The Cebu Blue Pothos is exactly that: a Pothos! It’s a member of the Epipremnum pinnatum genus, and despite the fact that they’re both tropical plants with a lot of similarities, it’s not a Philodendron.
Is a Cebu Blue a pothos?
Epipremnum pinnatum ‘Cebu blue’ is a lovely and popular pothos cultivar with gleaming silvery-blue leaves that shimmer in the light. Cebu blue, whether trailing or climbing, is a lovely accent to any interior jungle, and it receives added benefits for being a low-maintenance plant.
Is Cebu Blue pothos rare?
Because of its silverish-blue shimmering leaves that trail and vine attractively, the Cebu Blue Pothos creates an eye-catching houseplant. Furthermore, this tropical evergreen vine is low-maintenance and requires little attention. The care of Cebu Blue Pothos is actually quite simple.
Cebu Blue is also known by several other names, including Devil’s Ivy, Blue Pothos, Dragon-tail Plant, Centipede Tongavine, and Epipremnum Pinnatum (a mouthful!). The term “Devil’s Ivy” is most commonly used to describe golden and jade pothos.
What’s the difference between a pothos and philodendron?
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit two tropical locales during this frigid, snowy winter. In December, I traveled to Costa Rica to pick up my son from his semester abroad, and I recently returned from my husband’s employee incentive trip to the Dominican Republic.
I obviously appreciated the warm, sunny weather in both places, but I really enjoy viewing the tropical vegetation. There are many native plants that we grow as houseplants.
Philodendron and pothos are two plants that always astonish me in their natural setting. Many houseplants are labeled as philodendron, however the majority are most likely pothos. Both have green leaves and are vining plants, yet they are extremely distinct. Allow me to attempt to explain.
Philodendrons are tropical plants with a variety of leaf shapes and colors. The heartleaf philodendron is the most common type of philodendron (Philodendron scandens subsp. oxycardium). This is a vine that grows quickly. It grows on slender, flexible vines with heart-shaped dark green leaves. This plant develops quickly. Because they withstand low light and fluctuating temperatures, all philodendrons are popular.
Pothos are plants that are very distinct from one another. Pothos, commonly known as Devil’s Ivy, is a tropical vine. Crisp, gleaming leaves with gold, white, or yellow patterns distinguish it. The silver pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Marble Queen’) is the most common. When young, it has smooth, waxy leaves that are mottled with white. Pothos require a little more light and warmth than philodendrons. Pothos, in fact, need more light to generate strong leaf patterns and variegation.
When grown in their natural habitat of the tropics, these plants produce amazing results. Both juvenile and adult leaves can be produced by them. In most cases, we only see the juvenile leaves in our homes. Adult leaves are larger and have a different form from juvenile leaves. Once the vining plant reaches a particular height, the larger adult leaves will appear at the top.
These plants are considered to be two of the best plants for purifying indoor air. NASA research from the late 1980s discovered that a variety of houseplants may eliminate typical indoor contaminants found in carpets, furniture, construction materials, and cleaning chemicals. For a typical 2,000 square foot household, the study suggests having at least 15 air-cleaning houseplants.
Leaves:
The leaves are a striking bluish-gray or silver color in this phase. The beauty of this plant is that its leaves come in a variety of colors, including green, bluish-green, blue, and silver. In bright light, these colours become even more noticeable and stunning. They are oval or elongated in shape and measure 2 to 3 inches in length. Because it is a popular choice for indoor decoration in the European region, the plant in this phase is known as the “European house plant.”
Habit:
The young Blue Cebu is a terrestrial species that grows without assistance. This stage frequently results in slender, drooping vines in lovely hanging plant baskets.
The leaves turn green and have distinct zig-zag divisions that extend up to the leaf’s midrib. The leaves are 1 to 3 feet long and resemble the fronds of a palm tree at this stage.
Cebu Blue and Monstera Plants
Because of the similar leaf structure, the adult Blue Cebu is occasionally confused with Monstera plants. The Monstera plants, on the other hand, lack the firm ridge that runs the length of the Cebu Plant’s stem.
Is Cebu Blue pothos a fast grower?
This plant is one of my favorites because of how easy it is to care for and because of the beautiful silvery blue-green foliage. It thrives in typical indoor circumstances, grows swiftly with proper care, and is quite simple to reproduce.
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS
Cebu Blue, like any other Pothos, isn’t fussy about light. It does, however, thrive in brilliant indirect light.
I recommend positioning your plant directly in front of a window for the optimum growth and health.
I mean 1-2 feet in front of a window when I say “directly in front of a window.”
The closer you are, the better.
I have one Cebu Blue hanging under a skylight that receives very little direct sunlight.
They’ve also grown just in front of a north-facing window for me (within a foot or so of the window).
It’s also nice to get some direct sunlight.
Eastern-facing windows that let in the morning sun would be ideal (especially during winter time when pretty much all houseplants will benefit from direct sun indoors).
I’d just keep out of the sun for more than a half-day.
(Save that excellent sunny window real estate for succulents and other plants that require a lot of direct sunlight!)
During the primary growth season, these plants can grow quite quickly if they are given adequate light and water.
During one summer, one of my plants grew a few feet.
Give them lots of light and be sure to water them on a regular basis, and they’ll take off like a rocket!
WATERING
When it comes to watering, Cebu Blue is quite forgiving, but if you are vigilant, your plant will repay you with luxuriant growth.
Water well until the drainage hole is clear of all surplus water.
Then, before watering again, let the top inch or two of soil dry off.
That’s all there is to it.
Try not to let your plant dry out totally.
Your entire plant will wilt, and the lower leaves will begin to yellow if you do (believe me, I’ve done it).
FERTILIZER
During the main growing season, I fertilize dilutely with every watering, which is my typical advise for fertilizing.
If my plant isn’t growing throughout the winter, I’ll trim back or stop totally.
I’ll resume when the longer days of spring bring new growth.
Any all-purpose houseplant fertilizer would suffice, but I prefer Dyna-Gro Grow, which I get from Amazon.
It’s an AMAZING fertilizer that I use on the majority of my houseplants, and if you use it consistently, you’ll notice wonderful results!
It’s a high-quality, ALL-IN-ONE fertilizer that has everything your plants require.
It’s also urea-free, so it won’t harm your plants.
It’s available on Amazon, and I’ve had great success with it.
You will not be disappointed if you use Dyna-Gro Grow on a regular basis because it produces incredible results.
POTTING SOIL
You can certainly get away with using any nice, widely available potting mix, but let me tell you what I do with the majority of my green tropical plants.
I like to use the following soil to perlite ratio for the great majority of my leafy tropical plants, and you can readily acquire the components on Amazon:
1 part Miracle Gro Potting Mix, 3 parts Miracle Gro Potting Mix
Mix everything together thoroughly, and you’ll have a lovely draining potting mix!
HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE
You don’t need to do anything particular for this plant, to be honest. If you’re at ease indoors, you’ll be at ease with this plant.
Average interior temperatures and humidity levels are good.
It is an advantage if you can enhance humidity because it will benefit your plants.
This plant, like the simple old Pothos that you find all throughout, is quite trouble-free.
It doesn’t get any brown tips on the leaves until you let it sit in the sun for a long time.
CEBU BLUE PROPAGATION
You may easily root Cebu Blue in either soil or water via cuttings that are a few inches long.
I prefer water propagation since I can see the roots starting to grow before potting them.
Simply trim a few cuttings and ensure that at least one, if not two, nodes are submerged.
This one cutting had to be completely submerged for that to happen, but it does show the root growth at each node.
As soon as you notice root growth, you can pot the cuttings.
If you wait too long, the transition into soil will slow down growth, but it will still work.
If you don’t want to use water, simply place the cuttings with one or two nodes below the soil line.
All you have to do now is keep the soil moist.
It aids in keeping cuttings propagated in soil at a greater humidity level.
You can use a humidifier or simply lay the rooting cuttings in soil in a clear plastic bag (out of direct sunlight to avoid cooking!).
You’ll know your plant has rooted when you notice growth beginning, and you can return it to its normal growing environment.
You may also merely water propagate the cuttings and pot them up once they show evidence of root growth.
Both strategies are effective.
Are you looking to buy a Cebu Blue? Etsy is one of my favorite and most convenient one-stop-shops for buying almost any plant. Today, have a look at the Cebu Blue collection (link to Etsy)!
That’s all there is to it!
If you want to learn more about growing the “simple” old pothos, check out my blog entry on how to cultivate pothos.
Where does Cebu blue come from?
The Blue Philodendron, Epipremnum pinnatum ‘Cebu Blue,’ is a highly unusual and interesting plant. It belongs to the Araceae family of plants and is an aroid. This plant originated on Cebu Island in the Philippines and is now distributed throughout Asia, Central America, and South America.
Can Cebu Blue be variegated?
This is a “Cebu Blue” aka Epipremnum Pinnatum that is variegated! These are highly prized plants that prefer climbing a totem pole. If you offer them something to climb, their leaves will mature and fenestrate!
Is Cebu blue and dragon tail the same?
Many people enjoy these vines because of the distinctive display of blue colours in their leaves, which make them ideal as ornamental elements, especially in rooms with bluish tones.
Another interesting feature of the Cebu Blue, which belongs to the Araceae family, is that it has two distinct stages: juvenile and mature adult. The mature adult stage’s leaves have unusual zigzag trails along their midrib, but the juvenile stage’s leaves are regular.
This plant is sought after because it is distinct from the more well-known and generic Epipremnum Pinnatum, which does not have a blue hue in its leaves.
The Cebu Blue is truly one of the island’s most unusual plants, yet it is only well-known among gardeners and plant enthusiasts on the island. It’s even sold in stores for roughly 400 to 500 pesos.
How do I identify a pothos?
The general form and texture of the leaves differ significantly between pothos and philodendrons. The leaves of a pothos (top shot) are thicker, waxier, and have a somewhat raised/bumpy texture. There’s also an indented midrib, and the design resembles a gardening shovel. A philodendron, on the other hand (bottom photo), has thinner leaves with a smooth texture; you won’t feel the texture when gliding your fingers across the leaf blade like you would with a pothos. With a pronounced sinus (the area between the two rounded lobes where the leaf joins the petiole) and a more sharply tailed apex, the philodendron leaf form is likewise more heart-like (the point of the leaf). Pothos leaves can also be a little lopsided compared to philodendron leaves.