Gorgeous and highly coveted, the pink princess philodendron (Philodendron erubescens ‘pink princess’) sits at the very top of many plant collectors’ wish lists, and for good reason. How the Plant World Works: The pink princess is its own species and boasts deep green heart-shaped leaves speckled with variegation that ranges from pale pink to bubblegum.
To keep that beautiful pink variegation, learning how to care for your pink princess philodendron is essential. Fortunately, like most plants in the philodendron genus, its care is relatively simple. Inspring-thespruce.
Caring for Pink Princess Philodendron
The pink princess philodendron is a tropical aroid in the Araceae family native to Colombia. Though it comes with a hefty price tag, this colourful plant is relatively easy to take care of. Pink Princess Philodendron Care. However, there are a few important things to remember to ensure the most variegation possible on the leaves.
Light
To achieve the beautiful variegation that the pink princess philodendron is known for, you’re going to need to give it several hours of bright, indirect light.
When grown as a houseplant, this philodendron can also grow with a few hours of direct light. You will get greedy leaves if you do not supply sufficient light, so the best trick is to get a grow light to get the lovely shade that the pink princess philodendron is recognized for.
Soil
As an aroid, the philodendron pink princess likes loose, well-draining soil that is high in organic matter. The pink princess prefers a mix with one part standard potting soil, one part perlite and one part orchid bark.
Water
Water well, letting the top half of the soil dry out in between waterings. Generally, this means you should water the plant around once a week during the spring and summer, and once every one to two weeks during the fall and winter.
In general, pink princess philodendrons are much easier to overwater than underwater, so when in doubt, hold off on watering for another day.
Temperature and Humidity
The pink princess philodendron thrives in warm, humid conditions, although average temperature and humidity levels in the home are fine for these hearty plants. Pink princess philodendron care. Ideally, move your plant in temperatures of 65°F to 79°F and do not expose it to temperatures lower than 60°F.
Fertilizer
Feed it regularly, once a month, with a balanced liquid fertiliser during its growing season (spring and summer).
Beginner Pink Princess Tips
Where to Put It: Give your pink princess philodendron a perch where it will get a few hours of bright indirect sunlight.
How to Water It: Only water it when the soil is dry, to avoid overwatering, probably once a week in the summer.
Soil Type: A blend of regular potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark.
How to Repot Pink Princess Philodendron
Re-pot pink princess philodendron every one to two years, when it has outgrown its prior container. If you’re seeing roots emerging through the drainage holes, that is a sure sign that you need to repot.
But technically, you can repot philodendrons at any time of year; spring and summer, however, are ideal times to do so. Here’s how to get it done.
How to Repot a Philodendron Pink Princess
- Carefully take your pink princess out of its old pot.
- Soak the root ball to free as much old soil as possible.
- Fill a fresh pot that is 1 to 2 inches wider than the previous pot with 1 inch of new, well-draining soil. For the ideal pot, you want it to have 1 or more draining holes. Holes.
- Insert your plant into the new pot and then hold it in place with one hand while you fill back around the plant with additional fresh soil.
- Water the newly repotted plant well, allowing any excess to flow out of the pot’s drainage holes. Large pink princess philodendron
- Place the plant back in its original spot and return to a normal watering routine.
Pruning Tip
Read popular content on it here. Looking for the best pruners to use on your pink princess? To ensure that your houseplant is happy and healthy, we tested over 25 top-rated pruners in our Lab.
How to Propagate Pink Princess Philodendron
Like most philodendrons, the pink princess is relatively easy to propagate from stem cuttings. Not only will this help create a new plant for you to gift a friend, but propagation also leads to a bushier plant and can help encourage variegation (especially if the leaves on your plant have started to revert). Here’s how to propagate your pink princess philodendron by stem cuttings in a few simple steps:
- Using sharp, sterilised pruning shears or scissors, take a piece of stem with two to three leaves and two to three nodes exposed at the base of the cutting.
- Remove all of the lower leaves from your cutting, leaving only two to three leaves at the tip.
- Put the cutting in water and move it to a spot with bright, indirect light. Always keep the exposed nodes of the cutting under water.
- Change the water to fresh water at least once a week. In two to three weeks, new roots should start to appear at the bottom of the cutting.
- Once the roots have reached at least an inch long, you can transplant the cutting back into the soil. Water them well and use a well-draining potting mix.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
The pink princess philodendron is prone to many of the common houseplant pests and diseases. They include mealybugs, aphids, spider mites, pink princess philodendron scale, and fungus gnats. Common ailments include root rot (due to overwatering) and rust spots (caused by a fungal infection).
Pests to Watch
If you notice mealybugs, aphids, or spider mites on your pink princess, treat the infested plant with an application of insecticidal soap or neem oil.
Common Issues With Pink Princess Philodendron
Pink princess philodendrons are fairly problem-free if cared for properly. Most problems with these tropical plants stem from issues with watering, humidity, or light.
Leaves Are Not Pink and All Variegation Is Lost
This is probably because of a shortage of light. Keep your plant in bright, indirect light, but do not allow it to get low light, because that will stunt the variegation. It is crucial to detect and treat this issue early because a completely reverted pink princess philodendron cannot regain its variegation.
My Plant Is Getting Leggy
Leggy growth is a sign that your plant is not getting enough light, and is stretching the leaves to reach out for more light. Sitting in a bright place, it stops any new growth from coming in leggy.
Leaves Are Turning Brown
Generally speaking, leaves on a pink princess philodendron will start to dry out from a lack of humidity, resulting in browning edges. There’s no way to undo the damage once it’s done, but if you raise the humidity around the plant, you should be able to arrest the browning.
Discolouration Of Leaf Variegation To Brown
You definitely do not want brown spots on your beautiful pink variegation, but unfortunately, if you have gotten a little carried away with the light exposure of your plant, it can all go downhill here! Poor lighting can cause large burn areas on dirty, pink spots on the leaves.
How to Purchase a Pink Princess Philodendron
Want to get your hands on one of these gorgeous Philodendrons? Here’s how to buy a pink princess philodendron.
Tips for Buying In-Store
Expect to pay a bit more. These plants are rarer, and therefore will run you more than your average philodendron. You can now find theirs priced between $30 and $60.
Look for spots or brown leaves. That way, you know you’re not getting an infected plant.
Explore your nearby hardware store. While these plants used to be available only through speciality websites, you can often find them at The Home Depot or Lowe’s.
Why Are Pink Princess Philodendrons ?
These tropical plants are having a moment, and their lush foliage can be hard for dry-mouthed growers to meet. The price is so high in part because these plants can not easily be grown from seed, since their variegation is a result of mutation. This has led to sky-high prices, even though pink princesses are fairly easy to look after.
However, pink princess philodendrons have been mass-produced, and the prices have recently begun to drop. pink princess philodendron propagation
How Much Do They Cost?
At their height of popularity in 2021, a particularly established and mature pink princess philodendron could go for as much as $2,000 (yes, you read that correctly). Single-leaf cuttings of this hard-to-find plant, meanwhile, were fetching hundreds of dollars on fill-in-the-blank sites such as Etsy and Facebook Marketplace.
This plant is much more available and less expensive today. Though you’ll still have to shell out a few hundred dollars for a well-established, very variegated mature pink princess philodendron, you can easily pick up a smaller plant for less than $50, and cuttings are selling for as little as $5 to $10 a piece.
How to Choose to Buy
To select a healthy and highly variegated specimen, take a look at the plant’s foliage and stems prior to purchasing. Decline to propagate unless variegation is uniform and present (and check the petioles too!)
These Philodendrons are susceptible to fungal rust spot disease, so you should also inspect the leaves for small brown spots to make sure you aren’t bringing an infected plant home.
Is this plant ideal for you?
A PINK PRINCESS PHILODENDRON IS ?
- You’re a fan of houseplants or just want something a little different
- You’re willing to spend some extra cash on a unique houseplant
- You have the ideal place for it to get bright indirect light
Where to Buy a Pink Princess Philodendron
Once, you could get a pink princess philodendron only from Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, and plant collectors, but now you can find one at all manner of houseplant shops, nurseries, and beyond.
Stores such as The Home Depot and CVS regularly stock these plants (depending on where you are), and Costa Farms recently began selling the pink princess philodendron online.
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