Are you having problems growing your Philodendron Pink Princess? Are you nervous that your precious plant is going to die? These plants are difficult to find and have gotten very expensive, so it is important to understand how to save your plant!
I've compiled all the main problems that people have asked me about concerning their Pink Princess. Let's get to it!
Would you like to save this post?
Enter your email, and I will send this link straight to you!
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions and Problems
1. How can I encourage more variegation in my plants?
Growing your plant in proper light is the best thing that you can do to encourage the beautiful pink coloration in the leaves.
This means it absolutely must be in front of a window, unless you have it growing under a grow light.
A bit of direct sun will be great, but it should not sit in too much direct sun. Eastern or Western exposure windows will work well, as well as most Northern windows.
Not all windows are created equal however, so you'll have to experiment. Avoid too much direct sun or the leaves may scorch and the color will wash out.
If your plant has reverted to mostly green leaves, you will need to prune your plant before it's too late and the plant produces nothing but green leaves. Simply prune your plant back to the last leaf that has balanced variegation.
The plant will grow back, hopefully with more balanced variegation.
2. How can I get all pink leaves?
Everyone's dream is to have all pink leaves, but the fact is that you really don't want your plant to have all pink leaves! Sure, it can be a treat, but the plant can not sustain it.
Leaves that are all pink (or all white in many other variegated plants) don't have any chlorophyll that's needed to sustain the leaf, so it won't last as long as a leaf with balanced variegation. Eventually your all pink leaf will be "disposed" of by the plant.
If you do get all pink leaves, you actually want to prune those out. You can enjoy them for a while, but the plant can not sustain such growth. Similar to point #1 above where I talked about pruning all green leaves, you'll want to prune your all pink leaves out.
Prune the vine back to a leaf that has balanced variegation. This will encourage new growth with more of a balance in variegation.
3. My plant just came in the mail recently and it doesn't look so good. How can I save it?
Variegated plants are just not as vigorous as non-variegated plants, and time spent in shipping can be hard on any plant! There are a few things that you should do and NOT do when you first receive your plant in the mail.
Your plant will go through a transition period so there are a few things to keep in mind.
DOs
Unpack your plant as soon as you receive it and remove anything it was packaged in (any plastic wrap, packing paper, etc.)
Feel the soil of your plant. If it is dry, be sure to give it some water.
Place your plant by a window, but away from any direct sun for at least a couple weeks.
If you've received your plant bare root, pot your plant up in a good well-drained potting soil, give it some water, and place your plant in indirect light as described in the point above.
DONTs
Don't repot right away! Wait at least 1 month before repotting. Your plant is already stressed from being shipped in the mail, so you will be making matters much worse if you repot right away.
For the same reason, don't fertilize for at least a month.
4. All my other Philodendrons are happy except for my Pink Princess. Why?
The Philodendron genus as a whole is a happy-go-lucky genus of houseplants. Most make wonderful houseplants indoors.
Variegated plants, which have less chlorophyll, are just less vigorous growers than their non-variegated counterparts. It is absolutely normal for your Pink Princess to grow slower and not be as vigorous as your other Philodendrons.
Be sure to give your plants good light and regular fertilizer during the growing season. My favorite houseplant fertilizer is Dyna-Gro Grow, available on Amazon. It is truly amazing!
5. My pink leaves are starting to burn brown. Why?
This can be caused by a variety of reasons. If there is any deficiency in plant culture, the variegated leaves can turn brown.
Brown leaves can be cause by scorching from too much direct sun, from very dry air (keep your plant away from heating vents), from the soil drying out completely, or from improper watering (too much or too little).
If you have your plant in a pot that is much too big for the root system, the soil will take a long time to dry out and this can also cause brown spots on the leaves.
It is also normal for highly pink leaves to eventually turn brown because the plant can't sustain them for too long.
6. Why are my leaves curling under?
Improper watering is most likely to blame. When you water, you should water thoroughly until water escapes the drainage hole. Then wait until the top inch or two dries out (depending on the size of the pot).
People are SO scared of overwatering, and this term doesn't mean what most people think it means!
At the same time, you want to have your plant in good light as described earlier in this post or in my Pink Princess care post.
Take note of only repotting your plant in the next pot size up from the size that it's currently in. Don't be tempted to repot into a pot that is much bigger, otherwise you run the risk of having the soil taking too long to dry out. This could cause your leaves to curl and also get brown spots.
7. Why are my my new leaves small, misshapen and sometimes torn?
Extremes in moisture and/or not enough light are likely to blame for misshapen leaves.
If your new leaves are growing much smaller than the old leaves, it probably means that your plant is growing in less than ideal conditions.
Ensure that your plant is growing in appropriate light (as close to a window as possible!), and that you are regularly fertilizing with a great fertilizer such as Dyna-Gro Grow. These will promote good, healthy growth!
8. My plant is leggy. What should I do with it?
You are likely not giving your plant enough light. Be sure that it is in front of a window (North, East, or West is best). Within a foot or so for best growth! I can't emphasize this enough.
If you can't stand the look of your plant, take the opportunity to prune your plant back and propagate your plant. Once you move your plant to brighter light, it will grow back sturdier than ever before.
There are numerous reasons why houseplant leaves turn yellow. If you just received your plant in the mail, don't be surprised if your plant gets a yellow leaf or two. Be sure to follow the tips in point #3 to transition your plant to your home.
10. Is it normal for my plant to shed its lower leaves?
No leaves will last forever. Eventually plants will shed some leaves, and the lower ones are often the first to go. It doesn't necessarily mean that anything is wrong.
That being said, if you allow your soil to go completely dry, often times the lowest leaves can quickly turn yellow and fall off.
11. I can't seem to find a Pink Princess! Where can I get one?
Remember, to grow a beautiful houseplant, you have to have the right combination of LIGHT, proper watering practices, a well-drained soil, proper sized pot, and regular fertilization for best results!
Hello,
I got a ppp cutting from a seller that was just a node,1 leaf, and an underdeveloped leaf that had just started to form when it was cut. It was given to me in a small plastic cup with water and so I left it like that for about a month to really no avail. The aerial root didn’t change and the cutting started to curl. So, I dipped it in some rooting hormone and kept it in moss underneath my grow light. About 2 weeks passed by when I noticed that the aerial root and the tip of the cutting had rotted and the leaf had curled and gotten some nasty black spots. I cut off the leaf and the end of the cutting, soaked it in a water-hydrogen peroxide mixture, and put it into a Tupperware container with some moss soaked in distilled water. I was wondering if there’s anything more I can do for the little node that’s left or is it hopeless?
Hi Garrett! What you did sounds good, so hopefully you'll be able to save it. Try and keep it in a warm place and make sure that it is still getting enough light while you're trying to propagate it. Good luck!
I bought my PPP cutting last week of January. The leaf that came with the cutting is humongous. The mother plant is a gorgeous mature plant. It already had a tiny growth sticking out. However, it's been over 6 weeks and hardly pushed out compared to the smaller ones I see posted in groups.
This cutting has established roots, planted in an aroid mix medium, and receives bright, indirect light throughout the day outside in a humid condition. She also receives at least 1 hour of direct morning sun. She gets watered once a week and enjoys a little mist of water on her leaf as needed. So, what gives?
I would just give it more time and try not to compare with what you see online, since everyone has different conditions and you don't know the story behind what you see online :-). If you're not fertilizing, I'd suggest doing so. Good luck with your plant!
I have about 10 plants of PPP,PWK,PWP&PWW
New leaves are beautiful but as it harden up it starts to show big brown blob like 1/8-1/5 of the leaf. All my other plants are ok except these family type have ugly part of the leaf. Thanks
Hi,
I got my PPP about 3 years ago and the past months some of the top leaves started curling, any idea why is this happening? I thought it was kind of dying but I found a baby leaf on the bottom, so she might not be that unhappy. Thanks!
Hi Jenni. It could be due to many things. How long have you had your plant? Did you notice any changes lately with extremes in potting mix moisture (too dry or too wet)?
I received my ppp in the mail about a month ago. One lower leaf has turned brown so I cut it off. Now the pink leaf is fading in color (the pink part). It was bubble gum pink now it’s lighter. The plant overall still doesn’t look established. I have water it once and it sits one feet from a south facing window. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi Alice! Have you read my general care PPP post? Here it is if you haven't: https://www.ohiotropics.com/2019/04/19/philodendron-pink-princess/
Are you doing anything differently than what is indicated in the post? Keep in mind that your plant will go through an adjustment period, but read through the post above. How much direct sun is your plant getting? You mentioned you only watered it once...how do you determine when to water? Do you feel your soil? Did you repot your plant? Maybe send me a photo and that might be a better way to help you. Use the contact form on the website, and when I reply, you can attach the photo and please show me the growing location of your plant so I can see and describe your care routine.
Hi, just got my PPP today! I only have south facing windows in my apartment but have other plants that require bright indirect light that are doing okay. As long as I place it a few feet from the window should that be okay? It’s winter now but would I need to move it farther back for the summer?
Mine is a cutting I was propagating, I was excited when it was getting more pink, but now it’s entirely a brownish pink and the roots are still just a little nub. Is there any saving this?
Hello, I've just received my ppp on Sunday that was personally delivered to me.
My ppp was put in a paper bag and sent to a friend of mine on Saturday. She then stayed over a hotel for 1 night & brought my ppp along to her hotel room.
When I received my plant on Sunday, it was looking alright & it is facing the east window. It's a large clear stained window. The next day, I noticed the half pink leaf has yellow spots. And 2 of the green leaves turning yellow.
Hi Kayla! You'll have to give your plant a little time to adjust. Just leave it alone for now, don't repot or fertilize, etc. Keep in mind that if your plant was in the dark for a while, gradually introduce higher light to your plant so it doesn't burn. East windows work beautifully for these plants, but you have to acclimate it to higher light slowly. Hope this helps and good luck!
I just received my pink princess in the mail yesterday and watered it thoroughly since it came from South Carolina (I live in Az). Now today the leaves are really curled. What can I do?
Hi! Plant newbie here and I need some advice. One of the leaves with a white varigation has a brown spot and I'm trying to figure out if I should cut just a portion of it or leave it be? Will the spot eventually get bigger and fill up the entire white varigation part?
Also, I can't figure what's the cause of the spot. It is currently in my bathroom facing a North Western window. Should I move it to a Southern window for more light?
Any recommendation would be great!
I'd have to see a photo, but it's not uncommon to eventually get browning on variegated leaves, depending how how variegated it is. It also can be from extremes in soil moisture (either too dry or too wet). You mentioned something unusual though....that there is white variegation on your Pink Princess? If you want to send me a message through the contact form on my website, and then when I reply, you can attach a photo and include details on how you water, etc.
Great article. I have a ppp in my prop box as its winter here right now. I have a new leaf that has just unfurled but the tip is somehow curled towards the underside of the leaf. Is it going to straighten out or is something amiss? I havent seen this happen before. Thanks.
It's hard to say without seeing it, but just give it more time for the leaf to grow and mature. Assuming your conditions are good with light, watering, etc., it should be fine!
Hi, I just got my PPP this week. She's hardly has much pink, I have put her close to a east oriented window (as per instructions). It has a couple of long aerial roots and the leaves are really small. Do you think that I should cut back those aerial roots? Also, how can do for the leaves to have a bit more of pink and be bigger? I guess it takes time as it is a slow growth plant... Thank you for your help!
Hey my ppp only has 1 node or aerial root and it’s fairly big ( just got it last week bare root and have taken what I think good care of it haha) just wondering if more will grow after a while or am I just gonna have to never propagate her . Thanks ?
I didn’t stake my plant (I didn’t know ?) and now it’s growing well off to one side. It doesn’t look...comfortable. Can I correct this or is it too late? Thank you for any advice
Hello,
I got a ppp cutting from a seller that was just a node,1 leaf, and an underdeveloped leaf that had just started to form when it was cut. It was given to me in a small plastic cup with water and so I left it like that for about a month to really no avail. The aerial root didn’t change and the cutting started to curl. So, I dipped it in some rooting hormone and kept it in moss underneath my grow light. About 2 weeks passed by when I noticed that the aerial root and the tip of the cutting had rotted and the leaf had curled and gotten some nasty black spots. I cut off the leaf and the end of the cutting, soaked it in a water-hydrogen peroxide mixture, and put it into a Tupperware container with some moss soaked in distilled water. I was wondering if there’s anything more I can do for the little node that’s left or is it hopeless?
Hello,
I got a ppp cutting from a seller that was just a node,1 leaf, and an underdeveloped leaf that had just started to form when it was cut. It was given to me in a small plastic cup with water and so I left it like that for about a month to really no avail. The aerial root didn’t change and the cutting started to curl. So, I dipped it in some rooting hormone and kept it in moss underneath my grow light. About 2 weeks passed by when I noticed that the aerial root and the tip of the cutting had rotted and the leaf had curled and gotten some nasty black spots. I cut off the leaf and the end of the cutting, soaked it in a water-hydrogen peroxide mixture, and put it into a Tupperware container with some moss soaked in distilled water. I was wondering if there’s anything more I can do for the little node that’s left or is it hopeless?
Hi Garrett! What you did sounds good, so hopefully you'll be able to save it. Try and keep it in a warm place and make sure that it is still getting enough light while you're trying to propagate it. Good luck!
I bought my PPP cutting last week of January. The leaf that came with the cutting is humongous. The mother plant is a gorgeous mature plant. It already had a tiny growth sticking out. However, it's been over 6 weeks and hardly pushed out compared to the smaller ones I see posted in groups.
This cutting has established roots, planted in an aroid mix medium, and receives bright, indirect light throughout the day outside in a humid condition. She also receives at least 1 hour of direct morning sun. She gets watered once a week and enjoys a little mist of water on her leaf as needed. So, what gives?
I would just give it more time and try not to compare with what you see online, since everyone has different conditions and you don't know the story behind what you see online :-). If you're not fertilizing, I'd suggest doing so. Good luck with your plant!
I have about 10 plants of PPP,PWK,PWP&PWW
New leaves are beautiful but as it harden up it starts to show big brown blob like 1/8-1/5 of the leaf. All my other plants are ok except these family type have ugly part of the leaf. Thanks
This is one of the frustrations with having variegated plants unfortunately.
Hi,
I got my PPP about 3 years ago and the past months some of the top leaves started curling, any idea why is this happening? I thought it was kind of dying but I found a baby leaf on the bottom, so she might not be that unhappy. Thanks!
It could be from a number of reasons...potting mix that is too dry, or too wet for too long, cold temperatures, etc. Have you noticed any of these?
Hi there. I'm just wondering why the new leaf of my ppp has a brown spot?
Hi Jenni. It could be due to many things. How long have you had your plant? Did you notice any changes lately with extremes in potting mix moisture (too dry or too wet)?
I received my ppp in the mail about a month ago. One lower leaf has turned brown so I cut it off. Now the pink leaf is fading in color (the pink part). It was bubble gum pink now it’s lighter. The plant overall still doesn’t look established. I have water it once and it sits one feet from a south facing window. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi Alice! Have you read my general care PPP post? Here it is if you haven't: https://www.ohiotropics.com/2019/04/19/philodendron-pink-princess/
Are you doing anything differently than what is indicated in the post? Keep in mind that your plant will go through an adjustment period, but read through the post above. How much direct sun is your plant getting? You mentioned you only watered it once...how do you determine when to water? Do you feel your soil? Did you repot your plant? Maybe send me a photo and that might be a better way to help you. Use the contact form on the website, and when I reply, you can attach the photo and please show me the growing location of your plant so I can see and describe your care routine.
Hi, just got my PPP today! I only have south facing windows in my apartment but have other plants that require bright indirect light that are doing okay. As long as I place it a few feet from the window should that be okay? It’s winter now but would I need to move it farther back for the summer?
Hi Zach, I would be careful of placing it too far. It's a pretty special, hard to find and expensive plant, so I would place it closer if you can!
Mine is a cutting I was propagating, I was excited when it was getting more pink, but now it’s entirely a brownish pink and the roots are still just a little nub. Is there any saving this?
If would help if I could see a photo. Feel free to use the contact form on my website, and when I reply, you can attach a photo.
Hello, I've just received my ppp on Sunday that was personally delivered to me.
My ppp was put in a paper bag and sent to a friend of mine on Saturday. She then stayed over a hotel for 1 night & brought my ppp along to her hotel room.
When I received my plant on Sunday, it was looking alright & it is facing the east window. It's a large clear stained window. The next day, I noticed the half pink leaf has yellow spots. And 2 of the green leaves turning yellow.
Hi Kayla! You'll have to give your plant a little time to adjust. Just leave it alone for now, don't repot or fertilize, etc. Keep in mind that if your plant was in the dark for a while, gradually introduce higher light to your plant so it doesn't burn. East windows work beautifully for these plants, but you have to acclimate it to higher light slowly. Hope this helps and good luck!
I just received my pink princess in the mail yesterday and watered it thoroughly since it came from South Carolina (I live in Az). Now today the leaves are really curled. What can I do?
Give it some time to adjust to your new environment. Here is a post that I wrote that gives you tips on what to do when you receive plants in the mail: https://www.ohiotropics.com/2020/04/22/houseplants-by-mail-mistakes/
Hi! Plant newbie here and I need some advice. One of the leaves with a white varigation has a brown spot and I'm trying to figure out if I should cut just a portion of it or leave it be? Will the spot eventually get bigger and fill up the entire white varigation part?
Also, I can't figure what's the cause of the spot. It is currently in my bathroom facing a North Western window. Should I move it to a Southern window for more light?
Any recommendation would be great!
I'd have to see a photo, but it's not uncommon to eventually get browning on variegated leaves, depending how how variegated it is. It also can be from extremes in soil moisture (either too dry or too wet). You mentioned something unusual though....that there is white variegation on your Pink Princess? If you want to send me a message through the contact form on my website, and then when I reply, you can attach a photo and include details on how you water, etc.
Great article. I have a ppp in my prop box as its winter here right now. I have a new leaf that has just unfurled but the tip is somehow curled towards the underside of the leaf. Is it going to straighten out or is something amiss? I havent seen this happen before. Thanks.
It's hard to say without seeing it, but just give it more time for the leaf to grow and mature. Assuming your conditions are good with light, watering, etc., it should be fine!
Hi, I just got my PPP this week. She's hardly has much pink, I have put her close to a east oriented window (as per instructions). It has a couple of long aerial roots and the leaves are really small. Do you think that I should cut back those aerial roots? Also, how can do for the leaves to have a bit more of pink and be bigger? I guess it takes time as it is a slow growth plant... Thank you for your help!
Hi Jose, I would not cut anything off at this point. Just give your plant good care and time and then re-evaluate in a few months.
Hey my ppp only has 1 node or aerial root and it’s fairly big ( just got it last week bare root and have taken what I think good care of it haha) just wondering if more will grow after a while or am I just gonna have to never propagate her . Thanks ?
Hi Sienna, yes if you take good care of it, it will grow quite tall and you can propagate it.
I didn’t stake my plant (I didn’t know ?) and now it’s growing well off to one side. It doesn’t look...comfortable. Can I correct this or is it too late? Thank you for any advice
Hi Holly. You can add a stake at any time! If you'd like to send me a photo just to be safe, I'd be happy to look at it.
Hello,
I got a ppp cutting from a seller that was just a node,1 leaf, and an underdeveloped leaf that had just started to form when it was cut. It was given to me in a small plastic cup with water and so I left it like that for about a month to really no avail. The aerial root didn’t change and the cutting started to curl. So, I dipped it in some rooting hormone and kept it in moss underneath my grow light. About 2 weeks passed by when I noticed that the aerial root and the tip of the cutting had rotted and the leaf had curled and gotten some nasty black spots. I cut off the leaf and the end of the cutting, soaked it in a water-hydrogen peroxide mixture, and put it into a Tupperware container with some moss soaked in distilled water. I was wondering if there’s anything more I can do for the little node that’s left or is it hopeless?