Question
Hi Darlene, We rent a house which came with a largish tree philodendron underneath the shelter of the back porch, growing in a patch of soil that had not been cemented over.  I know nothing about this kind of plant (being a bulb person myself) so left it alone except for the occasional water during extremely hot dry spells.  It is now pressing against the roof of the porch (about eight ft high), and the part of the plant that has grown beyond the shelter of the porch has yellowing leaves (which I thought might be due to extra sun exposure or frost).  Apart from the yellowing exposed leaves the plant is extremely healthy with lots of ariel roots trailing to the ground and masses of enormous dark green leaves.  I want to get rid of it (to gain some space!) but the landlord wants to keep it, he is happy for me to prune it however, he doesn't know how.  Is there any way I can reduce it in size without killing it?  If I cut it close to the ground will it grow back? (This would involve sawing through the 3 inch diam. trunk) I have tried removing some of the leaves to reduce the amount of foilage but they will not break off easily, and I'm afraid of using an axe, pruning saw or tree lopper for fear of giving it a disease which will kill it.

I'm sorry I cannot provide a photo, as it really is spectacular in that it is almost blocking the door to the house!

Any advice on reducing its size would be most welcome.  Thanks.
Emma

Answer
Emma,

Does your philodendron selloum have more than 1 trunk or does it branch out anywhere? Most philodendron plants contain a sap which can irritate sensitive skin. The sap is also poisonous if injested (though only in large quantities), however the sap is so irritating the mouth if chewed that poisoning is not a common problem. It can cause a rash similar to poison ivy to sensitive individuals.

I do not have personal experience with pruning a large one but I am told they can take a lot of abuse. I would get large tree pruners and clean them with rubbing alcohol both before and after the surgery. Be careful not to get sap on you. I'm told you can cut it down to half or even nearly to the ground and it will send out new growth. Just try to make clean cuts as neatly as possible. Good luck with your surgery.

Darlene