This video was so helpful to me! Costco Trader Joe’s and Wegmans are all selling these interchangeably for $10-20! I had no idea how to tell them apart, and now I at least know what my red Congo is and the imperial red. Many thanks even years later than you made this.
Thank you for this video. You helped me identify my Rojo Congo and yes just like the other comments you are the only one who mentioned the red edge of the leaf. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
This was very helpful. I got my Rojo Congo from Trader Joe's for $12 but it was label "tropical plant". I'm looking for your fertilizer experiment results. Thanks!
Hello ordinary plant girl would it be possible to get an update on Larry and all the other black Cardinals Rojos...... I bet after growing them for 3 years they are amazing now
That seems to be the way it goes! I just bought my 3rd Rojo Congo, I'm a bit obsessed with them! Enjoy them and let me know how they do. Thanks for watching :)
@@OrdinaryPlantGirl Obsessed, that's a good word haha. I also ordered an "autumn" and I would love to find a red heart, there is only one online right now and it's too expensive for me. They are very similar, but not. Very subtle differences in color, etc.
@@renegadetherapist5664 I would love to find both of those. The Autumn is beautiful! I've heard the Red Heart can be difficult but I'm up for it if I can find one! Let me know if you do! Good Luck.
@@OrdinaryPlantGirl There are red hearts on ebay, and I haven't seen another autumn, which is arriving today. The red heart is a bit steep for me! I'm gonna trust that someday I'll walk into a nursery and there will be one sitting there, waiting for me!!
Yoooo, Thank You Ma'am!! I was given this plant as a gift yesterday from family. The person thought they had purchased a Dwarf Cavendish Banana Tree, it is one I really would love to have. I was no way going to say anything, I am a very thankful human, plus I really like this plant. 😊 It didn't have any labor, except a sticker that said tropical. You confirmed it Ma'am; I have the Red (Rojo) Congo!!! Thank You & Air Hugs!! 😁 PS: I completely understand the mislabeled plant problem. I am a a cacti person, and it can be outright irritating to find its proper name when there is none on it, or it being mislabeled!! Have A Wonderful Day Ma'am & Thank You For This Video!! PS: I loved how you seemed to be yourself, and not another wannabe high intellectual, marching on towards the Nobel Peace Prize with a "look at me" sign above their head!! Two Air Hugs Given ! L0L
I like this idea of being an ordinary plant girl so I’m subbed. Looking forward to future content. Also great info. I just got an imperial red and I’m in love. I’ll be on the lookout for the other two 👍🏾
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!! I orderd a black cardinal from etsy but once arrived I thought it might of been something else, after watching this you have helped me to know I infact have an imperial red!! Hands down best informative video! Been searching high and low to find the real differences fully explained and you have done just that! I dont normally comment on YT but had to let you know how much this video is appreciated! Thank you again! And i would love to know more about your fertilizing experiment you are working on now :) have a great day/night!
Hi Just watched your video!. Great info! i purchased a Rojo congo at Lowes probably and if now think its an Imperial Red Thanks so much! And I love mine
Hi. New to your channel and I subscribed just after watching this video. I am an ordinary plant girl too and I am finding out in a very short period of time that the plant market is fraught with incompetence, and even fraud, and it is so incredibly hard for us ordinary plant lovers and buyers to figure out this mumbo jumbo. Thanks for trying to shed some light / add some clarity to the haze, by using your first hand experience with all these philodendrons, an heroic effort that I much appreciated. BTW - two things. I have a Philodendron Prince of Orange that I bought from a reliable, local seller, and after just a handful of weeks, it is expressing the same leaf problems as your Imperial Reds - browning and dying out - and I too am assuming (hoping) that it is just a transition problem. Second, Larry and Lily are both simply breathtaking! Now I have to get me a Congo Roho!
Thank you! It is hard sometimes to trust what you're getting from a seller but you would think that if you're getting plants from a physical store that sells them that they would know what they're selling. Do it get the Rojo Congo. You won't be sorry!
Is it the back of the leaf that's red or the inside of the leaf? It's common for the sheath and back of the leaves to come in a blushing red depending on the maturity. Imperial Red's come in with bright red leaves if they're mature enough. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching 😊
Great video with great content! Thank you for sharing, educating and putting yourself out there; however don't be so hard on yourself. In fact I don't think there is ANYTHING ordinary about you at all. Your much more perfect than you give yourself credit. Start labeling yourself Outstanding or whatever tickles your fancy! Thank you for being You! - Kendall
Thank you for this video. I'm so trying to understand if my plant is a Rojo Congo. The leaves are Spade shaped, dark green and the thick stems are red. I purchased it from a nursery without a tag and it's in a 10" grow pot. It's huge! How often should it be watered? One leaf completely fell off before it unfurled and some other leaves are yellowing and soggy. Only the thick stem is left. The other leaf is trying to unfurl but seems to be stunted. Aerial roots are growing and the smaller leaves look fine. S.O.S from NY. 💞
I let all of my Philodendrons dry out before watering. What I've noticed from getting large plants from the Nursery is to check the roots because the plants are consistent kept damp leading to root rot in the larger potted plants. The leaf is probably stunted because the plant has other issues and that energy is being taken from the new leaf. One of the best things about Philodendrons is that they are hardy and can recover with patience and some TLC... lots of patience lol
While watching, I looked at one of mine and sure enough, it had a red tinge all around the edge, and the nursery said it was a rojo, so check there, you really have to look but you can see the difference when you compare it to another one.
So glad I found this video! You did a great job of explaining, and I never knew about the red tinge on the rojo leaves.......I just looked and there it was. I have all three......plus a Prince of Orange, Lemon Lime, Mccolley's Finale, imperial Green and an imperial Red. I have recently fallen in love with these types of philodendrons! Went a little crazy during the lockdown lol I do have a question: How does the self watering pot work with these? I was thinking of trying it out. Anyway, thanks for the video, just subscribed!!
I'm looking for a McColley's! I found an Imperial Green but they wanted 3x's what a Rojo was worth so I decided to wait. I also just recently got a Prince of Orange but the jury is still out on that one lol. I'm so glad it helped you and yes I'm loving these plants so much. Thanks for watching 😊
@@OrdinaryPlantGirl I have gotten some good deals on Ebay, and sometimes Etsy.I keep checking for what I'm looking for and eventually something will show up at a good price. I found the Rojo at a local nursery, which is unusual because around here it is usually the same plants over and over. This shipping is what's really nuts sometimes! Good luck!
I have 2 Rojo Congos. Saw a few which I thought were the Black Cardinal. From your fine video...I think some of them are the Imperial Red. Black Cardinals seem to be quite hard to get in my neck of the woods...but not the Imperial Red. I love the darker and rounder leaves of the Imperial Red and the Black Cardinal. Since you have both the Imperial Red and the Black Cardinal...if I may ask...what colour are the underside of the leaves (matured). My Rojo Congos are green. Thanks!
I wish I had a mature Black Cardinal! For my Imperial Red the undersides are a deep green with a blush of red. From what I've seen of the Black Cardinal they have a bit of a lighter green with a blush of red once they harden off. It does seem to have something to do with the light requirements as well. I was thinking of doing a video on their care requirements because everything says they're easy but they're actually finicky! Mine anyway lol. I hope I helped. Thanks for watching!
Lol the confusion can be real! At least with the Red Emerald the growth pattern would give it away. Now you have given me another idea!!! Thanks for watching 😊
You almost have to be a horticulturist to identify the different variations. I'm so confused. I've seen several videos where a rojo congo looks like a black cardinal and an imperial red looks like a green congo. I'm very confused by it all. Nurseries only label the plant as "philodendron" because they don't know. I know you intended this to be an informative video but I found it really entertaining. In fact, I've come back to watch it several times. You're great.
That's very true! Really I just meant it to show how they get miss identified so often and how I got caught in it and ended up with sooo many that I noticed the differences on my own. Thanks for watching!!
I just ordered what is said to be an imperial red from Hirt's. It is very young and all the leaves are a burgundy color. Do you know if this is characteristic to the imperial red? Also can you do a video of what the lighting is like on your plants expecially these philos you show cased? I am trying to make mine is in the best spot. I have had some plants that were considered easy to not do so well for me. I feel like if they are not right in the window it is not good. You see many videos where the plants are very close to the window. My vents are by the window so I know there would be an issue with the draft hitting the plants.
The juvenile imperial reds are more green with what looks like a red blush on the top of the leaves so for the one you ordered to have all burgundy leaves I would have to say is definitely more mature not a seedling but probably a top cutting propagation. When you get it send me a pic on my Instagram @ordinaryplantgirl and we'll see what you got. As for a lighting video I can most definitely do that because all of the ones I showed have different lighting conditions! Thanks for watching!
I ordered a Black Cardinal (another one lol) but it got here and doesn't look like the 7+ I've seen before, its much more green so now I'm trying to figure out what the heck they sent me 😂😂 I have Bloody Mary, Dark Lord, Black Cardinal, Rojo Congo & whatever else red Philo down there that I have & can't remember at the moment lol 😂 but this one is just different. Driving myself nuts to figure it out.
I have one and it was labeled imperial red but it looks nothing like it when i google it, but when i google rojo congo it looks the same, also in the video from planteria. But now in this video the one you say is imperial red looks like mine
Rojo's typically have the spade shaped leaves with a red edge on the leaves but what you said is the main reason I made the video! This is just what I noticed because I kept buying them thinking the were different plants based on what the sellers thought they were even after doing research. Once you have all three of them the differences are very noticeable.
I haven't tried a seaweed one. At the moment I use Marphyl which is Phytoplankton but mine seem to like it if I mix it along with a low dose organic fertilizer.
You are literally the only one comparing and contrasting these three! Thank you!
You're so welcome!
You are THE ONLY ONE...who pointed out that the ROJO CONGO has red outlined leaves...THANK YOU, and spade shaped😘 It was a BLACK WOMAN who did this.
Lol!! Thanks I had so many miss ID's as you saw that there had to be a way to tell the difference. Plus I love the Rojo ♥️
This video was so helpful to me! Costco Trader Joe’s and Wegmans are all selling these interchangeably for $10-20! I had no idea how to tell them apart, and now I at least know what my red Congo is and the imperial red. Many thanks even years later than you made this.
Thank you! I'm so glad it helped 😊
Thank you for this video. You helped me identify my Rojo Congo and yes just like the other comments you are the only one who mentioned the red edge of the leaf. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I'm so glad it helped you!! Thanks for watching ☺️
This was very helpful. I got my Rojo Congo from Trader Joe's for $12 but it was label "tropical plant".
I'm looking for your fertilizer experiment results. Thanks!
It's been a work in progress and that video is coming together. Thanks for watching ☺️
Hello ordinary plant girl would it be possible to get an update on Larry and all the other black Cardinals Rojos...... I bet after growing them for 3 years they are amazing now
I can definitely do that!
I just got an Imperial Red, now I have all three LOL I don't care, they are gorgeous and so jungley!! Made up that word! haha
That seems to be the way it goes! I just bought my 3rd Rojo Congo, I'm a bit obsessed with them! Enjoy them and let me know how they do. Thanks for watching :)
@@OrdinaryPlantGirl Obsessed, that's a good word haha. I also ordered an "autumn" and I would love to find a red heart, there is only one online right now and it's too expensive for me. They are very similar, but not. Very subtle differences in color, etc.
@@renegadetherapist5664 I would love to find both of those. The Autumn is beautiful! I've heard the Red Heart can be difficult but I'm up for it if I can find one! Let me know if you do! Good Luck.
@@OrdinaryPlantGirl There are red hearts on ebay, and I haven't seen another autumn, which is arriving today. The red heart is a bit steep for me! I'm gonna trust that someday I'll walk into a nursery and there will be one sitting there, waiting for me!!
Thank you so much! You are the only one to specify the red edge on the rojo!
It's one of the things I love about the Rojo. Thanks for watching!
Excelent! People needed this so sellers cant sell plants with another names and prices!
Exactly!
You are adorable! 💚 You made me laugh because you sounded so much like me,when on a quest for particular plants 💚👍
I purchased a philodendron ruby,is it red congo?
I don't know much about the Philodendron Ruby but it's not a Rojo Congo. The growth pattern and leaves are different but now I have to find one!!!
@@OrdinaryPlantGirl 💚🌿
Yoooo, Thank You Ma'am!!
I was given this plant as a gift yesterday from family. The person thought they had purchased a Dwarf Cavendish Banana Tree, it is one I really would love to have.
I was no way going to say anything, I am a very thankful human, plus I really like this plant. 😊
It didn't have any labor, except a sticker that said tropical.
You confirmed it Ma'am; I have the Red (Rojo) Congo!!!
Thank You & Air Hugs!! 😁
PS:
I completely understand the mislabeled plant problem. I am a a cacti person, and it can be outright irritating to find its proper name when there is none on it, or it being mislabeled!!
Have A Wonderful Day Ma'am & Thank You For This Video!!
PS:
I loved how you seemed to be yourself, and not another wannabe high intellectual, marching on towards the Nobel Peace Prize with a "look at me" sign above their head!!
Two Air Hugs Given ! L0L
Awe thank you so much and I'm so glad it helped you! Thanks for watching 🥰☺️
I like this idea of being an ordinary plant girl so I’m subbed. Looking forward to future content.
Also great info. I just got an imperial red and I’m in love. I’ll be on the lookout for the other two 👍🏾
They're great! I have found the hardest of the 3 to be the Black Cardinal so far. Good luck finding the others 🙂
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!! I orderd a black cardinal from etsy but once arrived I thought it might of been something else, after watching this you have helped me to know I infact have an imperial red!! Hands down best informative video! Been searching high and low to find the real differences fully explained and you have done just that! I dont normally comment on YT but had to let you know how much this video is appreciated! Thank you again! And i would love to know more about your fertilizing experiment you are working on now :) have a great day/night!
Thank you! I glad it helped you! I will be doing a video on the fertilizer experiment soon. Thank you so much for commenting 😊
Hi Just watched your video!. Great info! i purchased a Rojo congo at Lowes probably and if now think its an Imperial Red
Thanks so much! And I love mine
What's not to love lol. Thanks for watching!
Hi. New to your channel and I subscribed just after watching this video. I am an ordinary plant girl too and I am finding out in a very short period of time that the plant market is fraught with incompetence, and even fraud, and it is so incredibly hard for us ordinary plant lovers and buyers to figure out this mumbo jumbo. Thanks for trying to shed some light / add some clarity to the haze, by using your first hand experience with all these philodendrons, an heroic effort that I much appreciated. BTW - two things. I have a Philodendron Prince of Orange that I bought from a reliable, local seller, and after just a handful of weeks, it is expressing the same leaf problems as your Imperial Reds - browning and dying out - and I too am assuming (hoping) that it is just a transition problem. Second, Larry and Lily are both simply breathtaking! Now I have to get me a Congo Roho!
Thank you! It is hard sometimes to trust what you're getting from a seller but you would think that if you're getting plants from a physical store that sells them that they would know what they're selling. Do it get the Rojo Congo. You won't be sorry!
Shoot I should check my microphone when I'm talking into it to see what it's saying unfurling is what I meant to say! Lol
Is it the back of the leaf that's red or the inside of the leaf? It's common for the sheath and back of the leaves to come in a blushing red depending on the maturity. Imperial Red's come in with bright red leaves if they're mature enough. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching 😊
This really helped me ID my red imperial! Thanks so much
I'm glad it helped!
Yup I’m completely confused.. gotta watch this a few times..
Lol basically it comes down to the leaf shape that's the easiest way to tell!
Okay I have a question I'm noticing your infernal leaf is green my robo Congo is unproving a leaf and it's red is that common?
Great video with great content! Thank you for sharing, educating and putting yourself out there; however don't be so hard on yourself. In fact I don't think there is ANYTHING ordinary about you at all. Your much more perfect than you give yourself credit. Start labeling yourself Outstanding or whatever tickles your fancy! Thank you for being You! - Kendall
Thank you so much and thanks for watching ☺️
Thank you for this video. I'm so trying to understand if my plant is a Rojo Congo. The leaves are Spade shaped, dark green and the thick stems are red. I purchased it from a nursery without a tag and it's in a 10" grow pot. It's huge!
How often should it be watered?
One leaf completely fell off before it unfurled and some other leaves are yellowing and soggy. Only the thick stem is left. The other leaf is trying to unfurl but seems to be stunted.
Aerial roots are growing and the smaller leaves look fine.
S.O.S from NY. 💞
I let all of my Philodendrons dry out before watering. What I've noticed from getting large plants from the Nursery is to check the roots because the plants are consistent kept damp leading to root rot in the larger potted plants.
The leaf is probably stunted because the plant has other issues and that energy is being taken from the new leaf.
One of the best things about Philodendrons is that they are hardy and can recover with patience and some TLC... lots of patience lol
While watching, I looked at one of mine and sure enough, it had a red tinge all around the edge, and the nursery said it was a rojo, so check there, you really have to look but you can see the difference when you compare it to another one.
So glad I found this video! You did a great job of explaining, and I never knew about the red tinge on the rojo leaves.......I just looked and there it was. I have all three......plus a Prince of Orange, Lemon Lime, Mccolley's Finale, imperial Green and an imperial Red. I have recently fallen in love with these types of philodendrons! Went a little crazy during the lockdown lol I do have a question: How does the self watering pot work with these? I was thinking of trying it out. Anyway, thanks for the video, just subscribed!!
I'm looking for a McColley's! I found an Imperial Green but they wanted 3x's what a Rojo was worth so I decided to wait. I also just recently got a Prince of Orange but the jury is still out on that one lol. I'm so glad it helped you and yes I'm loving these plants so much. Thanks for watching 😊
@@OrdinaryPlantGirl I have gotten some good deals on Ebay, and sometimes Etsy.I keep checking for what I'm looking for and eventually something will show up at a good price. I found the Rojo at a local nursery, which is unusual because around here it is usually the same plants over and over. This shipping is what's really nuts sometimes! Good luck!
This video is perfect! Thank you for your explanation ☺️ I also only name plants I have a true connection with 😅
You are so welcome!
I have 2 Rojo Congos. Saw a few which I thought were the Black Cardinal. From your fine video...I think some of them are the Imperial Red. Black Cardinals seem to be quite hard to get in my neck of the woods...but not the Imperial Red. I love the darker and rounder leaves of the Imperial Red and the Black Cardinal.
Since you have both the Imperial Red and the Black Cardinal...if I may ask...what colour are the underside of the leaves (matured). My Rojo Congos are green.
Thanks!
I wish I had a mature Black Cardinal!
For my Imperial Red the undersides are a deep green with a blush of red. From what I've seen of the Black Cardinal they have a bit of a lighter green with a blush of red once they harden off.
It does seem to have something to do with the light requirements as well. I was thinking of doing a video on their care requirements because everything says they're easy but they're actually finicky! Mine anyway lol.
I hope I helped. Thanks for watching!
I'm so confused. Throw in the Red Emerald to add to the confision.
Lol the confusion can be real! At least with the Red Emerald the growth pattern would give it away. Now you have given me another idea!!! Thanks for watching 😊
You almost have to be a horticulturist to identify the different variations. I'm so confused. I've seen several videos where a rojo congo looks like a black cardinal and an imperial red looks like a green congo. I'm very confused by it all. Nurseries only label the plant as "philodendron" because they don't know. I know you intended this to be an informative video but I found it really entertaining. In fact, I've come back to watch it several times. You're great.
That's very true! Really I just meant it to show how they get miss identified so often and how I got caught in it and ended up with sooo many that I noticed the differences on my own. Thanks for watching!!
Can you tell us some of the online stores where you bought your plants?
Is that something you would like to see in a video I can make that happen!!
@@OrdinaryPlantGirl yes please!
Thank you for this video. Three of my plants were labeled RoJo Congo and it looks like 2 of them are Imperial Reds.
I'm Happy that it helped you! Thanks for watching :)
This is so funny. I can relate 🤣
The plant at 4:18 looks like a Philo Royal Queen based on leaf shape and color.
Lol thank you! I had to laugh once I had them all in front of me. I wish it was a Royal Queen! She's on my list
I just ordered what is said to be an imperial red from Hirt's. It is very young and all the leaves are a burgundy color. Do you know if this is characteristic to the imperial red? Also can you do a video of what the lighting is like on your plants expecially these philos you show cased? I am trying to make mine is in the best spot. I have had some plants that were considered easy to not do so well for me. I feel like if they are not right in the window it is not good. You see many videos where the plants are very close to the window. My vents are by the window so I know there would be an issue with the draft hitting the plants.
The juvenile imperial reds are more green with what looks like a red blush on the top of the leaves so for the one you ordered to have all burgundy leaves I would have to say is definitely more mature not a seedling but probably a top cutting propagation. When you get it send me a pic on my Instagram @ordinaryplantgirl and we'll see what you got. As for a lighting video I can most definitely do that because all of the ones I showed have different lighting conditions! Thanks for watching!
Haha Hirts is the reason I came here to find more information.. did you get ur imperial? How was us shopping experience with them?
I ordered a Black Cardinal (another one lol) but it got here and doesn't look like the 7+ I've seen before, its much more green so now I'm trying to figure out what the heck they sent me 😂😂
I have Bloody Mary, Dark Lord, Black Cardinal, Rojo Congo & whatever else red Philo down there that I have & can't remember at the moment lol 😂 but this one is just different. Driving myself nuts to figure it out.
There are many! If you can find me on Instagram send me a pic and I'll take a look.
I have one and it was labeled imperial red but it looks nothing like it when i google it, but when i google rojo congo it looks the same, also in the video from planteria. But now in this video the one you say is imperial red looks like mine
Rojo's typically have the spade shaped leaves with a red edge on the leaves but what you said is the main reason I made the video! This is just what I noticed because I kept buying them thinking the were different plants based on what the sellers thought they were even after doing research. Once you have all three of them the differences are very noticeable.
I have an imperial red and I am having the same problem as you 😢
Once they have their first...I like to say...adult leaves it gets easier to tell them apart! Thanks for watching. ☺️
Thank you for this video! It helped me ID my rojo congo
Oh good!!! I love mine good luck with yours 🙂
My Phil's love sea weed fertilizer
I haven't tried a seaweed one. At the moment I use Marphyl which is Phytoplankton but mine seem to like it if I mix it along with a low dose organic fertilizer.
I'm totally confused,lol
Try filtered or distilled water, only because you said it happens when you water it.
Thanks! I do treat my water but I'll ty that and see if there's a difference. Thanks for watching!
Hi from CANADA.
Hello!!! 👋
You should do a lecca video pot up
Once I get more comfortable with LECA!
This was a little too hard for me to follow 😔
Aww I'm sorry! I was hard to me to follow and I did it. Thanks for watching though 🙂
Confused me even more