Complete Care Guide: Philodendron Jungle Boogie
Complete Care Guide: Philodendron Jungle Boogie
In this article, you'll find…
Plant Info
Care Guide
Lighting
Watering
Humidity
Soil Needs
Types
Propagating
Common Issues
Frequently Asked Questions
Plant Info
First things first, to get it out of the way: Philodendron Jungle Boogie, Narrow, Narrow Escape, Tiger Tooth, and (most accurately) Henderson's Pride are all the same plant -- and you're likely familiar with the often highly-variegated form called Ring of Fire, as well! (If you're not, go check out our infographic for that one, too!)
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Common Name(s) |
Philodendron Jungle Boogie, Philodendron Narrow, Philodendron Tiger Tooth, Philodendron Henderson's Pride |
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Botanical Name |
Philodendron wendlandii x P. tortum 'Henderson's Pride' |
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Botanical Family |
Araceae, the Arum family |
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Mature Size |
Very large -- 10' tall and wide, at maturity |
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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/insignificant, can happen any time, deep red |
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Hardiness |
Keep above 10C/50F |
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Native Region |
Both parents are native to South America |
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Toxicity |
Mildly toxic to pets and people alike! |
Take a look at this care guide as an infographic!
Care Guide
The leaves of this self-heading plant grow very large, often reaching lengths of multiple feet, borne on long petioles and forming out of a single growth point at the centre of the plant. They're long, deeply lobed when mature, and a solid, gorgeous green, making this a huge statement plant that will quickly draw anyone's eye!
Lighting
To draw out the nicest, largest, and most mature leaves, make sure to give your Philodendron Jungle Boogie a good amount of bright, indirect light -- but if needs be, the large green leaves make it a good low-light tolerant plant as well.
Make sure to check out our general article on lighting!
Watering
All philodendrons like to dry out a little between waterings -- oxygen is necessary for proper root function! The Jungle Boogie is no exception, and it's generally best to let the top 1/3-1/2 dry out between waterings.
Make sure to check out our general article on watering!
Humidity
High humidity is always helpful, especially for unfurling leaves to give them a chance to open without damage -- but if you need to have it in a space with normal humidity, it'll acclimate pretty well.
Make sure to check out our general article on humidity – including a couple common myths!
Soil Needs
Like most aroids (members of the Araceae, including pothos, philodendrons, and syngoniums, among many others), Philodendron Jungle Boogie is an epiphyte -- this means that if it existed as a natural hybrid, it would take root in crooks of trees, growing towards the light. This makes it ideal as a houseplant -- it doesn't need much soil!
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
As I mentioned above, the variegated form is called Ring of Fire -- it's speckled with orange, cream, yellow, and occasionally pinks and reds!
Propagating
Your best bet as far as baby Jungle Boogie plants is to wait for your mother plant to give off an offset, or baby plant! You'll see them pop up occasionally at the base of the mother plant. Once they have a half-dozen leaves on their own, you can take a sharp knife to sever the connection to the mother plant, and pot them up on their own!
Check out our articles on water propagation, soil propagation, or air layering for more details on common propagation methods!
Common Issues
The most common issues, as with any houseplant, are watering issues (which can include a whole host of other related factors, of course -- lighting, airflow, temperature, and more.
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!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jungle Boogie rare?
Generally, yes -- they're becoming more common, for sure, but they're still pretty rare.
Is Philodendron Jungle Boogie hard to keep?
Find a good spot, and figure out the best way to water it for you, and this will be one of your simplest philodendrons! It's very forgiving.