Are you looking to add a unique green companion to your indoor plant collection?
Meet the Philodendron White Knight, a tropical beauty known for its striking variegated leaves.
Stay tuned to learn how to give this plant the royal treatment it deserves!
Table of Contents
Philodendron White Knight Care
For a thriving Philodendron White Knight, use well-draining soil mixed with organic matter like peat moss and compost. Place it in bright, indirect sunlight. Water regularly to keep the soil moist, but never waterlogged. Maintain temperatures between 65 to 80°F and aim for humidity above 70%.
Soil
Philodendron White Knight flourishes in well-draining, moist soil thoroughly mixed with organic content such as peat moss, compost, etc. You might want to ask what a well-drained soil is.
Well-draining soil allows the flow of water in or out at a moderate rate.
When the plant’s soil is saturated with excess water, it reduces the oxygen intake of the plant from the soil, which may result in its death.
For your indoor planting, it is not recommended to use soil from the garden, if you look forward to a good result.
Soil from the garden might contain disease organisms, weeds seeds, and may not be a well-draining soil.
That said, you could use a high-quality potting soil that is well-draining. Good drainage is key for the well-being of Philodendrons.
However, you should not just use a regular potting mix. You should add some more ingredients.
I would recommend you use about 30 to 50% potting mix, and then, for the rest of the soil, add perlite and orchid bark.
Light
Plants depend on the energy derived from sunlight to produce the nutrients they need. However, the amount and intensity of sunlight required by individual plants differ.
Philodendron White Knight requires mild sunlight to thrive.
Filtered sunlight is most desirable. Direct exposure to sunlight will lead to the burning of leaves.
The beauty of a Philodendron White Knight comes from the intensity of the color variation of its leaves, which are green and white.
When planted in a shady environment for 2 to 3 months, it loses its color variation and hence loses its beauty.
However, the white portion of the leaves is susceptible to sunlight. When exposed to intense direct sunlight, it burns off quickly.
Hence, for a philodendron White Knight, I would recommend exposure to bright, indirect sunlight.
Take a gander at our in-depth guide on light levels to find out!
Watering
Philodendron White Knight is a water-loving plant. Watering should be done with a moderate amount of water. You must ensure the plant’s soil is moist at all times.
Watering with excessive water must be avoided to prevent killing the plant.
When the plant’s soil is excessively watered or saturated with water, it reduces the rate of oxygen intake by the plate from the soil. It could lead to rotting of the plant root, which is the most critical and crucial part of a plant.
When the roots are rotten, the plant will be nutrient deficient and, in the long run, will lead to the death of the plant when not properly cared for.
When and how do you know when to water your plant?
This can be done by feeling the soil texture with your fingers. If the soil contains some moisture, it will stick to the fingers, but when it doesn’t, it will fall off.
After this has been done and it was confirmed that water moisture is present, you can postpone the watering of the plant.
Otherwise, you water it at the very moment.
Temperature
As a tropical plant, Philodendron White Knight enjoys warm temperatures.
Aim for temperatures between 65 to 80 Fahrenheit during the day. At night, Philodendrons like it a bit colder.
But you need to make sure that temperatures never drop below 55 Fahrenheit because these kinds of temperatures don’t sit well with Philodendrons.
Frost and freezing weather are not at all tolerated by this plant.
Humidity
Philodendron White Knight is a tropic plant and it should, therefore, not come as a surprise that it is a big fan of a humid environment.
For best results, it is best to maintain the humidity level above 70%.
At lower humidity levels, the growth rate of the plant tends to be slower.
During the winter season, the atmosphere contains dry air; that is, it is free of water vapor, which implies a low humidity level. In winter, the plant growth is exceptionally slow or no growth.
Below are various ways to maintain a high humidity level at home:
- Use a humidifier
- Put your plant (with the pot!) on a tray with damp pebbles
- Place your plant in the bathroom (provided that your bathroom gets enough light!)
- Group plants together (if you have several tropical plants, place them next to each other), this will further increase the humidity
Fertilizer
As the food is to humans to nourish its body, so is fertilizer to plant. Fertilizer is food for plants. It helps to replenish the lost nutrients of the soil; it supplies elements needed by the plant to grow well and also helps to maintain the soil fertility.
There are different kinds of fertilizer. We have the:
- Liquid fertilizer
- Granular fertilizer
- Slow-release fertilizer.
How do you know what kind of fertilizer is suitable for use? Relax, get yourself a cup of coffee, as I explain.
Liquid Fertilizer
This is also called water-soluble plant food. It is mixed with water, which will now be used to water the plant. Liquid fertilizer grows larger flower plants and provides an instant and effective way of nourishing the plant and soil.
With liquid fertilizer, you have much control over the quantity to apply, and it provides a uniform application.
On the other hand, Liquid fertilizer is vulnerable to volatilization, especially when used on outdoor plants.
Granular fertilizer
This fertilizer is mixed into the soil. It is easy to store and more efficient for pre-plant application.
However, when overfed in the soil, it will burn off the plant’s leaves.
Immobile nutrients such as iron (Fe) and Calcium (Ca) may not be able to get closer to the root of the plant, unlike in liquid fertilizer.
Slow Release Fertilizer
Slow-release fertilizers come in different forms; these include shells, pitons, and capsules. It releases nutrients slowly into the soil. It is a fertilizer that is coated with resin, which gradually adds nutrients to the soil by naturally breaking down due to water, sunlight, and soil microbes.
This type of fertilizer works effectively in small pots because there are fewer areas to cover. Slow-release compost reduces the stress of frequently applying fertilizer to the soil.
So what kind of fertilizer should you use for your Philodendron White Knight?
When grown indoors as a houseplant, most houseplants just do fine with liquid fertilizer. This also holds true with our Philodendron White Knight.
That said, get yourself a balanced liquid fertilizer, follow the instructions on the fertilizer and probably apply a little bit less (half) of what is said on the instructions.
Because when feeding your plants, it is always better to err on the side of caution. Applying too much fertilizer might cause a lot of harm to your plants while under-fertilizing is usually not a huge problem with houseplants.
Propagation
Philodendron White Knight is propagated via stem cutting into water.
The steps involved in the propagation of the philodendron White Knight plant will be discussed later in the section below.
Growth
The Philodendron White Knight plant can attain a growth height of 3 meters ( 9.84252 feet), and its leaves have a maximum growth length of 0.457 meters (1.5 feet). The plant growth height can be ascertained by supporting it with a pole.
Potting
There is no specific duration or period to re-pot a Philodendron White Knight. The growth rate of the White Knight philodendron is affected by a lot of factors.
Two Philodendron White Knight plants planted on the same day but located in different places are exposed to various environmental and planting conditions.
The environmental conditions of a home may be more favorable to the plant than that of the other home, no two homes can have similar environmental and planting conditions. Hence, each plant in its home has a different growth rate.
How do you know when to re-pot your philodendron White Knight plant?
It is straightforward. Regular inspection of your plant roots would help you know when its time. If the roots appear on the surface of the soil, it means the pot is no longer sufficient to house the roots of the growing plant.
Then, you can re-pot it into a bigger pot.
However, it is not mandatory to wait until its roots become visible on the surface of the soil before changing the pot.
You should know when to change the pot by comparing the plant size relative to the size of the pot. The bigger the plant, the deeper and broader the roots become and, consequently, the bigger a pot you will need.
STEPS IN PROPAGATION OF PHILODENDRON White Knight
As stated previously, Philodendron White Knight is propagated via stem cutting.
Propagating this beautiful plant via stem cuttings is not a difficult task. All you need are:
- A Philodendron White Knight
- A clean pair of scissors
- Water
Here’s a little step-by-step on White Knight propagation:
- Sterilize the pair of scissors by dipping it in a solution of 70-100% solution of alcohol (ethanol) to avoid any possibility of infecting the plant with any bacteria or dirt. You can use any other disinfectant that is available around you. Still, I would recommend the use of alcohol because you don’t have to rinse it off the scissors, and it is immediately effective.
- Cut the stem at an inch below the leaf’s node with the aerial root with the sterilized pair of scissors.
- Trim the cut stem to ensure that just a single leaf and an aerial root are attached to the node.
- Place the stem cutting into a clean cup of water. Ensuring that the leaf is out of the water and the aerial root is totally inside the water. This is because the roots would grow through the aerial root.
- Finally, when the aerial root starts growing, you remove it from the water and stick it into the soil for proper growth. Make sure to use a new pot with fresh soil for this purpose.
White Knight Philodendron: Diseases & Pests
The most common diseases and pests of this plant are similar to those of other related varieties of Philodendron, such as Rugosum, Pink Princess & White Wizard.
As far as the Philodendron White Knight goes, the most common pests are aphids and mealybugs.
While pest control is sometimes not an easy task, most plants can still be saved, if proper pest control is applied.
As far as aphids and mealybugs go, we have some handy guides for you that will make sure that you can get rid of these pesky pests!
Our guides:
How to Get Rid of Aphids Forever
Philodendron White Knight Common Problems
This section is to give you some clues as to what could be the cause of the physical deformity that may appear on the plant.
Problem #1: Yellow leaves
If your Philodendron White Knight has yellow leaves, it could be a result of excess wetting, which will lead to over-saturation of the plant soil by water or exposure to much sunlight. Also, note that exposure to too much sunlight leads to the burning of leaves.
How do you care for your White Knight philodendron plant with yellow leaves? It is straightforward,
- Make sure it is placed in an environment with filtered sunlight, as stated earlier.
- Remove all yellow and burnt leaves by cutting them off with a pair of sterilized scissors.
- Change the plant soil. While changing the plant soil, look out for rotten roots. If there are any, cut them with a sterilized pair of scissors. Also, check the pot for proper drainage. Wet your Philodendron only when its soil is dry; you can only know this by touching the soil.
Problem #2: Bacterial leaf spot
This plant is often affected by bacteria when the plant leaves are often wet. To avoid this, make sure that you are not pouring water over the leaves while watering.
How do you care for your plant with a bacterial leaf spot?
This is a bit tricky, and it depends on how infected your plant is. If the infected leaves are not more than two, you cut it off before others are affected. Using a fungicide doesn’t yield any tangible results.
Philodendron White Knight FAQ
Are Philodendron White Knight plants toxic to cats?
Philodendron White Knight, as well as other species of Philodendron, are toxic to cats. Keep this plant away from your pets!
Are Philodendron White Knight plants toxic to dogs?
Philodendron White Knight, as well as other species of Philodendron, are toxic to dogs. Keep this plant away from your pets!
What is a good location for my White Knight Philodendron?
Place your Philodendron White Knight in a location where it can enjoy bright, indirect sunlight. That could be near a west-facing window or an east facing window.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.