Philodendron Choco Empress (Philodendron bipinnatifidum)

Choco Empress loves plenty of bright indirect light.

Good light supports stronger growth, larger leaves and helps you get the best out of those bronze tones in the fresh foliage.

An east or west facing window can work beautifully, while a bright south facing room usually works best with the plant sitting further back from the glass.

Gentle morning or evening sun can be fine once the plant has adjusted, but harsh summer midday sun can scorch the leaves.

Too little light usually means slower growth, smaller leaves and longer weaker growth.

Give the Empress a bright bit of Jungle and let her get on with it.

Let the upper few centimetres of compost begin to dry before watering again.

When Choco Empress is ready for a drink, water thoroughly and allow every bit of excess to drain from the nursery pot.

Do not keep topping the pot up with little splashes. The roots want a proper drink followed by enough time for air to move back through the substrate.

During the warmer brighter months it will usually dry more quickly. Through a dark UK winter, the same pot can stay damp for considerably longer.

Check the compost, not the calendar.

The Empress has not requested a scheduled Tuesday appointment.

Not really, but it can appreciate the softer stuff. Ordinary UK tap water is normally workable for Choco Empress, especially in areas without extremely hard water.

If you repeatedly see heavy mineral buildup around the compost or stubborn brown tips, occasional rainwater or suitable filtered water can be useful.

Before blaming the tap though, check the roots, watering and light. Those are usually much more important.

Choco Empress wants an airy substrate that holds useful moisture without becoming dense and waterlogged.

A good peat free houseplant compost mixed with ingredients such as orchid bark, perlite, pumice or coir works really well.

As the plant becomes larger, keeping plenty of air around those roots becomes even more important.

You want the mix to hold enough moisture for healthy growth while still draining properly after every drink.

Dense soggy compost is where the Jungle starts going downhill.

Feed while Choco Empress is actively growing.

Through spring and summer, a balanced liquid houseplant fertiliser around once a month is normally plenty.

Reduce or stop feeding when growth slows through autumn and winter.

Bigger leaves come from the whole setup working together.

Good light, healthy roots and sensible watering will do far more than throwing extra fertiliser at an unhappy plant.

Repot when the roots have properly filled the container, watering has become difficult or the substrate has started breaking down.

Spring and early summer are usually the easiest times while the plant is actively growing.

Move up by one sensible pot size rather than surrounding the roots with a huge volume of wet compost.

Choco Empress can eventually become a sizeable plant, but that does not mean a small one needs an enormous pot today.

Let the roots earn the upgrade.

Choco Empress does not need much pruning to stay looking good.

Remove fully yellow, brown or badly damaged leaves cleanly near the base.

Older plants can also be tidied if growth becomes awkward or damaged, but the naturally upright shape usually does most of the work for you.

Wear gloves when cutting because Philodendron sap can irritate sensitive skin.

Most of the time, the best pruning plan is simply letting those leaves get bigger.

Those big glossy leaves deserve to actually be visible under the dust. Give them a gentle wipe with a soft damp cloth when needed, supporting each section of the leaf while you clean.

Check the undersides at the same time for any unwanted visitors and leave the leaf shine on the shelf.

Fresh Choco Empress leaves already know how to put on a show without help.

Choco Empress can be propagated from viable stem sections or offsets where suitable growing points and roots are present.

This is not a plant you can propagate from a random detached leaf.

Any division needs viable growing tissue capable of producing fresh roots and shoots.

If your plant develops basal growth, repotting time is usually the easiest opportunity to see whether anything can be separated without unnecessarily disturbing the main plant.

One leaf in a glass of water will still just be one very decorative leaf.

Fresh leaves are turning green

Completely normal.

The bronze and chocolate colouring is strongest on fresh growth and gradually changes as the leaf matures.

Yellow leaves

One occasional older yellow leaf can simply be natural turnover. Several yellow leaves together can point towards wet compost, root stress or poor light.

Brown crispy edges

Check watering consistency, roots, very dry air and possible mineral buildup.

Leaves are getting smaller

Check useful light, nutrition, root space and whether the plant has recently been stressed.

Growth looks stretched

Your Choco Empress may be reaching for stronger light.

A fresh leaf is stuck

Give it time. Warmth and comfortable humidity help new growth unfurl naturally. Avoid manually pulling at a fresh leaf because it is very easy to damage.

The plant is leaning

Large leaves naturally pull the plant towards the strongest light. Rotate the pot occasionally if you want a more even shape.

Growth has stopped

Check the season first. Winter slowdown is normal. During active growth, look at light, temperature, roots and feeding.

Spider mites can appear when indoor conditions are particularly warm and dry. Look underneath the leaves for pale speckling, fine webbing and tiny moving mites.

Scale insects may attach themselves to stems, petioles and sheltered parts of the plant as fixed brown or tan bumps.

Mealybugs can hide around leaf joints and lower growth as small white cottony patches.

Thrips may leave silvered patches, damaged fresh growth and small dark specks across the foliage.

Those big leaves give you loads of surface area to inspect, so make a quick check underneath whenever you water.

A thirty second Jungle inspection is much easier than discovering somebody has been quietly breeding on the back of an Empress sized leaf.