Congo Rojo philodendron

Question

Our Congo Rojo is growing sideways due to its weight. What should we do to get it back upright.

Answer 1

This Philodendron is not a naturally upright plant. Its thick stems grow along the ground in tropical rainforests, put down roots in the damp soil and sometimes their aerial roots attach themselves to constantly damp tree bark and to climb and use the trees for support. But they will not grow upright on their own because they are a vining or trailing plant.

You can force it into an upright position by using stakes and other artificial supports. However, it won’t take long for the plant to outgrow those supports and start to get pulled down by gravity once again.

As an alternative, you can prune back long stems as they become too long. The pruned off sections canm be rooted in water, if you want. Pruning is the only way to keep this plant in reasoable check.