating:  

Easy!

A great choice for beginners! It is an excellent houseplant with much to offer anyone willing to take care of this beautiful creature! But remember that after a while it eventually gets too large so don’t buy one thinking you’ll always keep it potted-up indoors. It must be placed outside in the sun once it’s too large!

Syngonium Podophyllum Where to buy:

See Amazon Pricing

Syngonium Podophyllum Pest Problems & Solutions:

Mealybugs, Aphids & Scale

This all depends on the species of Ficus. There are many different types and they have a wide range of natural habitats which make them susceptible to a variety of pests just like any other tropical plant. Some ficus does not tolerate mealy bugs at all while others can’t get along without them! 

Ficus is sometimes used as an indicator plant for determining if your houseplants will be suitable for pest control with one method being that if it has no pests then you’re safe from any infestation yourself. However, this does not always work because there are many exceptions… I’ve had focuses with very few mealy bugs (or none!) but some have been covered in them!

I’ve found that ficus can be a little more tolerant of scale than other houseplants, but in my opinion, these are the most unsightly pests to have as they look like tiny disks and bumps on your plant’s leaves. They can be spread quite easily from one plant to another so try not to move plants around if you don’t have to. 

Also, remember that even though your ficus has no visible signs of bugs it does not mean they’re not there! A quick way I use whenever I think something is wrong with my indoor plants is a product call eco earth.

This stuff works great by getting rid of mites, bugs, fungus.. If an infestation is really out of control and some nasty disease has appeared then it’s best to burn everything – the plant and the soil! But, if you find a few bugs here or there and don’t want to treat your whole plant with eco earth or just want to spot treat them try one of these alternative methods:

Aphids can be removed by spraying them off with a fine shower of water. They have no natural predators indoors so when they do appear you might as well get rid of them immediately.

Ficus mealybugs are soft-bodied insects that live beneath waxy filaments on leaves, stems, and fruit. To remove this pest all damaged leaves must first be rubbed off using your fingers and hands followed up by wiping each leaf gently with alcohol until no more mealybugs are observed.

This is an important stage because if you don’t remove the mealybugs from each leaf they will suck more juice out of your plant making it look unhealthy and even become stunted.

Syngonium Podophyllum Flower Problems:

It isn’t unusual for indoor plants to flower every so often, but ficus is renowned for having flowers that last a long time! Remember – any new growth on a ficus is going to be woodier rather than leaf-like so when something does appear, either a flower or seed pod, just leave it alone and let nature take its course. Once I’ve seen my plant forming those marks/lines in the stems I usually start to feed it with some fish water every few days.

This will help the plant to put on more growth quicker and it’s a good way of avoiding any unwanted flowers or seed pods from forming too quickly!

Symptoms for poor health in indoor plants:

Plants unable to stand upright, leaves yellowing (although this is perfectly normal) or browning, black/grey marks appear on leaves and stems, leaf tips die off..

Always remember that there are many causes for these symptoms other than just disease so if you think something is wrong with your indoor plants then do some research on various websites like Google and YouTube before deciding what you should do next. 

Uneven Growth:

Not all ficus grows evenly – the base of the stem may grow thicker than the top which is perfectly normal. Some may also grow more branches than others, again, this is quite common and will not cause the plant to look ‘ugly’.

If you are worried about your indoor plants looking funny or ugly then it’s best to do some research and knowing what will be considered ‘normal’ growth for the species you’re growing

Growth tip:

Indoor plants need good amounts of light to stay happy and healthy so try moving them around every few weeks if possible – but don’t forget to make sure they can tolerate where they’re going because direct sunlight will damage delicate leaves!

Dead Leaves/Branch Tips: Not all ficus have a very high tolerance for dryness (especially not those in soil) so if you can try watering them a little more frequently until the problem clears up.

Remember though – sometimes plants just get old and ‘die’ on us so if there is absolutely nothing that you can do to help revive it then it’s best to cut off any dead branches or leaves before they start to decompose and rot. That way your indoor plants will look great once again!

If you are unsure about which indoor plant to keep I recommend going for ficus because they are very forgiving and take on the most abuse. They’re also great starter plants so new ‘plant parents’ won’t need any experience or extra knowledge when caring for them!

Remember – Ficus go great with nearly every decor style, have small leaves that don’t block light from other objects and can even be used as a natural air freshener! So now you want to find some of these awesome plants online?

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed my little article on indoor plants 🙂 Let me know what you think in the comments below! If you have any questions or want to recommend some other plants then please do so, these articles are meant to be read by all not just experienced growers!

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