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Looking for the best Pink Princess Philodendron care guide to keep your plant looking its best? This is the guide you’re looking for.
The Pink Princess Philodendron, or PPP for short, is a striking aroid that is adored by beginner and seasoned plant collectors alike. With it’s dark inky green leaves and cotton candy pink variegation, the PPP is definitely an eye-catcher. The Pink Princess Philodendron is easy to care for and is a must-have for any plant collector.
Pink Princess Philodendron – Quick Care Guide
Light: Moderate to bright indirect sunlight (2000-4000 LUX), fluorescent or LED grow light.
Soil: Well-draining chunky soil mix.
Watering: Let soil dry out before watering again. Water fully when top 2 inches of soil is dry.
Humidity: 50% or more
Temperature: Warm. 65-80ºF or 18-27ºC. Less tolerant of frost.
Fertilizing: Fish emulsion diluted to 1/4 to 1/2 strength, top dressing of worm castings, or fertilizer of choice
Pink Princess Philodendron
The Pink Princess Philodendron, also known as the PPP, is a Philodendron native to the rainforests of Colombia. The PPP is a variety of the Philodendron erubescens, which include other popular varieties like White Princess, Rojo Congo, Prince of Orange and Birkin. This philodendron can reach lengths of up to 10-20 feet, however is not considered a climber. The Philodendron erubescens is considered a self-heading plant. Self-heading Philodendrons grow upright with a thick, sturdy stem allowing it to support itself, giving it a tree-like appearance. The PPP is easy to care for, and we’ll discuss how you can grow a stunning thriving plant.
Light Requirements
Like most aroids, the PPP requires bright indirect light to thrive. The PPP, however does not require as much light intensity as other aroids to be healthy.
You will want to provide at least 1500 LUX to maintain a healthy plant. To have a thriving plant, aim for 2000-4000 LUX. We use a Light Meter to ensure that light levels are sufficient for our plants.
Higher light level exposure will increase your variegation, producing leaves with larger and more bold splashes of pink.
Low light levels have been show to cause the plant to lose variegation, reverting back to full green to maximize energy from photosynthesis.
Place your plant by a window in a room that receives bright natural light. Rooms with east and south facing windows provide the best amount of light for your plant.
If you cannot find an area with sufficient light indoors, consider using a grow light. We have had great success using this Sansi Grow Light.
The Pink Princess Philodendron does NOT do well with direct sunlight. To avoid burning your leaves, limit any direct sunlight to a maximum of 1-2 hours of early morning sun.
If the plant is outdoors, find a bright area with no direct sun. If direct sunlight is unavoidable in your area, use a shade cloth to filter the light.
Soil Requirements
The Pink Princess Philodendron requires a chunky well draining soil. It does not like to have its roots sitting in wet soggy soil.
We use our aroid soil mix exclusively for all of our aroids, however, any well draining chunky soil should work well.
You can use premixed soil like Fox Farms Ocean Forest mix, Black Gold Potting Mix, or Miracle Gro Cactus, Palm & Citrus Potting Mix in a pinch. Add perlite or orchid bark if you have any available to increase aeration and drainage.
Water Requirements
The PPP is an easy plant when it comes to water requirements.
This plant likes the soil to dry out a bit before being watered again. With that in mind, avoid having the roots sit in wet soggy soil for too long. Like all aroids, they are epiphytic and prefer moist, but breathable soil.
It is important to note that Philodendrons can be prone to root rot.
Make sure to water your plant when the top 2″ of soil is dry.
The best way to test the moisture of your soil is by sticking your finger in the soil to manually feel the moisture level. Using your index finger, stick your finger in the soil up to the second knuckle. If its dry, its ready to water. Easy!
When it’s time to water, water thoroughly, saturating the soil. If you are placing your plant in a cache pot, make sure the water is fully drained before replacing.
Humidity Requirements
Originating from the rainforests of Colombia, the Pink Princess Philodendron requires humidity to thrive.
The PPP however is less sensitive to humidity requirements and does not require as much humidity as other aroids.
Aim for a humidity level that is 50% or greater.
We highly recommend the use of a hygrometer to measure the humidity levels of your environment.
Consider yourself fortunate if you live in an area with high humidity and your PPP is outdoors.
If your plant is outdoors, but the humidity is low, you may consider bringing the plant indoors to better control the humidity.
If your plant is indoors and your humidity is low, there are a number of things you can do to increase humidity levels.
Firstly, you can group your plants closely together. This creates a small microclimate of increased humidity within that area.
Secondly, you can place your plant on a pebble tray with water. We’ve seen some success using these humidity drip trays, however results are not dramatic and vary largely depending on your environment.
Lastly, if none of these work methods work, the only guaranteed way to increase humidity is using a humidifier. We’ve used this humidifier with great success to maintain perfect levels of humidity.
Temperature Requirements
Pink Princess Philodendrons have a wider range of temperature they are tolerant to, and are less sensitive to fluctuations than other aroids. Regardless, the PPP is still a tropical plant and prefers warmer temperatures.
This plant will do well in temperatures ranging from 65-80ºF or 18-27ºC.
This plant can withstand lower temperatures for short periods of time, however is intolerant to frost.
If the plant is outdoors, consider taking the plant inside if temperatures are expected to dip below 55ºF for more than a day or two.
If the plant is outdoors and frost or near-frost temperatures are expected, bring the plant indoors until suitable temperatures return.
For a thriving PPP you will want to maintain a stable temperature as best as possible.
Fertilizing Requirements
The final component to having a beautiful thriving Pink Princess Philodendron is fertilizing.
Fertilizing is the “cherry on top” when it comes to caring for your plant. If all the basics previously discussed are covered, your plant will do well; however, fertilizing takes your plant to the next level.
There are many different ways to fertilize your plant.
If you want an easy and low maintenance fertilizing schedule, we recommend Osmocote with worm castings mixed in the soil.
Osmocote is a high quality, slow release fertilizer that will not burn your plants. Also, Osmocote can last as long as 6 months until you have to add more to your plant’s soil.
Worm castings are an all natural, mild fertilizer that you can incorporate in your soil without fear of burning your plants.
Our preferred method is using a liquid fertilizer “weakly, weekly”.
We’ve had great success using fish emulsion, diluted at 1/4 strength weekly.
Use what liquid fertilizer you prefer, diluted appropriately at quarter strength if fertilizing weekly. You don’t want to burn your plant.
Fertilizer should be used regularly during periods of growth (spring or summer) and less during dormant growth periods (fall and winter) to maximize the plant’s utilization of nutrients. This well help decrease the risk of fertilizer burn.
Philodendron Pink Princess Care Conclusions
We’ve covered the most important aspects of growing a healthy Pink Princess Philodendron.
The most important point to stress is avoiding root rot for this Philodendron. Providing a chunky, aerated soil with a well draining pot will go a long way for this plant’s health.
If you want to experiment and tweak your plant’s care regimen, do it slowly and conservatively. Change one thing at a time, and give enough time to see how it reacts.
Congrats! You are now ready to grow a thriving Pink Princess Philodendron.
Let’s keep growing!