Philodendron White Wizard - Care and Propagation

Welcome to our care and propagation guide to the impressive philodendron white wizard. My advice is to keep it humid but not overwater it and give it lots of indirect but no direct sunlight.

Philodendron White Wizard Care Summary

Light needs:	Bright indirect sunlight.
Watering needs:	Water it when the top 50% of the soil is dry, check it once a week.
Fertilizer:	A balanced liquid feed once a month in spring and summer.
Soil:	A rich, well draining potting compost.
Humidity:	50% or more.
Temperature:	18°C to 27°C (64-81°F)
Where to buy:	Try our list of Rare Plant Shops or Etsy.
Other names:	Philodendron erubescens white wizard.
Common issues:	Overwatering and leaf burn on the variegated parts.

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Introduction

The philodendron white wizard is a notoriously beautiful variegated philodendron that has boomed in popularity and price the last few years.

Tip: we recommend Etsy for buying plants. Look for the best rated seller you can, and try to buy as close to your home as possible so the plant does not travel too far.

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See also: Philodendron Burle Marx Care, Philodendron Soil and all our other philodendron care articles.

Light Needs

Give it bright indirect sunlight, they’ll be ok a bit further back from the window too. No direct sun. They want as much indirect sun as you can give them to really encourage growth and bring the best out of their variegation, but the variegated areas can burn easily in direct sun, so off to the side of a bright window is a great place for them.

Tip: variegated plants often grow slower than their greener counter parts as the chlorophyll (the green bits) produce the energy. So the variegated version needs more light to grow. However the variegated parts of the leaves are more susceptible to getting burned by direct sun, so you have to be careful to give them a lot of light, but not too much direct.

How Often To Water

Water it when the top 50% of the soil is dry, check it once a week with your finger. Do not over water it! Leave it for another week if in doubt, as they are really sensitive to over watering.

At watering time, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for pests like Fungus Gnats.

Tip: they are susceptible to root rot, my advice is to make sure you tip out any excess water after watering and do not leave the plant sitting in it, which can lead to water logging and root rot.

Philodendron White Wizard Fertilizer

Feed it a balanced liquid feed once a month in spring and summer to encourage growth. They’ll be ok if you don’t fertilize them, but will grow quicker if you do. Make sure it is well diluted, better to under d it as you do not want fertilizer burn.

Soil

Use a rich, well draining potting compost. They hate to sit in soggy soil, so make sure you have a decent, well draining mix. At the very least, add 20% perlite to normal potting compost to aid drainage. I use a mix of orchid bark, perlite and normal potting compost. For more on Philodendron soil see our guide on what to buy or how to make your own: P hilodendron Soil.

When To Repot A Philodendron White Wizard

Check the plant in early spring by taking it out of it’s pot. If the roots are getting crowded then pot it up a size to give it plenty of room to grow over the growing season.

Humidity

Aim for 50% humidity, they will thank you for it. Up to 60% and over is fine too, they are tropical houseplants and will thrive in higher humidity levels.

Tip: I would keep it in a humid location get, I recommend getting a get a humidity meter with min and max settings so you can tell if it’s getting too dry at any parts of the day.

Temperature

Normal household temperatures are fine for philodendrons like this, 18°C to 27°C (64-81°F) is an ideal daytime daytime to aim for. Try to keep them above 12°C (54°F) as a minimum at night. Also try to keep them away from cold drafts in winter.

Philodendron White Wizard - leaf close up — Philodendron White Wizard – leaf close up

How To Propagate Philodendron White Wizard

Propagate a philodendron white wizard with stem cuttings and sphagnum moss. Take a cutting with one node and one or two leaves. Let it callous over for an hour, then pot it up in moist sphagnum moss. Keep it warm and bright, and the moss moist. Keep it humid too. It should root well over the next month or two. Once it starts to put out new growth at the top of the plant you can pot it up into soil.

You can use soil or water to root too, but I personally have found with variegated philodendrons that I get a much better success rate with moss. Especially if kept humid, but allow a little air to circulate too.

Philodendron White Wizard Reverted

Depending on how stable the variegation is, a white wizard can revert. The best way to prevent this is to buy a plant that is stable (make sure that the plant the cutting was taken from has stable variegation that has not reverted, and it possible the plant that was propagated from). If you plant has reverted, or is starting to, the best thing to do is to give it as much indirect sunlight as possible (but no direct sun). Or get grow light to give it maximum light. You can cut the new reverted leaves and nodes off, back to the previous variegated node too. This will give your plant the best chance of growing back with variegated leaves.

philodendron white wizard scientific name

It’s scientific name is: philodendron erubescens ‘white wizard’.

Philodendron White Wizard USDA Zone

Zones 9-11.

Difference Between Philodendron White Princess Vs White Wizard

The white wizard green stems, and bigger more defined areas of green and white variegation with more rounded leaves. The white princess has bigger, more pointed leaves. For more, see our guide here: Philodendron White Princess.

Difference Between Philodendron White Knight Vs White Wizard Vs White Wizard

The easiest way to tell the difference between these philodendrons is the stems, the white knight has burgundy colored stems, and the white wizard has green stems. The white wizard tends to have larger areas of white variegation too. Both plants are very similar with white and dark green, oval leaves.

Where To Buy

Try our list of Rare Plant Shops or Etsy.

Other Names

Philodendron erubescens ‘white wizard’.

FAQs And Common Problems

Leaf burn on the variegated parts of the leaf is common, from too much sun. Also as with all philodendrons, make sure you don’t overwater it.

Is It A Climber Or Crawler?

The philodendron white wizard is climbing philodendron.

Additional Resources

Other similar articles: Philodendron White Princess, Philodendron White Knight.