Philodendron Lemon Lime Complete Plant Care

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Are you looking for an easy houseplant that grows stunning, neon foliage? Look no further. The Philodendron Lemon Lime is a great beginner houseplant that grows incredibly fast.

Philodendron Lemon Lime main care directions.

Light. Place in bright indirect sunlight. Can live in lower light but might not thrive.
Water. Water once the top two inches of soil are dry. Check soil with finger or moisture meter before watering.
Soil. Well-draining potting mix is crucial for the growth of this plant. Use a homemade recipe or a high quality potting mix like Fox Farm Ocean Forest.
Humidity. No special humidity requirements. This plant can live in humidity as low as 20%.

Philodendron Lemon Lime thrive in the home with these care tips.

Light

Philodendron Lemon Lime is the type of houseplant that can survive in a variety of sunlight levels. The best kind of lighting for this plant would be bright indirect sunlight near a south, east, or west facing window. North facing windows get very little morning sunlight, making this an okay spot for this plant, but not the best.

I have my Philodendron Lemon Lime sitting under plant grow lights. I don’t have it sitting under plant grow lights for any particular reason other than there’s no where else to put this plant in my house. I could put this plant near any window and it would grow.

Don’t have a lot of sunlight coming into the home? No worries, use plant grow lights. I use plant grow lights for about 100 plants. They’re growing under T5 Barrina plant grow lights. T5 Barrina lights is a full spectrum sunlight replacement. They are easy to install and haven’t raised my electricity bill a noticeable amount. You can even use these lights for plants in a seedling, vegetative, or flowering cycle. These lights include double-sided tape, clips, and cable ties. I use the double-sided tape to stick the lights on.

Water

Philodendron Lemon Lime need water once the top two inches of soil are dry. Check the soil moisture by dipping your finger into the soil about two inches deep. If the soil feels dry, it’s time to water. If the soil feels wet, don’t water the plant yet and instead check it again in a couple of days.

When you’re first starting out with houseplants, it’s important to check your plants soil before watering. A lot of people think their houseplants need way more water than they actually need, and this leads to fungus gnats and even the plant eventually dying.

A moisture meter is helpful for people who have trouble knowing when to water their plants. I use this moisture meter and it’s easy and convenient to use. This handy tool doesn’t require batteries and helps me check plants in hard to reach places. Insert the moisture meter probe about 2-5 inches into the soil. If the meter reads on the dryer side, it’s time to water the plant. These tools are a little controversial in the houseplant community, but I find them helpful and they haven’t done me wrong, so I continue to recommend them.

Soil

Philodendron Lemon Lime thrive in well-draining soil. Well-draining soil is important because it allows air fly and oxygen to move around the roots.

What does well-draining soil look like? Something like Fox Farm Ocean Forest potting mix is a great option for those of us that don’t want to make our own potting mix. This potting mix has a blend of earthworm castings, bat guano, sea-going fish and crab meal, forest humus, moss, and other key ingredients.

If you do want to make your own potting mix, an easy recipe calls for 40% coco coir, 25% perlite, 25% orchid bark, and 10% vermiculite.

If you have a ton of houseplants you need to repot in new potting mix, your money goes further if you make your own potting mix instead of buying a pre-made bag.

Temperature

Philodendron Lemon Lime thrive in temperatures between 60°F and 85°F (15°C and 29°C).

Fertilizer

Fertilizing your houseplants is crucial because it gives your plants the nutrients it needs to grow healthy and happy in the home.

I know fertilizer can get confusing because there’s so many different kinds and NPK ratios. I’m going to keep things as simple as possible.

First of all, you can choose from a granule-based fertilizer, liquid fertilizer, or natural fertilizer like worm castings.

It doesn’t really matter which fertilizer you use, but there are a few key things to know. If using a synthetic fertilizer (you’ll know if it’s synthetic if the NPK ratio is something like 20-20-20) you need to dilute the recipe in half. This is because synthetic fertilizers are really strong and can damage your plant. So if a synthetic fertilizer calls for 1 teaspoon into a gallon of water, you may want to do half a teaspoon into a gallon of water.

It’s also important that you only fertilize during the active growing season. This is typically March through October for many of us. If you fertilize year round, your plants will probably be fine, but it’s a common rule to only feed during the growing season.

How often you fertilize is up to you. I fertilize every watering because this keeps things simple for me, but you can choose to fertilize every other watering, bi-weekly, once a month, etc.

You’ll notice some plants need fertilizer more than others. For example, Monstera Deliciosa is one of those plants that are heavy feeders. I find that Philodendron Lemon Lime is a regular feeder and doesn’t need too much.

I use both Liqui-Dirt (plant food, not technically a fertilizer but it has everything your plants need to grow healthy) and Dyna-Gro fertilizer. With Dyna-Gro, I get a spoonful and mix it into a gallon of water. I use this gallon to water my houseplants.

Humidity

I love Philodendron Lemon Lime because it doesn’t require any special humidity.

If you decide to give your plant extra humidity, it’s not going to hurt. I mean, this is tropical houseplant after all. You’ll probably even see some faster growth because you’re doing this.

Here are my best tips for increasing humidity around your plants.

Place a humidifier near your plants and run it daily
Group plants together – this creates a microclimate of higher humidity
Place a tray under the plant and fill with rocks and water – the water evaporates around the plant
Put your plants in a greenhouse (I made a greenhouse with an IKEA cabinet and it stays around 50% humidity with plants, no humidifier necessary)

Propagation

Propagating a Philodendron Lemon Lime is simple. The stem has nodes making it one of the easiest plants to propagate.

With clean cutting sheers, cut below a node on the stem of the plant. Nodes look like little hard pimples on the stem. Submerge the node underwater and in a few weeks, the node will have roots growing out of it.

Once the roots are a few inches long, move the cutting to your preferred substrate. This plant loves well-draining soil, so something like Fox Farm Ocean Forest potting mix will work great.

Related read: How To Get Free Or Cheap Houseplants

Philodendron Lemon Lime common questions

Is Philodendron Lemon Lime rare?

Philodendron Lemon Lime is not a rare plant. You can find this plant almost anywhere including big box stores and local plant shops.

How much is a Philodendron Lemon Lime?

Philodendron Lemon Lime is affordable. You can find this plant in a 6 inch pot for about $30. Obviously this price changes depending on how large the plant is and where you are buying it.

Is Philodendron Lemon Lime hard to take care of?

This plant is not hard to take care of. As long as this plant is getting sunlight, regular water, and fertilizer, you will have a happy plant.

How do you care for Philodendron Lemon Lime?

Caring for a Philodendron Lemon Lime is easy. Place this plant in bright indirect sunlight (south, east, or west facing window), water when the top two inches are dry, and fertilize during the active growing season.

Is Philodendron Lemon Lime a fast grower?

Philodendron Lemon Lime is a fast grower if it’s growing in the best growing conditions. The best growing conditions would be near a south facing window, regular watering and fertilizer, and even humidity. Though this plant doesn’t need humidity, it will greatly benefit from it.

Can Philodendron Lemon Lime grow outside?

You can grow Philodendron Lemon Lime outside depending on where you live. If you live in a tropical place where there are tropical plants outside, you can probably grow this outside. I personally wouldn’t put this plant outside because I live in a very dry, windy climate with very intense sunlight.

Does Philodendron Lemon Lime like full sun or shade?

Philodendron Lemon Lime do not like full sun. Like all Philodendrons, these plants do not like direct, intense sunlight. These plants are known to be shade plants and enjoy dappled sunlight.

Do Philodendron Lemon Lime like small pots?

Philodendron Lemon Lime like to stay in smaller pots, so you don’t have to worry about repotting this plant all the time. Once the plant is heavily root bound and all you see is roots, it’s definitely time to repot your plant in a pot 1-2 inches larger.

Should I mist Philodendron Lemon Lime?

Whether or not you mist your plant is up to you. A lot of people find this helpful but a lot of people also find this pointless. I’m right in the middle. I think it’s fun to mist plants but it’s not doing much. If you’re trying to increase the humidity around your plant, your time goes much further if you place a humidifier next to your plant.

How big do Philodendron Lemon Lime get?

Philodendron Lemon Lime get huge. I’ve seen this plant grow several feet long in a trailing pot and climbing up moss poles.

How do I make Philodendron Lemon Lime bigger?

Encourage your Philodendron Lemon Lime to grow bigger by placing this plant near a south facing window or under plant grow lights. Make sure to regularly water your plant once the top two inches are dry.

One of the best things you can do to encourage growth is feed your plant fertilizer. Fertilizer contains all of the necessary nutrients your plant needs to grow healthy in the home.

Related read: Best Houseplant Books For Plant Lovers

Does Philodendron Lemon Lime climb?

Philodendron Lemon Lime can climb on a moss pole or trellis. This encourages the plant to grow larger leaves and it looks pretty darn cool.

Is Philodendron Lemon Lime toxic to pets?

Yes, this plant is toxic to pets. You can get more information on toxic and pet-friendly plants at ASPCA here.

Prevent Pests

Philodendron Lemon Lime is prone to pest pressures just like any other houseplant. Before bringing a new plant home, you always want to check the foliage, stems, and soil for pests. These little suckers are tiny so you really need to get close and check. I personally use my cell phone flashlight to get a good look at any plant before bringing it home.

Best pest prevention tips:

Use a natural or synthetic pest killer to prevent pests
Check your plants once a week for pests
Make sure not to overwater your plants (overwatering can lead to fungus gnats)
Quarantine new plants for a week or two before putting them with the rest of your plants
Regularly clean your plants foliage with a mixture of water and a drop of dish soap

Common issues

Brown tips: If your Philodendron Lemon Lime has brown tips, this may be a sign that your plant isn’t getting enough water. When you first bring this plant home, make it a routine to regularly check the plant so you can get an idea of how much water it needs.

Curly leaves: If your Philodendron Lemon Lime has curly leaves, this may mean your plant is thirsty or needing humidity. To increase the humidity around your plant, place it near a humidifier. Make sure this plant isn’t placed next to a drafty area in the home like a window, door, or vent.

Yellowing leaves: If your Philodendron Lemon Lime has yellowing leaves (which may be hard to check with this plant), this can be a sign that you’re watering this plant too much. Only water when the top two inches of soil are dry.

Key Points To Remember

Philodendron Lemon Lime is an easygoing plant that doesn’t require much. This houseplant grows quickly and it’s really satisfying to watch.

Here are the key things to remember for Philodendron Lemon Lime

Place in a spot getting bright indirect sunlight (south, east, west facing windows) but know this plant can also manage lower light (north facing windows)
Water once the top two inches of soil are dry
Fertilize during the active growing season with something like Dyna Gro