Learning how to trim Philodendron is not that complicated. The tips, suggestions and tricks are available in a book written by one of the experts in the said plant. In fact, there are more than 10 trimming techniques that you can follow. What is most significant is that you learn these from a professional. This is to ensure that you do not hurt yourself while cutting.
One of the first things to remember is to keep a distance of two to three feet between your hand and the stem of the plant. This will help prevent you from accidentally scratching the leaf which will lead to bleeding. Secondly, it is important not to pull any of the stem. This may result in damage not only to the Philodendron leaf but also the root system. You have to leave it untouched till it falls off naturally.
Another important tip is to start the task of cutting gently. This is so because it needs a good force to break the stem apart. Before actually cutting it, you can pluck some of the leaf stems to help you in the process. This helps in ensuring that the stem will not be damaged.
It is advisable to cut the stem straight. Start at the bottommost part and slowly go upwards. Make sure that you do not cut off too much. This is because the stem has too many leaves to be taken off. Keep going till the stem is completely gone.
Let the stem sit for a few days to let it grow back. When it comes out, take it off. Do this with care, because the stem has sharp leaves. If you are careful, you can cut the root too. However, this will require a good expertise in trimming. Otherwise, you might end up hurting the plant as well as the leaf.
Trim the leaves till there is no more than 2mm left. Cut the stem if you have to. The best way of doing this is to put a blunt object into the leaf to see where the need to cut is.
Let the Philodendron dry naturally. In fact, you might even get impatient while waiting for it to dry. In such a case, you can use a hair dryer or a blow dryer on low speed for a few minutes. After a few minutes, you will have a dry and sturdy stem.
How to trim Philodendron is an art that you could master only with patience and dedication. However, once you learn it, you would love this task. The best way is to start off with a short stem and work up. As you grow old, you will have to increase the height of the plant.
Start off by removing only the uppermost leaf. Do not cut the middle or bottom leaves. This can seriously damage the Philodendron. The next step is to bend the stem sectionwise so that you can see the entire stem. Make a sharp cut at the base of the leaf. Do not cut the whole stem.
Do this cutting across the mid-section of the leaf and continue working upwards. Keep bending the stem sectionwise. You can see the end result as you bend the stem. Cut the stem at the top. Do the same thing in the other leaf. If the stem gets wavy, just clip off the part you did not cut.
Now you will have two sections of stem. Trim the upper section and the lower one. You will have two leaves of equal length and you will be left with two leaves that are of equal size.
Put each leaf on its own separate table. You can now look at your results. You know how to trim philodendron because you saw the two leaves that were of equal size. Cut off any overgrowth of these plants to give you a better idea on how much space should be left for the next plant.