---
title: "This is “Big Red”, the red Congo philodendron I saved from a big box…"
description: "This is “Big Red”, the red Congo philodendron I saved from a big box store. He was in the beating, direct sunlight, in an inappropriately-sized planter pot and…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/OlSeW7UYSUWAjHlcxGdIQw/64b5965fa337d4f37cc060d9"
community: "Show your plants"
author: "MamaJuju"
published: "2023-07-17T19:28:31.729Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/8BX1jSAXN54hqxaahYg0In-6Sxt_2L-jw7t_9KgGnO8/00c4953073c245adbfb16e17e65df142.webp?size=large"
---

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# This is “Big Red”, the red Congo philodendron I saved from a big box…

_Posted by MamaJuju on 2023-07-17_

This is “Big Red”, the red Congo philodendron I saved from a big box store. He was in the beating, direct sunlight, in an inappropriately-sized planter pot and in soil caked with weird chemicals and plastic inclusions…

I had to prune off the leaves that were beyond saving, give him a good shower (including the root ball), give him a much larger home with brand new soil with mostly organic additives complete with a meal of organic worm castings. When he settled in, he got watered with distilled water and leaves were cleaned and polished with leaf shine. As a finishing touch, his heavy pot got a set of wheels for easy sun rotation.

It’s been a couple days since his spa day and there are bright red new shoots extending from the middle. I think it’s a nice break for him not to have those heavy chemical fertilizers burning him out from the inside and the 15 hours of direct sunlight burning him from the outside. This is my first “big” plant and my first “rescue” and it feels really good to let him relax and heal 💗

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/8BX1jSAXN54hqxaahYg0In-6Sxt_2L-jw7t_9KgGnO8/00c4953073c245adbfb16e17e65df142.webp?size=large)

## 5 comments

### PentUpPenny commented on 2023-07-17

This is amazing! Congratulations and great job 🙌🏻🥳😍

#### MamaJuju replied on 2023-07-17

Thank you! I think I probably shouldn’t have bought him from there because it just perpetuates the plant abuse cycle but…🤷‍♀️

### Ana commented on 2023-07-17

What a handsome boy! 🤩

### Elle Woods commented on 2023-07-17

Gorgeous modeling photo 🤩

### Sabu commented on 2024-05-01

My first rescue was a pony tail palm! It was so big but I fixed it❤️

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