With their arrow-shaped leaves and climbing growth habit, arrowhead plants bring a lush feel to your indoor space—and they’re ultra-easy to grow! From basic care tips to propagation advice, this simple guide has all you need to keep these “arrow-sistable” plants looking sharp for many years to come.
About Arrowhead Plants
Also known as the arrowhead philodendron, arrowheads belong to the Araceae plant family, and they’re related to aroids and houseplant favorites like peace lilies and flamingo flowers. In their native rainforests of Central and South America, arrowheads flower and produce solid green leaves; however, indoor plants rarely bloom and are primarily grown for their foliage. Even without their flowers, arrowheads have lots of charm, and cultivated varieties come in various sizes, colors, and variegation patterns that can be a fun challenge to collect!
In their native rainforests, arrowhead vines clamber up trees and over rocks with their aerial roots, but these plants can grow invasively if planted outdoors in warm areas like Florida. Indoor arrowheads are much more mild-mannered and adapt well to indoor living; you can grow them as tabletop plants or display their trailing vines on trellises or in hanging baskets. When mature, arrowhead vines stretch between 3 and 6 feet in length, although they can be kept small and bushy with frequent pruning.
Beyond their aesthetic appeal, arrowheads are prized for their simple care requirements and easy-going attitude. As long as you grow these plants in sun or part shade and water them regularly, they’ll grow like champs—and they’re easy to propagate too. Just remember that arrowheads are toxic to pets and should be kept out of reach of furry friends and small children!
Arrowhead plants (Syngonium podophyllum) are commonly cultivated as a houseplant. Credit: Bhupinder Bagga
If there’s one thing to know about arrowhead plants, it’s that they’ll fill up just about any pot you put them in. To avoid root-bound roots, arrowheads should be repotted as soon as you bring them home and repotted again at least every 2 years after that. However, these plants will grow faster and get even bigger if you repot them every year in spring!
To start, remove your arrowhead plant from its old pot by grasping the plant’s stems with one hand and using your other hand to wriggle the old pot free. If the pot isn’t budging, use a butter knife to carefully loosen the soil around the pot’s edges.
Add several inches of potting mix to the base of the new pot, gently tease any encircling roots apart, and position your arrowhead in the new growing container so that it’s at the same depth that it was growing in its old pot. Any well-draining container is suitable for growing arrowheads. However, terracotta pots are recommended for these plants since they drain quickly and reduce the chances of root rot.
Fill in the empty space around your plant’s roots with more potting mix and firm the potting soil around the plant’s stems to keep them upright.
Water well and return your arrowhead to a sunny spot so it can keep growing!
Growing
Close-up of Syngonium podophyllum leaves, showing the beautiful texture. Credit: BooDogz
Arrowheads are one of the few houseplants that can be grown in water, but they generally grow better in soil. With proper care, these plants can live for 10 or more years, and they should produce lots of offshoots that you can propagate and share with friends. However, if you want arrowheads to look their best, it’s important to provide your plants with the right care!
Light
One of the best things about arrowhead plants is that they can grow in relatively low light. That said, bright, indirect light is best for these plants, while direct sun can scorch their leaves. Variegated arrowheads usually prefer a little more light, while solid green varieties are more tolerant of shade.
Water
Like most other tropical houseplants, arrowheads should be watered about once a week in summer and a little less in winter. You’ll know it’s time to water your plants when the top few inches of their soil feel dry. And remember, arrowheads are prone to root rot, so be sure that you don’t overwater them!
Fertilizer
For optimal growth and lots of lush leaves, fertilize arrowhead plants about once a month from spring through early fall with an organic liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength. Once their growth slows in autumn, withhold all fertilizer until your plants produce new growth in spring.
Humidity
Arrowheads are tropical plants that love extra humidity. However, these plants aren’t as picky about humidity as many other houseplants, and they’ll grow just fine at standard indoor humidity levels. If desired, you can keep arrowhead plants in a well-lit, steamy bathroom or place them on top of a pebble tray for a humidity boost!
Seasonal Care
During winter, arrowhead plants should be watered a little less and don’t need fertilizer. Beyond that, arrowhead plant care doesn’t fluctuate much throughout the year, although these plants will need to be pruned from time to time if you don’t want them to get too large.
To prune arrowhead vines, simply trim long stems and vines back to a leaf node using sharp, sterilized scissors or shears. Don’t throw out those prunings, though. Arrowhead plants are some of the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings!
Propagation
Arrowhead plants can be propagated in soil or water at any time of the year. However, cuttings usually root best when propagating in spring or summer using the water propagation method!
Using sterilized scissors or pruners, take 4- to 6-inch long cuttings from healthy arrowhead stems at a leaf node. If the cuttings have a few aerial roots, they’ll root even faster!
Place the cuttings in a clear glass jar and add enough water to submerge the base of the cuttings. If any leaves are touching the water line, cut them away with scissors.
Move the cuttings into bright, indirect light and replace the water daily to keep everything fresh.
In a few weeks, you should start to see small roots forming at the base of the arrowhead cuttings. Once the roots are 1 to 2 inches long, repot the cuttings into individual pots filled with a rich potting mix, and care for your new arrowheads just like the parent plant!
Types
Most arrowhead plants produce green leaves, which may be ornamented with splashes of yellow or white variegation. However, arrowhead plants come in a range of colors, and you can find cultivars with brown, pink, or even white leaves!
‘Cream Allusion’: More compact than most arrowheads, this plant produces pale green leaves with a touch of pink leaf veining.
‘Strawberry Cream’: If you crave even more pink, try growing the stunning ‘Strawberry Cream’ arrowhead. These plants have pale pink leaves that get even brighter when the plants receive plenty of indirect sun.
‘Albo-Variegatum’: One of the most dramatic arrowheads you can find, this rare plant features bright white variegation on its medium green leaves.
Syngonium Albo variegated leaf. Credit: umitc
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Wit and Wisdom
Syngonium plants were first written about by the Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum, published in 1753.
The scientific name podophyllum comes from the Greek words podos (foot) and phyllon (leaf) and refers to the unique shape of arrowhead plant leaves.
Pests/Diseases
Arrowhead plants are quite hardy and they’re generally resistant to most pests and disease. However, if pests or other problems do occur, you can help your arrowheads bounce back quickly by taking action at the first signs of plant distress!
Pests, like aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, and scale, sometimes prey on arrowhead vines. Keep these pests at bay by quarantining new plants before adding them to your houseplant collection, and treat pest-infested plants with weekly applications of organic soap spray.
Lighting issues can produce different symptoms depending on whether your plants receive too much or too little light. Pale or bleached out leaves usually indicate that arrowheads are getting too much sun, while low light can cause these plants to stretch and get leggy.
Watering issues are especially common with arrowheads and plants can develop wilted leaves, dark leaf spots, or smelly roots if they get too much water. Too little moisture, on the other hand, may cause arrowhead plants to sag and develop brown and crispy leaves.
Lauren is a gardener, writer, and public speaker with over a decade of experience helping others learn about gardening, homesteading, and sustainable living. Read More from Lauren Landers