I have cut off this wilting leaf since my post. I guess that it was due to overwatering and believe there is no root rot. Please correct me. Thanks.

By adding soil to the top, you’re smothering it and starving roots of oxigen they were once getting. I’d remove any extra soil you added on top.

Get a sharpened wooden dowel and stick it in the soil all the way to the bottom and pull out and inspect.

Dark, damp with soil clung to it = don’t water.

Clean and dry = water.

Check every couple days. The skewer will not damage the roots, don’t worry.

It it looks to be in the corner of a room. I’d move it in front of an unobstructed window with out blinds or curtains.

Thank you, Dave.

I will take off the excess soil and move it back to its original location by a south window. Should I only open blinds on overcast days or also on sunny days during spring/fall/winter? I am concerned about leaf damage from my very bright and non obstructed south, southeast and southwest facing windows.

I will pick up a sharpened wooden dowel on my next trip to lowe's/home depot because I could not sharpen the wooden stakes I have handy, with a kitchen knife.

Over the weekend, I ordered a 3 way soil meter (DrMeter) to help with watering and placement of my houseplants. Which of the 3 meters (soil ph, soil humidity, light intensity) is, relatively speaking, more accurate for my use?

Kind regards.

Eat out at a Chinese restaurant and ask for chopsticks. Then you'll have 2 pointy dowels that will work perfectly. Or, you can get a package of bamboo skewers for grilling. If you have a grill, so much the better, use the rest for that. :-]

Drooping-stems issue was getting worse.. almost all leaves were grazing the floor. I mustered the courage to explore the roots and found them to be pot bound but otherwise healthy. I have not seen/smelt rotten roots before and I imagine that it would look slimy and stink. Instead, finer roots looked light brown/translucent without any foul odor. I am not comfortable exploring inside; closer to the root ball.

Please advice how to correct the drooping stems issue.

I decided to prune those roots slightly (enough for it to break free from the molded shape and take out some perimeter roots and accidentally break a woody aerial root). Even so, there was insufficient space in the pot to align existing roots horizontally, so they were packed with soil, facing down. I do not yet have a well draining soil, so I used regular potting mix. I watered thoroughly. I drained outdoors and also waited after tilting the pot 45 deg (I did not quickly re-tilt upwards as I didn't know then, that it would help with removing perched water). I placed it outside its regular plastic container for half a day. A few hours after placing it inside the plastic container I found a wilting leaf, and checked to find a few drops seeping out into the plastic container.

I plugged paper towels through each drain hole without blocking the entire hole.. hoping to wick water but allow some air and left it out on my patio since it was an overcast day. After a few rounds of changing the towels, I moved it back to its location.

Now, I have atleast two leaves with mushy spots and two other stems with edematous (?) stems that are draining clear fluid; attached leaves look normal. I cut these stems near the crown.

I had planned to upgrade to a well draining soil for all my houseplants next summer. I don't know if this plant will make it until then. I don't believe that I can water thoroughly from top until it drains at the bottom as long as I have the poor draining soil. Should I have skipped watering after pruning roots?

Please let me know what you think is going on, and how I should water this plant in current circumstances.

I think you are "loving" this plant too much. The stems look fine in the picture at the top. They are supposed to curve downward. Don't tie them up.

Leaves lower down on the plant will turn yellow and die. It's natural. Just peel them off the plant and throw them away.

Those roots are rootbound. You should tease them apart slightly and put the plant in a bigger pot, NOT back in the same pot. Use a pot that's about an inch or two wider than the old pot.

Follow soil directions people have given you. That's a beautiful plant that has been raised in optimal conditions to look that way. Expect some shock at first and then it will perk up.

Does that white pot have drainage holes? It doesn’t have a saucer under it, where does the water go when you water it?

Looks as if the white pot is a cache pot. I assumed the plant was in the black plastic pot. Nita, just checking that you are aware that your plant is a vine by nature, not a shrub? It’s never going to stand up completely straight and stiff. It’s not in its nature.

Hello everyone. Thank you for your review and comments.

The white outer container is a cache pot made of plastic with no drainage holes. The black inner container is a standard nursery pot with drainage holes at the bottom. I water plants, on my patio, after taking them out of their white pots and until they drain through the drainage holes in the black inner pots.

Yes, I was not expecting the stems to be upright. I was comparing their appearance to pre-purchase specimen. When I first noticed "drooping" I considered whether the stems were growing/elongating, but when they noticeably perked up (about 4 to 6 inches) after watering, I hashed that out.

It would take between 3-4 weeks for soil to dry completely in my circumstances.

the water-soaked areas on your leaves look very much like Xanthomonas bacterial infection. if you google 'philodendron xanthomonas bacteria' you'll see pics.

it's pretty deadly in general and leads to total decline fast...

see here for some info

you should isolate the plant and cut off all leaves/stems that have soft watery spots, dipping the knife into alcohol between cuts. and continue doing it ..but if bacteria is in stems it will be spreading through out and impossible to beat.

since you bought this plant recently it already had it.

there are bactericides available to trade, but i don't know if you can get one fast enough at this point to save the plant.

here they mention several products copper-based that seem to be effective.

this is not something that you can get in your house, so you can try to contact the nursery where you got it to let them know that the plant was infected.

I agree with susan! I have a few philodendrons and sometimes the yellow leaves happen! As long as new growth is happening, and the new growth looks healthy, there isn’t anything to worry about. Older leaves will die and be replaced by new ones. If it’s unsightly, you can cut them off. Definitely get in there and tease the roots because it’s pot bound, then do as suggested and re-pot. Philodendrons naturally grow on the rainforest floor where they receive dappled sun. I keep mine on a stand a few feet away from a window where they receive bright, but indirect sun and some light shade especially on overcast days. You’re plant is absolutely beautiful! I love it.

Here’s a photo of my favorite phil. I have right now! They are such fun plants! I’ve since moved him out of that tiny pot I just thought it was a cute photo op haha

This is how it looks now:

New growth is tiny, I've moved the plant back farther from the window- I am thinking the excess light is causing smaller leaves. Do you agree?

Leaves start out small and grow bigger. Your plant is fine.

Sophia - That is a Monstera Adansonii, not a Philodendron. 😊