I bought a tissue culture El Choco Red from an Etsy seller and I love it. It's been remarkably easy. It's still in my grow cabinet, but after reading another comment here from someone who lives where I do (Virginia, USA) who has it in her living room, I plan to transfer it to ambient humidity. I have it on a moss pole and chunky soil with some tree fern fiber. I let it dry out between watering. It did get a thrips attack at one point, which oddly enough, I never found the pests, only saw the damage. I plan on chopping those leaves off once it gets bigger. PS - I bought this at the same time I got a Splendid and the Splendid grows 3 xs as fast and the pests did not attack it, even while living right next to the El Choco Red. Wonderful, beautiful plant which looks just as nice from the back so you can have it facing a window and still enjoy it. ;-)

I love my El Choco and my experience was a bit different. Mine was in moss when I got it and I moved it to soil. I got some brown tips and I ended up putting it in a self-watering pot (still in soil with a layer of pon on the bottom) about 8 months ago. It loves it new home and it is been doing great. Overall mine is relatively a thirsty plant.

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Interesting to hear about your moss to soil transition. Self-watering pots can be a game-changer for some plants! Cheers to your El Choco thriving in its new home. 🌱💧

My El Choco Red is in a Lechuza Pot, pon at the bottoms, 3 parts Aroid Mix, 1 part coco coir and 1/2 part soil. Grow beside a humidifier and a moss pole. Got mind from Ecuagenera imported. Roots destroyed, many leaf lost. Two years later small 5 to 6 in inch leaves. Second plant Ecuagenera Florida, absolutely Gorgeous. Leaves 12 inches or larger. So Gorgeous Grow in my living room. 🪴 I’m in Virginia, USA.👍🏾 video.

i have huge leaves and growing as a climber

Thanks Memo. Been waiting to see how your rehab journey went & she's looking beautiful :) Definitely a climber and as it gets bigger it will need support - the petioles get quite long. Mine is on a mosspole as this is how I purchased it, so I don't know if it would be just as fine with a janky support stick. I can't comment on the younger plant as I bought mine as a mature specimen from another hobbyist, but I find it to be really easy going. I have it in a corner that I find hard to get to, so I'm rubbish at remembering to water it and it regularly dries out. The only consequence of that is the plant goes into 'pause mode' and when I water, it resumes growing new leaves. No damage caused through this neglect (so far), and that's much better than the alternative of me knocking it off the table! It is a large plant (leaves are 14x12") and the backs of new leaves are only really as red as your older leaves - more of a pink blush. I did purchase with the intention of propagating but just can't bring myself to chop it. Still a relatively quick grower - I've had 3 leaves this season I think, but if I'd kept up with regular watering there would have been more.

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Thanks, Emma! 😄 I'm super proud of how the rehab went. Glad to hear yours has been doing so well, even with some benign neglect. It's reassuring when they prove to be so resilient, right? And the pink blush on the newer leaves sounds gorgeous! 💖🍃

I can really only comment on my import experiences. Import #5 is coming today. The first 3 were chonked. They didn’t do well in 2 plastic boxes stacked as they weren’t airtight. A couple of the chonks just started pushing out new growth last month, but there has been an extremely high rate of the chonks rotting off. I tried PON, moss/perlite and TFF. The 2 chonks that are putting out growth are in moss/perlite. #4 lost all her roots and has been in a bag for the last 3 months. I potted her into semi hydro yesterday, put her on a pole and put her back in a bag. She did grow a new leaf and has a few healthy roots, but I definitely wouldn’t call them good. #5 will go into a grow tent. I finally caved and bought a small local plant last month. She’s in a chunky soil mix on a pole. She’s given me 1 new leaf with another coming. 27:42 Yes, I really, really wanted this plant. 😏. Was she worth all the headaches? Nope, but she will be once she sizes up. And I’ll probably have a few for sale locally in the spring…

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Wow, Caroline! You've really been through the wringer with your imports. 🌀 I admire your dedication! Keep that spirit up, and I'm sure they'll thrive under your care. Fingers crossed for more healthy growth! 🌱✨

El Choco Red is one of my first import from Ecuagenera, and I would say that the roots definitely dont like to be disturbed! When I first got it, the roots where all rotted off and it took a long time for the plant to recover. I grow it in leca, and the roots does sit in water from time to time, it was able to tolerate the wetness without rotting, although I think it would enjoy a soil mix base on the root morphology. I grow mine in a low humidity environment and it usually have problems with unfurling new foliage, I have to be extra vigilante with helping it out by misting or rinsing the new leaf or I could easily get a tear. I have seen them in a reptile store and a big specialty garden center in Canada, for pretty reasonable prices. So they are definitely becoming more and more available!

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Hey North, really insightful feedback, as always! I've also noticed that disturbing the roots can set them back a bit. It's great that yours is adapting to leca. Root morphology can give us so many clues, right? Best of luck with the new leaves! 🌱💚

Hi Memo and lots of love for you ♡ Would love to share my experience so far, even if I hadn't had this for too long just yet. But in my experience, my care (aroid mix, bright indirect light from a south facing window, fertilizing lightly once every two weeks), my environment (germany, rooftop flat like 20-30°c and 45-75% humidity) it's a very hardy plant, that can handle over- and underwatering at a time and doesn't mind too much, when you change the environment every so often... My best friend gifted me my El Choco as a birthday present in august. She got it as a babyplant from the netherlands and it arrived in about two days from there. Has not skipped a beat in her two weeks taking care of it. Has not skipped a beat for me either, when it came here and I repotted it after a few weeks, because it rooted like crazy and pushed out a few leaves. Howeveeeer... it's true, that it takes some time for the leaves to size up. Mine has sized up quite nice, since it's in aroid mix and a bigger pot. I heared great things regarding this topic, when growing El Choco on a mosspole, so I will give it a shot :3 ♡ Almost forgot! In my experience this one has been very sensitive, when it came to fertilizer. Did you experience a simular thing with yours? Have a nice and lovely day ♡

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Hiya! 🌺 Thank you for sharing your El Choco journey! It's great to hear that it's thriving in your care, especially in those conditions. Regarding fertilization, I did find mine to be a tad sensitive. Always best to go easy and observe how it reacts. Sending you good vibes and happy growing! 🌿💕

I almost purchased this Philodendron el choco red plant from Ecuagenera with my recent order. It looks like it has done well under your care and grow environment; the underside color of the leaves look gorgeous.

Hi love your channel❤ so informative and your sense of humor 😆amazing you make me lol

Nothing insightful from me today, but I just want to humble brag that I've seen enough of your reviews to have nailed this as a "7" long before you got to the Final Thoughts segment 🤣❤‍🔥🤣

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

🤣 You know me so well Dave, glad you managed to figure out the score before the end section 🙌🙌🙌🙌💚🌿

Great review as always!

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the review! 😃🌿

Thanks for sharing info about your beautiful philo; much appreciated!

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

You're welcome! Thanks for always being so supportive and kind! That philo is truly a gem. 💚🌱

I absolutely love Choco!! One of my favorites in my collection. I find mine is sizing up beautifully in airy soil/bark mix, growing vertically!

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Hey 😊 That's amazing to hear. It's such a beautiful plant, isn't it? So glad yours is thriving in its airy mix. Keep it up! 🌿🙌"

El Choco is an easy one and the Luxurian is a nightmare, at least for me. One leaf club but at least it is still alive and I live in the tropics. Your Choco looks beautiful ❤

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the compliment on my Choco! 🥰 And I've heard that about Luxurian too; plants can be so unpredictable sometimes. Best of luck with yours! ❤️🌱

I just purchased an El Choco starter and had it shipped cross country, and I was shocked how happy it was when it arrived. I'd purchased 3 philodendron starters, gigas, el choco, and splendid. The splendid was tiny & yellow, so I'm trying to rehab it, but the other 2 are looking healthy so far!

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Wow, sounds like you hit the jackpot with your El Choco! 🎉 Hope the splendid bounces back soon. Wishing all your philos happy growing! 🌿✨

I like these reviews! I want an El Choc Red but I'm not willing 2 go out of my way 2 get any plant that will crisp up b4 I can ship it in. Ur reviews help me adjust where a plant will sit on my wish list (very loooong list, lol!) & that helps me out when spending $$. I love all my Plant KZreadrs but u & Kaylee Ellen r the only ones who break it down. Although, in my opinion, u do a better job by putting everything in categories quite like this. Kaylee Ellen hasn't done a Rare Plant Index in a minute but I do love thoae as well! Love ur channel, keep up the fab work❣🤎

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind words! 🥰 It's always great to hear feedback. Kaylee Ellen is fantastic, I have loved her channel for years too! I'll keep doing my best to give you the detailed breakdowns. Much love! 💖🌿

Hey Meno! I literally bought a decent sized El Choco Red for €8,99 about a month ago from the nursery down the street in the Netherlands. It even had 2 plants in the same pot. I put it on a moss pole, expecting it to climb 🌱✌️

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Sounds like you got a great deal! The moss pole setup sounds perfect. Can't wait to hear more about its growth journey. Happy planting! 😁💚

Mine is a spider mite magnet. I do love it but I’m having stuck leaves even with 50-70% humidity. I just tore my newest leaf because I thought I was tearing off the sheath, I’m such a dummy lol. Still stuck and I’m still working on it even though I know it’s going to be torn.

@sherryporsch9349

8 ай бұрын

Is it on a moss pole? I’ve found keeping a moss pole wet really helps with the stuck leaves.💚

@vicky3792

8 ай бұрын

It’s still small. At this point it’s still self heading. It has lots of leaves but a small 4” plant.

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Oh no! Stuck leaves can be so frustrating. Here's to hoping for smoother leaf unrollings in the future. And hey, we all have those "dummy" moments; it's all part of the plant parent journey. 🌱❤️

So nice to see el choco review! It's my fav now, I bought it on june/july and it gave me 2 new leaves and the 3rd is on it's way. I grow it on a moss pole (my first and only moss pole so far, lol 😅) and I think my choco enjoys it 😄 no pests so far, hope it'll stay that way 😄 Good luck with your el choco, maybe it'll suprise you more in the future 😊 give it a pole, it'll help 😊

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Wow, sounds like your Choco is loving the moss pole setup! Thanks for the tip. Let's hope they keep growing pest-free. Wishing your Choco the best! 😁🙌

Ohhh, I like El Choco very much (still on my wishlist - currently no more space :-D ), so I´m very happy to see a review on it :-) Such a beautiful plant 🥰 I´m definitely going to get it when I manage to create some more space :-D I´d be very interested in a review on P. luxurians, once you had it for some time too 🙂 P.S. Sydney Plant Guy grows it as a climber on a moss pole (as usual :-) ).

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Hey there! 🌟 El Choco Red is truly a beauty, isn't it? I can see why it's on your wishlist! Space is always the issue with us plant lovers 😅. I'll definitely keep P. luxurians in mind for a future review! And yup, I've noticed many grow it as a climber too. Thanks for the tip about Sydney Plant Guy! 🌱

Do one on philodendron joepii

I purchased el choco not long ago so I cannot say yet if it grows ok for me but I like the look of it and - most importantly - it didn't die till now, so I am grateful 😆 Your plants are always incredible 💚

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

As long as it's alive, that's a win! 🎉 Thanks for the compliment on my plants. Let's keep our fingers crossed for your Choco! 🌱💪

@karolinaw.

8 ай бұрын

@@Houseplantygoodness 💚

Hi Memo, I don’t have El Choco. I’ve certainly heard mixed reviews on the difficulty of growing it. It definitely has a rep for spider mites, that’s unanimous 😀🇨🇦

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Hi Linda! 🌼 Oh yes, the infamous spider mites 😅. Good to know we're all on the same page about them. We are all trying to keep those pests at bay! 💪🌱

I would love a Choco Red - still hard to get here in NZ 🥹

Verrucusom spirit.. umm.. ummm i feel you! 😂😂🤭🥴🥴

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Haha! Verrucusom spirit indeed! Thanks for the laugh! 😂🤣🍃

It's a climber if you watch wild fern she has a beautiful one

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Oh, I've seen some of wild fern's videos! Her collection is amazing. Good to know she's got a thriving El Choco. Thanks for the tip! 🌿📺

PHIL💚DENDR💚N EL CH❤CO RED!!! I B💚UGHT A BABY ONE BECAUSE Of H💚W Much It Cost...Since I'm STILL Going Through THE W☹RST OF TIMES...I SHOULDN'T BE BUYING ANY BABY PLANTS!!! I L💚VE THE BLUSHING PHIL💚DENDR💚NS SO...I DO PLAN ON BUYING AN💚THER ONE!!!

Philodendron rubrijuvenile is definitely a climber as verrucosum.

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Totally agree! Climbers all the way! Thanks for chiming in! 🌱🧗

Mine just doesn't grow. Over a year and still looks like a seedling

Thank you Memo, your video’s are so good to guide us through are plant journey 💚🪴

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, Mel! Your support means the world. Here's to many more plant journeys together! 🍀💚

Hey Meno 🫶🏼 I got my El Choco 27:33 early spring from Ecugenera usa an it’s done really well. I have it on a moss pole which I think it helps with stuck leaves. Very happy with this plant. 🫶🏼💚

@Houseplantygoodness

8 ай бұрын

Hey! 🙌 Sounds like your El Choco is living its best life on that moss pole. Always amazing to hear positive plant journeys. Keep rocking it! 🌿💚