Heartleaf Philodendron
Soft, matte, heart-shaped leaves on fast-growing trailing stems — the gentlest of the easy climbers. It grows almost anywhere and roots from cuttings in a glass of water within days.
Mildly toxic to cats, dogs & people if chewed
An aroid, like pothos and monstera: the stems contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, so chewing causes mouth irritation, drooling and sometimes vomiting. Mild and self-limiting, but the trailing stems tempt cats — hang it high. Source: ASPCA.
Care at a glance
Everything that matters, in six lines. The detail is further down.
Light
Very adaptable; brighter light gives fuller growth. Keep out of harsh direct sun.
Water
Forgiving and quick to recover. Limp leaves that perk up after watering are normal.
Temperature
Ordinary room warmth; keep it off cold glass.
Humidity
Copes with dry air; a little humidity gives lusher leaves.
Feeding
A weak feed spring to summer keeps it romping away.
Soil
Any decent peat-free houseplant compost.
What to do, and when
Growth speeds up. Trim leggy stems to keep it full and pot up cuttings.
Fastest growth. Water when the top half dries and feed monthly.
Slow down watering and stop feeding by mid-autumn.
Ticking over. Water sparingly and keep it warm.
Pothos or philodendron?
They’re often confused, and both are brilliant beginner trailers, but the heartleaf philodendron has softer, thinner, matte leaves that emerge coppery before turning green, where pothos leaves are thicker, glossier and often gold-marbled. The philodendron also tends to grow a little faster and root even more eagerly.
Either way the care is nearly identical: bright-ish indirect light, water when the top half dries, and a trim now and then to keep it bushy.
The easiest cuttings in the house
Snip a stem just below a node, sit it in water, and roots appear within days. Pot several rooted cuttings back together for a fuller plant, or start new ones to trail from a shelf.
Give it a moss pole and it will happily climb instead of trail, producing larger leaves as it goes.
Common problems
Leggy, sparse stems
Too little light. Move it brighter and cut back to force bushiness.
Yellowing leaves
Usually overwatering. Let it dry more between drinks.
Brown leaf tips
Dry air or under-watering. Keep watering a little more even.
Pale new leaves
Hungry or too dark. Feed weakly in summer; give more light.
Everything a philodendron needs
Cheap, fast, and hard to kill.
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Other plants with a similar temperament.
How we checked this
Care cross-checked against the RHS and NC State Extension. Toxicity confirmed against the ASPCA heartleaf philodendron entry — insoluble calcium oxalates; oral irritation, drooling, vomiting (mild). If our page and these sources ever disagree, believe them — and tell us.
Sources: RHS · NC State Extension · ASPCA — Heartleaf Philodendron
Last reviewed · July 2026