How do I care for my Philodendron White Princess?
Most young plants need help getting started to reach the point of being hardy and growing with minimal care. With your new baby cutting, make sure it is in a pot of 100mm or less. Personally, I potted mine in a 60mm pot and it's still in that size. A good medium is a mix of orchid bark, premium potting soil and perlite. This ensures good drainage – which is essential for any plant with small roots – and to survive the colder months of fall and winter.
When you pot up your princess upon receipt, make sure that all the leaves, including the tiny baby leaves, do not touch the soil. This is another reason why it is important to repot in a small nursery pot, as it helps the plant sit tall. This is essential for all leaves to bloom and grow. You will find that leaves left on soil can turn brown and die from sitting on moist soil for too long. When watering, make sure that no water remains on the leaves, as the white-tinged leaves can turn brown from water sitting on them for too long. I learned this the hard way.
Last but not least, give your princess bright indirect light, this is important for optimal growth. My princess is still putting out new leaves, even as temperatures cool and daylight ends earlier. Let the soil of your plants get almost completely dry between waterings, as with the colder months it takes longer for the soil to dry out and the plant isn't expending as much energy to grow at this time.
One final note. With any plant with many shades, the less green the plant, the slower the growth. If you receive a plant with a lot of white from us, it will be smaller than the rest of the stock and will take longer to grow. Even though it is beautiful, this is the downside of great shades.
I hope this has been helpful. We all learn by trial and error, but it's nice to have a few tips on what helps a particular plant to be more successful. Contact me if you have any questions!
Thanks, Tamara.
