Note: You will receive a philodendron fat boy in 6"pot or 8' pot

Philodendron martianum (Philodendron Fat Boy) is a rare, easy-to-care houseplant that will give your home or office a tropical appeal. We bet you will love the dense, rosette-arranged, thick lance-shaped or lance-shaped-oblong leaves with swollen petioles.

Philodendron martianum grows mainly as an epiphyte but can grow terrestrially if the tree it was growing on falls. It occurs mostly in the seasonally dry tropical biome, including the Atlantic rainforests and Restinga forests at altitudes of up to 2950 ft (900m) above mean sea level.

This aroid has a moderately fast growth rate, especially if grown under ideal conditions. It can grow to over 6.6 feet

-Temperature and Light
Philodendron Fat Boy grows best in a warm (55-85°F) humid (40% RH or more) with bright indirect light. Avoid cold drafts, spots near heat sources or vents, or sudden temperature changes.

Direct sunlight will burn leaves, while very light will slow growth and make them have smaller, paler leaves. Consider investing in grow lights if you have a poorly lit room.

People in areas with very low humidity need to mist this plant, have a pebble tray, or buy a humidifier. Also, you can group your plants or move them to a humid room.

Lastly, outdoors in tropical and humid subtropical regions, USDA hardiness 10-11, grow it in a shaded area. This plant is not frost-hardy and cannot withstand freezing temperatures long.

-Soil
The best soil should be well-drained, aerated, and high in organic matter with a slightly acidic to neutral pH. You can buy an aroid mix. Etsy.com has good stuff.

Alternatively, add some perlite, coco coir (or peat moss), bark chips, and worm casting to your potting soil. A little horticultural charcoal will be ok.

-Watering
Watering is one area you cannot afford to go wrong. These plants don’t like sitting on wet soil. Also, allowing the potting mix to bone dry is detrimental.

I water my P. martianum when my soil moisture meter (XLUX) reads dry (three or less) or when the potting mix feels dry past the first knuckle of my finger. Don’t follow a watering schedule, as water needs vary.

Lastly, when watering, I slowly saturate the potting mix until excess water flows from drainage holes. After 15 minutes, I discard any that collects on the saucer.

-Fertilzer
Yes, but moderately. I feed this aroid with a balanced, liquid houseplant fertilizer at least once a month during the growing months. Miracle-Gro is an excellent pick; you can apply it with each watering.

I have also experimented with various brands for potted or houseplants, including unbalanced or slow-release, and they work well. So, Espoma, Joyful Dirt, Osmocote, Jobe’s, J. R. Peters, etc., are perfect.

Pruning
Pruning: It requires very little pruning. However, check for and remove dead, damaged, and diseased leaves using sterilized gardening scissors.
Repotting: I usually repot this plant after 1-2 years or if rootbound. Use a pot 2-3 inches wider in diameter.
Support: Since this is a self-heading plant with relatively thick stems, you don’t have to give it a moss pole or trellis. It can grow terrestrially just fine.
How to propagate Philodendron martianum
You can propagate Philodendron martianum via division (if it has suckers), stem cutting (in water or soil), or using seeds. Seeds are very hard to find, and for stem cutting, you need a plant whose stem has several nodes.