Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma Complete Plant Care Guide

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If you’re looking for a crazy cool plant with stunning fenestrations, look no further. Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma is an affordable plant that looks like it costs more than it is. This plant gets huge (even in your home!) and I’ve seen one easily over 15 feet long.

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma is a fairly easygoing plant that doesn’t even need high humidity. If you’re looking for a plant to buy, this one is it.

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma main care directions.

Light. Place this plant in bright indirect sunlight, near a south, east, or west facing window. This plant works under plant grow lights like T5 Barrina grow lights (what I use).
Water. Stick your finger in two inches deep into the soil – if it’s dry, it’s time to water your plant.
Soil. Well-draining potting mix is a must. Use a homemade recipe or a high quality potting mix like Fox Farm Ocean Forest.
Humidity. No special humidity requirements. I keep my R. Tetrasperma in regular household humidity (20%).

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma thrive in the home with these care tips.

Light

Just like most plants, Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma thrive in bright, indirect sunlight. Think of an area in your home that is getting a good amount of sunlight coming in. Typically, this is near a south, east, or west facing window.

If you don’t know which direction your windows are facing, use a free Compass app on your phone. This is the easiest way to check and it’s worth it to know what kind of sunlight you’re getting into the home.

South facing windows gives you the best amount of sunlight all day long. It’s also some of the most intense, which is why it’s important to place a sheer curtain on the window to break up some of that strong sunlight.

I have my Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma in a south facing window hanging from the ceiling. This plant is growing much quicker here than it was when I had it in an east facing bedroom (morning sunlight, and not a lot of it).

Don’t have a lot of sunlight coming into the home? No worries, use plant grow lights like I do. I have two greenhouses and one shelf that store about 100 plants. They’re all growing under T5 Barrina plant grow lights. T5 Barrina plant grow lights is a full spectrum sunlight replacement. They are incredibly 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

This plant is simple and has basic watering needs. Stick your finger in the potting soil about two inches deep. If the soil feels dry, it’s time to water your plant. If the soil is wet, it’s not time to water your plant. Easy, right?

If you have trouble knowing when to water your plant, I find a moisture meter really helps. 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.

Soil

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma thrive in well-draining soil. This kind of soil is important because compact, dense soil often leads to root rot and once your plant gets root rot, it’s not looking so good for the plant.

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

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma thrive in temperatures between 60°F and 85°F (15°C and 29°C). If you place this plant outside, make sure it’s not in a spot getting direct sunlight.

Fertilizer

Fertilizing your houseplants is one of the best things you can do to encourage growth.

There are many fertilizers on the market to choose from and it can get a little confusing, so I’m going to keep things as simple as possible. 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 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.

It’s also important that you only fertilize during the active growing season. This is typically March through October for many of us.

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 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

One of the best things about this plant is that it doesn’t require any special humidity. I have my plant in a room getting about 20% humidity and it’s growing with no problem.

If you decide to give your plant extra humidity, that’s not going to hurt. 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 Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma is easy peasy. This plant 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.

This is a photo of a Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma node. I’d cut right below this node if I wanted to propagate this plant.

Related read: How To Get Free Or Cheap Houseplants

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma common questions

Is Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma rare?

This plant isn’t rare and is actually a common houseplant. This means the plant is affordable. Yay!

How much is a Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma?

A 6 inch pot of Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma with a 1-2 foot vine goes for about $25. I’ve seen this plant in a 6 inch pot but over 15 feet long go for $200+.

Is Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma hard to take care of?

Not at all and this plant doesn’t even require special humidity. If a plant doesn’t require high humidity, that typically means the care requirements aren’t so bad.

Is Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma a Monstera?

People confuse Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma and Monstera often. This is because R. Tetrasperma has the nickname “Mini Monstera”. When I first got into plants, this made me super confused and I no longer call it Mini Monstera for this reason.

How do you care for Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma?

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma need bright indirect sunlight (south, east, west facing window), water when the top two inches of soil are dry, and fertilizer during the growing season (March-October).

Is Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma a fast grower?

Once Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma gets into its growing pattern, it’s a relatively fast grower. You’re going to get different growing results depending on where you place this plant.

For example, if you place this plant in a south facing window like I do, you’re maximizing the growing potential. If you place this plant in a north facing window which gets very little sunlight, your plant will grow a lot slower.

Can Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma grow outside?

This plant can grow outside if you live in the most amazing tropical conditions, which for many of us isn’t the case. For example, I live in the desert and this plant would scorch if I placed it outside. It’s simply so much easier to keep this plant inside where I can control the elements.

Does Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma like full sun or shade?

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma do not like full sun. If you place this plant in full sun, you’ll likely see the foliage turning brown and getting crispy.

Do Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma like small pots?

I find that Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma do like small pots. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve seen a 15+foot long R. Tetrasperma in a tiny 6 inch pot.

Why does my Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma have no fenestrations?

If your Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma has no fenestrations, this is likely due to the plant not maturing yet. This plant starts out with regular leaves with no fenestrations but eventually grows into fenestrated leaves.

If you find that your plant is growing and growing and not getting fenestrated leaves, encourage your plant to grow upward with a moss pole. This should solve the problem.

How do you encourage Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma fenestrations?

Encourage Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma fenestrations by growing the plant upward instead of horizontally. Stake your plant with a moss pole or trellis.

Should I mist Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma?

You don’t have to mist Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma or any plant for that matter. I used to mist my plants for fun when I first got into plants but now I find it’s too much work. Misting doesn’t do a whole lot and your time is much better used by placing a humidifier near your plants (if you want higher humidity). This plant doesn’t have special humidity requirements.

How big do Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma get?

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma get massive. I’ve seen a 15 foot long vine in person and when I really think about it, it was probably 20-25 feet long. It was insane.

How do I make Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma bigger?

Give your plant the best growing conditions possible to encourage growth. Make sure your plant is getting bright sunlight, regularly waterings, and fertilizer during the growing season.

Related read: Best Houseplant Books For Plant Lovers

Does Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma climb?

This plant is known to be a climber. Encourage this plant to grow tall and vine along your walls by using plant tape to secure it to the walls.

Is Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma 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

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma get pest pressures just like any other houseplant. It’s important to keep bad pests away because these little suckers literally suck the life out of your plants and kill them.

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 Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma has brown tips, this can be a sign that the plant is getting too much sun or is being under or overwatered. Make sure the plant is sitting in a spot with dappled sunlight (a sheer curtain helps) and always check your soil before watering the plant.

Curly leaves: If your Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma has curly tips, this most likely means your plant is thirsty. Make sure to check the soil before watering your plant. Place your finger about two inches deep into the soil and if it’s dry, it’s time to water.

Yellowing leaves: If your Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma has yellowing leaves, this is a sign that you’re overwatering your plant. Use your index finger or a moisture meter to check the soil moisture level.

Key Points To Remember

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma is an easygoing houseplant that doesn’t have any special care requirements. Make sure this plant is getting bright indirect sunlight (south, east, or west facing window), water when the top two inches of soil are dry, and fertilize during the active growing season.

This is such a cool and underrated houseplant. Don’t sleep on it, get a Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma!