Philodendron White Knight is a striking plant that isn’t too difficult to care for, but you may struggle to get hold of an established plant without paying an arm and a leg for one.
This gorgeous variety isn’t a starter Philodendron thanks to its high price tag and variegation that makes its care regime a little more complicated, but it’s still one you should add to the list eventually, as it is simply too beautiful not to consider.
Interested in knowing more about Philodendron White Knight? Here’s everything you should know.
Philodendron White Knight At A Glance
Philodendron White Knight looks very similar to Philodendron Pink Princess in its shape, as well as sharing the color of the deep pink to red stems.
Philodendron White Knight has one striking difference, though. The variegation is not pink. It’s a brilliant white that looks almost as though someone has carelessly been painting a white wall above your plant!
Exactly who created this lovely plant is a mystery, but like many cultivars, it probably originates from a mutation and someone’s made more plants from it by using tissue culture.
A Note On Toxicity
Before you set your heart on this gorgeous plant, it’s worth knowing that, like most Philodendrons and other Aroid plants, it is considered toxic to pets and humans.
Consider another plant if you have curious family members that pull, damage, or even take a bite out of your plants. It’s not worth the risk!
Philodendron White Knight Vs Philodendron White Princess
There are many Philodendron cultivars out there with similar names, which can lead to a lot of confusion.
Philodendron White Princess is a different cultivar to Philodendron White Knight, though they are pretty damn similar, to the point where they can be tricky to tell apart.
One key difference between these cultivars is that Philodendron White Princess has pink variegation as well as white occasionally.
What You Should Know About Variegation In A Philodendron White Knight
It’s worth knowing that variegated plants are harder to keep than their solid-green counterparts in some ways, and no variegation is guaranteed to be stable.
The good news is that Philodendron White Knight plants that are around have been bred to have strong variegation, and as long as you keep the light levels right, there is no reason why the brilliant white patterns would fade from your plant.
Encouraging Variegation On Philodendron White Knight
The key to keeping strong variegation on your Philodendron White Knight is to give it plenty of light, but not so much light that the plant burns.
It’s also important to keep an eye on the new leaves. While some new leaves that will emerge simply won’t be as variegated as some of the older ones, that’s no reason to panic.
If it does look like your plant is reverting to an extent (where you are consistently getting greener in new leaves), prune it to the closest leaf with more balanced variegation, and move it to a brighter spot.
How To Care For Philodendron White Knight
Philodendron White Knight is not a tricky plant to care for, but you do have to keep a close eye on the variegation to stop it from reverting.
Ideal Light Levels For Philodendron White Knight
Philodendron White Knight needs specific light levels. It must be bright enough that the plant won’t revert to green to survive, but not so bright that the leaves burn and wither.
Protect Philodendron White Knight from prolonged direct sunlight, by avoiding putting this plant in a Southern or Western-facing window, as this sort of position is too much for the plant to handle.
A better alternative is to put your plant in an Eastern-facing window, where it will get all the energy it needs from morning sunlight, without any risk of damage to the leaves.
Or, you could place your plant in a Northern-facing window, provided that it’s a fairly large window, and your plant is as close to the window as possible without touching the glass.
If you like to summer your houseplants outside, full shade in a sheltered position is best for most of the day, though the plant will probably handle some morning sunlight.
What Kind Of Soil Do Philodendrons Need?
Philodendron White Knight requires well-draining soil with plenty of nutrients. You can easily achieve this with a houseplant mix, but a better idea is to ‘edit’ the mixture to sharpen up the drainage a little more, by adding a little perlite to the mix, some orchid bark, or both.
Ideal Temperatures For Philodendron White Knight
Average household temperatures are fine for Philodendron White Knight plants, as long as you don’t have them near drafts or sources of heat, but the best growth happens when temperatures are between 70°F and 80°F.
Should You Increase Humidity For Philodendron White Knight?
Philodendron White Knight will do okay in average humidity levels, but since this is quite a pricey plant, the average isn’t exactly great.
Your Philodendron White Knight will grow best in higher humidity, at around 50% or so, so it’s worth the extra effort.
You can increase humidity by using a humidifier, grouping plants, or putting your plant in a bathroom.
When To Water Philodendron White Knight
Try not to water Philodendron White Knight on a rigid schedule. Instead, get into a routine of checking the soil regularly, which will help prevent overwatering and underwatering.
Aim to water your Philodendron White Knight when the top two inches or so of soil dry out, and repeat.
Water the plant deeply at the base, and then tip any out that collects in the bottom of the pot. Standing water leads to root rot, and it’s easy to forget about checking the drainage holes!
You’ll notice that as the seasons change, you’ll have to water your plant less in fall and scale it back even more during winter. Keep checking the soil, so you don’t let the plant get too wet or too dry.
Should You Let A Philodendron White Knight Climb?
It’s a good idea to provide your Philodendron White Knight with some kind of support to scramble up, such as a moss pole.
This will help the leaves get as large as possible, and it will also mimic its natural growth habit, which makes for a healthier plant.
Repotting Philodendron White Knight
Philodendron White Knight, while a fast grower, will not need repotting too often. Wait until you struggle to keep the plant hydrated, and roots are coming out of the drainage holes.
When you need to repot, make sure that you do so during the growing season in spring and summer, when the plant is actively growing.
This helps prevent transplant shock, and the plant will recover quicker. If your plant does need repotting outside the growing season, give it a fresh, thin layer of compost on the top of the soil to keep it going until spring.
When it comes to repotting a Philodendron White Knight, make sure you choose a new pot that’s one size up from the original, planting up your Philodendron in fresh compost, at about the same depth.
How To Propagate Philodendron White Knight
It’s always a good idea to propagate your plants, especially the ones you struggled to get a hold of in the first place.
It means you’ll have a backup plant in case something happens to the original, so you won’t lose anything if the first one gets taken out by pests or diseases.
Grab some sharp scissors or secateurs, but don’t use them on your plant just yet.
Take a small pot or even a container with a clear lid, and add some damp sphagnum moss and perlite to it.
It’s a good idea to prepare your containers before you cut the plant. Think of the cuttings like limbs, and your prop box or pot the lifeline.
You don’t want your cuttings to lose too much moisture, so putting them into their containers as quickly as possible helps with this.
Once you’ve got your containers ready, it’s time to give your plant a small haircut. Take a look at your plant and find the nodes, which are the growth points, and take some cuttings, keeping about 2 leaves and a node per cutting.
Put the cuttings straight into the moss, and protect them by putting a clear plastic bag or lid over the top. This helps keep things humid and stops too much moisture from being lost.
Move the box or container somewhere warm and in bright, indirect light, and keep an eye on it.
Take the bag or lid off every few days for an hour or two to help keep good air circulation flowing, and while you’re at it, check to make sure the cuttings don’t need more water.
Aim to keep the moss damp, but not wet or soggy, otherwise your cuttings can rot.
Within a few weeks, you should see new growth on your cuttings, which is a sure sign they have rooted.
Continue to grow your new plants there until the roots are about 3 inches long, at which point you can put them in soil instead.
Once your new Philodendron White Knight plants are in the soil, hold off on feeding them, and keep the soil damp while the roots get settled for a few weeks. You can then treat them as established plants.
Yellowing Leaves On Philodendron White Knight
One thing to watch out for when you’re growing this fabulous plant is yellowing leaves. There are a few reasons why the leaves can turn yellow, and it’s worth sifting through the possibilities to see what’s going wrong.
Don’t put off trying to find the cause, otherwise, the leaves will carry on turning yellow until they drop off, and you’ll have a very sad-looking plant!
Yellowing leaves is usually a moisture-related issue, where the plant is protesting how you’re watering it.
Frustratingly, two different extremes can present in the same way, where you could be overdoing it with the watering can, or you’re not giving your plant enough water.
Check the soil. If the soil is pulling away from the sides of the pot, and it’s super dry, your plant is very thirsty! Give it a good soaking, and then another after that, tipping out any excess water that sits in the bottom, and check your plant more often.
If the soil is very wet, try to repot your plant to save it. Understand that it may not work, but it’s worth a go, by repotting into slightly damp soil and trimming away any damaged roots.
Final Thoughts
Philodendron White Knight is a gorgeous plant that does need some care and attention to thrive, so it’s not the best plant if you go away a lot of the time.
But if you can give this plant the care it needs, it will make a stunning addition to your collection.
