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Florida ghost is an amazing new red stem introduction. New leaves of this wonderful plant start out white and transform to yellow followed by green after a week or so. Planting multiples on a large totem or climbing a tree produces a sparkly appearance when the different color leaves sway in the wind. Simply Amazing.
Caring for your plant
Light Requirements
For your Philodendron Florida Ghost to remain white, you need to provide it with LOTS and LOTS of bright but filtered light. For your plant to remain white, it needs more sunlight than a similar green-leafed plant.
When kept indoors, the best place to put your Florida Ghost is a few feet away from a South-facing window. If this is not possible, we recommend purchasing a grow light and letting the plant receive 12 hours of bright but filtered light.
Water Requirements
Watering is an important part of care for your Philodendron. Your Florida Ghost has moderate watering needs, but can be susceptible to overwatering. To ensure you water your plant properly, here’s what you need to be aware of:
Always let the topsoil dry out before watering your plant. Check your soil’s moisture with your fingertips before watering.
Using this method, watering frequency usually works out to be around once a week during the summer months but will roughly half in winter.
Water deeply, until excess water escapes from the drainage holes. Avoid shallow-watering.
Water close to the soil surface to avoid wetting the leaves. Leafy Philodendrons are susceptible to wet foliage, becoming a breeding ground for bacterial blight or pathogens.
Water early in the day promotes rapid evaporation. Again this reduces the risk of bacteria using water to breed.
Humidity
While your plant can tolerate humidity levels around 60% – 70%, ideally, aim for humidity levels of 70% and above. Being a tropical plant, your Philodendron Florida Ghost is accustomed to high humidity.
To give your plant a humidity boost, you can use a pebble tray or invest in a humidifier.
Also, some air circulation is beneficial as this reduces the risk of bacteria growth.
Temperature
The temperature shouldn’t be an issue for your plant when kept indoors. Temperatures around 50-85 degrees F (10-25 degrees C) are perfect for growth. Like many tropical plants, the Philodendron Florida Ghost is not cold-hardy and doesn’t like fluctuations in temperature.
Avoid placing your plant in the way of air vents or cold drafts, and your plant will thank you for it. A warm, bright spot is what your plant needs.
Growth
Like many plants that are not uniformly green all their lives, the Philodendron Florida Ghost is a slow-grower. You can expect your houseplant to reach up to around 2 feet (60 cm) tall when kept indoors under optimal conditions. The leaves can grow up to 2-4 inches (5-10cm) in length.
It’s extremely rare for a Philodendron Florida Ghost plant to flower, especially when grown indoors away from its natural habitat. But if you are one of the lucky few, you’ll spot purple flowers growing. Like many in the Aroid family, the inflorescence is in the form of a spathe and spadix, but is considered insignificant compared with its sought-after foliage.
For best growth, do provide climbing support for your vining plant (like a moss pole or trellis). This helps them to grow tall and healthy, as well as promote lush leaves.
Soil or Growing Medium
Your Philodendron Florida Ghost loves a loose and airy potting mix, that has sharp drainage properties to prevent roots from suffocating. We have three main suggestions for the potting mix. First, you can choose to create your own potting mix combining the “ingredients” below:
3 parts indoor potting soil;
2 parts perlite;
1 part horticultural charcoal.
Another option is to use 100% sphagnum peat moss, which we have also found to work well. Lastly, you can grow your plant in LECA.
In terms of planters, go for a deep and sturdy pot, as the plant can be top-heavy. You don’t want it to topple over! At the same time, its roots grow deep rather than wide, so ensure that you have a deep pot.
Fertilizer
Your plant is a relatively light feeder, so use a liquid fertilizer at half-strength every three weeks in the growing season, in the spring and summer months. Choose a fertilizer high in nitrogen, which supports healthy foliage. This fertilizer is a little nutritional boost to support your plant as it puts out new growth.
Hold off fertilizing in the autumn and winter months, as this is when your plant is not actively growing.
Repotting
Because your plant is relatively slow-growing, repotting will not need to be an annual affair. Repotting should be done every 2-3 years as your plant takes time to establish and outgrow its pot.
When you see that your plant is root-bound, it’s time to repot your plant. Choose a pot with drainage holes and one that is 2 inches larger than the original. Repotting is best done in spring, at the start of its growing season, to give your plant time to establish in its new home.
Toxicity
Like many in the Araceae family (members of this family are known as Aroids), your Philodendron Florida Ghost is toxic when ingested by humans and animals. Toxicity is due to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals, which cause nausea, gastrointestinal pain and skin burns.
For this reason, it’s best to place your plant away from children and pets.
