Pink Princess Philodendron

Check your light →

Its pink runs on light: close to a bright window but out of direct sun, the splashes stay bold. Given less, it gets by, with greener leaves and longer, leggier stems.

Light decides how much pink you get. In too much shade, Missouri Botanical Garden notes, its variegation fades, and the bold splashes may shrink to the odd fleck of blush on a dark leaf.

An east window, set back from the glass, keeps it bright without the direct sun NC State advises it avoid. Facing south or west, a sheer curtain softens the light enough. A north window works if it sits right at the sill.

Its pink patches make no chlorophyll (University of Florida Extension), so every splash is fed by the green around it. Give it the brightest sunless spot you have; the princess is worth the window.

Every 7-10 days in summer, 10-14 in winter, letting it dry a little between. A pot that stays wet can cause root rot, and waterlogging can dull its pink.

Now and then a philodendron beads sticky droplets on its leaves. The RHS reads these as a sign its conditions could be better, so check its spot and ease off the water a little if the pot has been staying wet.

If dry winter air seems to wear on its leaves and that bothers you, NC State suggests a humidifier, though philodendrons usually adapt to an average home. It’ll survive either way.

Gone for a while? Two weeks is fine if it’s watered the day you leave.

A slow climber with leaves up to 8 inches long that reaches 3-4 feet on a moss pole, or trails instead. Give it the pole early and tie in each pink-splashed leaf as it climbs, keeping the newest color facing the room.

Every so often a stem comes in solid green, and that’s the one to watch: plain green growth outpaces the pink (University of Illinois). Cutting it back to the last leaf that still shows pink keeps the color in charge (Missouri Botanical Garden). A trimmed stem with a leaf or two can root in its own pot (NC State recommends stem cuttings).

Growth is slow (MBG), so a new leaf now and then is its normal pace, not a sign something’s wrong. It spreads about 1-2 feet wide (MBG), so a spot beside a bright window gives it room, close enough that each new splash gets noticed.

A bite may bring mouth pain, swelling, drooling, or vomiting, from needle-like calcium oxalate crystals; it usually passes. The ASPCA lists it as toxic to dogs and cats, though cases are usually mild.

Some sources note kidney or nerve effects are possible, mostly in cats, but that isn’t the usual course.

Its sap carries the same irritation to skin (NC State), so gloves help when you prune or take cuttings.

For a pet with a sore mouth, remove any plant bits, flush the mouth with water, and offer broth or tuna juice to rinse the crystals away (Texas A&M AgriLife). A child’s sore mouth usually settles too. If drooling or trouble swallowing doesn’t ease, or anything worries you, call your vet, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (a fee may apply), or Poison Control.

Its climbing habit can work in your favor. Trained up a moss pole on a tall stand, its leaves sit higher than most dogs reach. With a cat who leaps or a toddler who grabs, a room they rarely visit keeps the leaves out of reach.

1. ASPCA: mild for dogs.
2. Merck Veterinary Manual: toxic for dogs (rates the whole genus).
3. Pet Poison Helpline: mild for dogs (rates the whole genus).
4. ASPCA: mild for cats.
5. Merck Veterinary Manual: toxic for cats (rates the whole genus).
6. Pet Poison Helpline: mild for cats (rates the whole genus).
7. Poison Control: mild for kids.

Cats and dogs: Most of the leading sources agree.

Kids: Poison Control lists it; the effect is mouth pain from oxalate crystals.

Happiest at 65-85°F, and it shouldn’t sit below 59°F. Keep it away from cold glass in winter. It likes 60-100% humidity and gets by at 35%.

Temperature

65-85°F

Humidity

60-100%

Spider mites hide on leaf undersides, and scale clings to stems, leaf stalks, and midribs. Mealybugs lurk in leaf axils, sheaths, and new growth, aphids on new shoots, and thrips under leaves. Look closely at each.

• Spider mites
• Scale insects
• Mealybugs
• Aphids
• Banded greenhouse thrips

Not many. NC State names spider mites, mealybugs, aphids, and scale, plus root rot and leaf spot from too much water.

Spider mites leave fine webbing and pale speckles, mostly in warm, dry air; mealybugs look like tufts of white cotton where the leaves meet the stem; scale looks like small brown bumps; aphids cluster on new growth. Rinse the plant in the shower, undersides of the leaves included, and wipe off what’s left with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. If they come back, an insecticidal soap spray is the next step.

Root rot shows as yellowing, drooping leaves while the soil is still wet: let it dry more between soaks, empty the saucer, and water less often. Leaf spot leaves brown spots where water sat on the leaves; cut the worst ones off and water the soil, not the plant.

Wipe the leaves 4 times a year and check the undersides for mites. Feed monthly in spring and summer, tie new growth to a pole as stems lengthen, and cut out all-green stems. Repot every 2-3 years.

• Feed6× a year
• Prune2× a year
• Stake4× a year
• Clean leaves4× a year

A pot with a drainage hole and a rich potting mix that drains fast. Set a moss pole or stake in at potting time, so you don’t disturb the roots later.

Repot when the roots crowd the pot, or when the soil dries out within days of a soak, one pot size up, in spring or summer (Iowa State).

A balanced houseplant fertilizer at half strength, once or twice a month in spring and summer, keeps it growing (Iowa State, UConn). Too much browns and curls the leaf tips (Clemson).

Each deep green leaf carries its own splashes of pink, so no two match. The surface is glossy and waxy, and the plant grows full enough to cover some of the soil but not all of it.