Hello,

I've purchased a philodendron melanochrysum cutting online and I had a few questions on successfully getting it rooted. I have seen people use sphagnum moss or perlite or a mix of both with these cuttings. Is any one method best? I am leaning towards using just perlite, as I would like to try and avoid root rot and I feel like sometimes moss can stay too wet at times. Does anyone have a preference?

Also, I do not have a grow light and I was just going to place the cutting by my large east facing window. I am located in the northern hemisphere. Is a grow light considered a "must"? I can't find a ton of information on these plants online, so any tips or information is greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

A friend gave me a cutting to replace one I lost in a greenhouse mishap many years ago, I rooted it in Sphagnum. I know that people are using all sorts of substrates successfully now...PON, Leca, perlite....but I have always used moss for years and years, with no difficulty, unless the cutting was ready to go straight into a soil mix (which I adjudge on an individual basis). And I never, EVER use water.

Melanochrysum is a climber, so make sure after you get it established that you make an allowance in its permanent container for a support

Thanks very much for the advice :)

From what I've seen, most people do seem to use moss for their cuttings so I'll probably try that.