White Knight Philodendron (Philodendron ‘White Knight’)

White Knight Philodendron Plant Features

White Knight Philodendron is a striking climbing houseplant. It sports lovely, white-variegated foliage and has an easy-care nature. Traditionally a hard-to-find houseplant, it’s relatively slow growing thanks to its leaf pattern. The more variegation, the slower it grows as there’s less chlorophyll to convert light into energy for the plant to grow.

When young, White Knight Philodendron makes for a lovely desk or tabletop plant. As it matures, it begins to vine up and is better used as a floor plant. Like many of its relatives, White Knight Philodendron will sport much larger leaves if you grow it vertically. For a more dramatic plant, train it up a totem, wall, or other structure and give it warm, bright conditions.

As is the case with many other Philodendron varieties (including popular Pink Princess Philodendron), each leaf on White Knight is different. One leaf may come out with little to no variegation and the next leaf may emerge with little to no green. It’s all part of this indoor plant’s charm!

Buy White Knight Philodendron
Buy it online and have it shipped fresh from our farm, direct to your door from our online plant shop. Look for Costa Farms' Philodendron White Knight in the Trending Tropicals® collection at your favorite retailer. See a list of our in-store and online retailer partners.

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White Knight Philodendron Growing Instructions

Light Needs
White Knight Philodendron likes a medium to bright spot. That means the plant should cast a relatively strong shadow much of the day where it’s situated. Being within 3 feet of an unobstructed east- or west-facing window is ideal in many homes. But it doesn’t require sunlight to thrive. You can grow White Knight Philodendron under plant lights, or next to a window and augment it with plant lights.
Note: The white variegation suffers unsightly sunburn easily, so try to keep the plant out of direct afternoon sun outdoors.

Water Needs
Water your White Knight Philodendron as the top inch or two of the potting mix starts to dry to the touch. If it stays too wet for too long, the roots will suffocate and die, causing root rot. If you’re not sure whether your White Knight Philodendron needs watering or not, it’s typically best to wait. The plant holds up better to being too dry rather than too wet.

Humidity Needs
White Knight Philodendron prefers average to above-average relative humidity levels indoors. In especially dry air, the leaves can sometimes have trouble unfurling and may come out deformed. If you’re afraid the air in your home is too dry for this houseplant, try augmenting humidity levels. One way to do this is to grow it clustered near other houseplants (plants release humidity into the air as they grow, so you can create a little humid zone). Or place it near a small humidifier. You can alternatively grow it in a display case or under a cloche.

Fertilizer Needs
You can fertilize your White Knight Philodendron regularly if you want it to grow faster, or feed it as little as once or twice a year. In most conditions, spring and summer are the best times to fertilize as the days are longer so there’s more light to fuel more growth. You can use any general-purpose houseplant fertilizer, just be sure not to exceed the recommended application rates on the product packaging. Too much fertilizer can burn the roots and may possibly kill the plant.

Pruning Needs
Because White Knight Philodendron is a climbing houseplant, you can prune or pinch it back periodically to keep it short, full, and bushy. Or you can let it climb without pruning – it’s up to you.

White Knight Philodendron is not intended for human or animal consumption.

  • Water

    Medium water needs

  • Light

    Indoors: High light

    Indoors: Medium light

  • Colors

    Variegated

    White

  • Special Features

    Colorful foliage

    Purifies the air

Complement your White Knight Philodendron

Moonlight Scindapsus
Moonlight Scindapsus has elegant silvery leaves that are a beautiful complement to White Knight's white variegation.

Baltic Blue Pothos
Baltic Blue Pothos is another vining houseplant that likes similar conditions. Its dark green leaves and fenestrations make it a stunning contrast to White Knight.

Pink Princess Philodendron
Pink Princess Philodendron sports similar variegation, but in pink, making it a striking partner for White Knight.

Q&A

White Knight Philodendron is a vining houseplant. Why does yours look like a more like a Birkin and not like a vine?
We grow our White Knight Philodendron under bright light conditions so it has tight internodes. This allows us to ship it more easily with less damage. It will over time begin to vine more, especially if it's in lower light levels that cause the growth to stretch.