Complete Care Guide: Philodendron Burle Marx
Complete Care Guide: Philodendron Burle Marx
In this article, you'll find…
Plant Info
Care Guide
Lighting
Watering
Humidity
Soil Needs
Types
Propagating
Common Issues
Frequently Asked Questions
Plant Info
Philodendron Burle Marx is a slowly-vining philodendron, with a peculiar growth habit -- this bushy plant grows horizontally more than it grows vertically! Growth is quick, with new leaves coming in every week or two in ideal conditions, but internodes -- the length of stems between the leaves -- are short, resulting in a very short, climbing vine. The leaves are a fairly distinctive shape - almost a rounded spear-shaped leaf,. Mature specimens can sport leaves over a foot long!
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Common Name(s) |
Philodendron Burle Marx, Burle-Marx, Philodendron Burle-Marxii |
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Botanical Name |
Philodendron burle-marxii |
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Botanical Family |
Araceae, the aroid family |
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Mature Size |
Quite large -- more horizontally than vertically! |
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Lighting |
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Watering |
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Humidity |
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Soil Mix |
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Flowers |
Small, cream, insignificant, and rare |
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Hardiness |
Tropical; keep above 15C/60F |
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Native Region |
South America, from Colombia to Ecuador and Brazil |
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Toxicity |
Take a look at this care guide as an infographic!
Care Guide
This is an extremely easy-to-care-for philodendron -- one of the hardest parts of keeping it is dealing with its bushy, horizontal growth habit! Once you've gotten into its care routine -- which is pretty typical of most tropical houseplants, with no surprises -- you'll find that it'll constantly be pushing new growth for you as it chugs away happily.
Lighting
Like most houseplants, Burle Marx prefers bright, indirect lighting -- direct sun is okay if you slowly acclimate the plant to it, as well. Brighter light will mean bigger leaves and faster growth, but Philodendron Burle Marx can survive in a wide range of lighting situations -- including fairly low-light locations.
Make sure to check out our general article on lighting!
Watering
Philodendron Burle Marx is a pretty standard houseplant as far as watering goes -- between waterings, make sure that the substrate has dried out to about 1/4-1/3 of the depth of the pot. There aren't really any special considerations to take into account for watering!
Make sure to check out our general article on watering!
Humidity
Good news -- while the Burle Marx prefers to have higher-than-average-household humidity (generally around 60-70% is ideal, where average households are between about 30-50%), and it can help with unfurling leaves, Philodendron Burle Marx will happily adjust to lower humidities pretty well.
Make sure to check out our general article on humidity – including a couple common myths!
Soil Needs
Since Philodendron Burle Marx is naturally an epiphyte -- growing as often in the crook of a tree as it does in the ground -- it's important to have a well-draining mix, with lots of chunkiness for roots to cling to and to aerate the mix.
Suggestion: Start with 2 parts peat-based potting mix or coco coir, mix in 1 part perlite, and 1-2 parts orchid bark.
Don't know why you're adding these things? Check out our article on potting mixes!
Types
Variegated Philodendron Burle Marx have splashes of white and yellow across them -- but are far rarer to come across!
Propagating
Want more baby plants? You can easily propagate with stem cuttings, the exact same way as you do with most vining houseplants!
Simply cut off a section of stem with a few leaves, just above a node (where the leaves meet the stem), take off the lowest leaf or two (making sure to leave at least one leaf on it, but ideally a few), and then stick it in water or a moist substrate, making sure that at least one node stays moist. Put it in a bright spot for a few weeks, and you'll see roots forming!
Check out our articles on water propagation, soil propagation, or air layering for more details on common propagation methods!
Common Issues
All houseplants are susceptible to pests, including mealybugs, spider mites, and more. This plant isn't known to be particularly susceptible to any specific pest, and in fact is quite resilient against them!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Philodendron Burle Marx rare?
It isn't necessarily rare, but you will likely need to go to a specialty nursery to find a Philodendron Burle Marx.
Do I need to use a moss pole for my Burle Marx?
As your Burle Marx grows, you may find that it needs a bit of support -- a moss pole is a very good way to provide that support!
Phyllis Regan
Hello. I have a large Burle Marz that has grown well over the summer but recently has started to get yellow leaves. They are almost always lower on the stem. They look more like overwatering. But I’m not sure. I have tried watering the plant according to many articles but when i do I get a lot of yellow leaves and what looks like adema. I have to let it almost dry out. Would the leaves that turn yellow on the bottom be a sign it could use more fertilizer. I feed it a maintenence dose of Dynagrow foliage when I water. During active growth. I’m wondering if it is not enough. And that’s why it’s losing bottom leaves. I wish there was a way to send a photo. It’s in a loose coco coir chunks and some peat bark chips, perlite. It was drying too fast so i had added dried pine needles. It keeps it fluffy and light and some moisture. Dried pine needles are neutral not acidic. I’m wondering also if the substrate since it’s pretty neutral needs to be a little more acidic. Thank you for any advice.