Philodendron Narrow (Tiger Tooth) Care Guide

Philodendron narrow tiger tooth are beautiful decorative plants. It gives a uniquely tropical feeling to any room or office. These plants are easy to care for.  They need very little pruning and maintenance to stay healthy.  Let’s look at how to grow and care for the narrow philodendron.

Philodendron Narrow Care

To care for this tropical plant, you need moist and well-draining soil. Avoid over-watering the plant, especially in the colder seasons. Water three times a month. Place the philodendron narrow in indirect sunlight for optimal results. Avoid large temperature swings to keep this plant healthy and thriving.

Philodendron Narrow Care Summary

Narrow / Tiger Tooth Facts

This plant is known as the “narrow tiger tooth” philodendron. It is also called “narrow escape”. Many people mix this plant up with its closest relative, the Jungle boogie philodendron. The plant originated from riverbanks in the rainforest of South America. They have spread all over the world, and have become popular in living rooms everywhere. It is also found on many islands in the west indies.
Now, let’s look at how to care for a philodendron narrow tiger tooth.

Philodendron Narrow Tiger Tooth Guide

To keep this plant happy and healthy, you need to mimic its origin’s conditions best. In our case, the Narrow tiger tooth grew in South America, at the bottom of the forest. So, the key is to keep the plant warm and give it plenty of indirect sunlight.

Philodendron narrow is easy to care for. As long as you have moist soil with good drainage, you will have a thriving plant. It gives the living room a vibrant tropical feeling. The uncommon tooth-like leaves give a special kind of novelty.

Light Requirements

This philodendron came from the bottom of the rainforest. They grow best with indirect sunlight. You should place your philodendron in a place where the sun doesn’t directly shine at them. The plant is not as light-sensitive as many other philodendrons. But you should not give excessive sunlight.

However, you should also be careful with placing the plant in a place where it doesn’t get enough sunlight.  If this is the case, the leaves will grow with larger and larger space between them. If you have accidentally given your plant too much sunlight it’s important to remember to water it thoroughly.

Indoor plants like the narrow can also thrive in low-lights, but bright light is better. Philodendrons make excellent houseplants, as they are versatile and can thrive in many conditions.

Watering

Just like most other philodendrons, the Narrow tiger tooth can easily get overwatered. water the plant thoroughly and allow the top 1 inch to dry out completely before next watering. To test if the soil is dried out,  either use your finger or a chopstick. 

If you use your finger, just make sure the bottom is moist and the top is dry before you water it. If your whole finger is moist, there is no reason to water the plant. 

if you’re using chopsticks, leave it for 30-minutes.  When you pull it up, you can check the moisture level by color. Dark areas of the chopstick mean the soil is wet. Dry soil will leave your chopstick uncolored.

do not water your plant too often in the winter as it is most susceptible to root rot here.

Potting Soil – Substrate – Potting Mix 

The potting soil for the Narrow tiger to children should be well-draining, but also moisture retaining. You should use a whole lot of water when watering your plants. This will deplete the nutrition of the soil faster. So it’s important to remember to fertilize occasionally.

If you have soil with good water retention you can simply place your entire pot in water. Then leave the pot for itself for many days before you need to check.

Make your soil with coco coir, perlite, and peat moss. Pots should be big, as the plant will double in size very fast. The containers you use should have holes in the bottom. Make sure the holes work or your plant will be overwatered.

Optimal Temperature

The narrow philodendron is very easy to care for temperature-wise. As long as the plant doesn’t experience swinging temperatures. The plant also hates freezing temperatures.  You can place your plant outside in more shaded areas, like under trees.  If your plant is outside, remember it does not like getting a sunburn.

Humidity

Philodendron narrow grows originally in the humid rainforest.  It’s best for the plant to be in a humid environment. But it’s not necessary to have high humidity for your plant to thrive.  It’s a good idea to look into misting. You should spray your plant leaves every few days.  Habits like misting are good. Misters are more likely to notice issues with their plants. You get to experience your plant more often and all the way up closer. Closeness builds a stronger relationship between you and your philodendron, which is nice.

Fertilizer

The Narrow tiger tooth is a heavy feeder. This is why I recommend using a liquid fertilizer about once a month during the spring and summer. During the fall and winter, you should fertilize it way less. Make sure the soil is slightly acidic; a pH of around 5.5 is perfect. 

Pruning and maintenance

Fortunately for everyone, this philodendron is very easy to maintain and prune. You only need to do some light cleaning.  remove damaged or old leaves as you see fit and occasionally clean the leaves and stem of dust.

Propagation

People have reported this field to be particularly easy to propagate. I have not propagated my own tiger tooth yet.  There are 2 really easy ways to propagate the narrow tiger tooth. The first method is simply to cut the plant by the node if it has aerial roots.  make sure to use a sanitized pruner or scissor. insert the cutting into some water until the roots develop.  Pot it in some nice moist soil. Philodendrons are one of the only plants that will grow in water permanently.

The second method is to simply cut by the nodes and then add the rooting hormone to the cut part.  Afterward, place it in fertile soil that is moist. Make sure to keep it in warmth and with indirect lighting conditions, but no direct sunlight.

if there’s a flap covering the aerial roots remove it.

Frequently asked questions

Is it toxic?

Do not let your pet eat this philodendron plant.  It is toxic to humans and most animals.  If you want a plant that you could eat, get some aloe vera instead. The indoor plant is not necessarily poisonous, it’s toxic to consume. There have been many cases of severe consequences from eating philodendrons.

Outdoor or indoor philodendron?

Whether It should be placed indoors or Outdoors depends on where you live.  In climates like Thailand or the Philippines, you can place this plant outside all year. If you do not live in a tropical climate like 99% of people you should keep the plant inside. It is a house plant after all.  Or you can place the plant outside in the summer if you want to.

narrow tiger tooth or jungle boogie or narrow escape – are they the same?

These tropical plants often get conflated. Their appearance is very similar. Philodendron narrow tiger tooth is not the same as the jungle boogie philodendron. They look almost identical. The Jungle boogie has peach cataphyll, whilst the narrow gets light green cataphyll.

Another big difference is the leaves. The Jungle boogie has distinctly dark mature leaves compared to most philodendrons. If you are unsure what you have, simply look at the leaves. Light green leaves would mean you have a narrow tiger tooth philodendron.

These house plants are easiest to compare if you have them head to head in your greenhouse. A philodendron houseplant will usually differ a whole lot more than these two do. Both have foliage that is resistant to pests. You should not have many insects or mites eating these plants.

Does the Narrow philodendron and jungle boogie climb?

Philodendrons come in 3 varieties. Hanging, climbing, or non-climbing. The narrow and jungle boogie will climb. Place a pole or stick with your plant, and they will climb. Keep in mind the narrow tiger tooth and jungle boogie are terrible climbers. They will grow very tall if you force them to climb, otherwise, they will look like a shrub.