Reverted Philodendron Pink Princess

Welcome to our guide to fixing a reverted philodendron, we cover all you need to know, with step by step pictures of my reverted plant.

See also: Philodendron Pink Princess Care for a full guide to this plant, as well as Philodendron Pink Princess Propagation, Philodendron White Princess Tricolor, Philodendron White Princess Propagation. Also see our Philodendron Propagation section and our general guide How To Propagate Philodendron.

How Do You Fix A Reverted Pink Princess?

Time needed: 30 minutes

Follow these step by step instructions to fix a reverted pink princess.

Locate the reverted leaves.
If the last two new leaves the plant has put out are reverted or with very little variegation, then it’s time to act to stop the plant getting any worse.
Cut them back to the node
Trace the leaves back to the stem and locate the nodes. Then cut off below the nodes, leaving the last variegated leaf as the top leaf. This is to encourage the next growth to come from a variegated part of the plant. If the whole plant has reverted you can cut back the entire plant.
Move the plant to bright place
The plant should not be indirect sunlight, but it should get as much indirect sunlight as you can give it. This will also encourage variegation. You want it to grow back from the last variegated point with plenty of light

You can find all our articles on reverted plants here, like the Burle Marx Variegata Reverting article.

What If The Whole Plant Has Reverted?

If the whole plant is reverted, you can cut the entire plant up into separate one-leaf one-node cuttings. Then propagate then, hoping that either the cuttings or the original plant will grow back variegated. This is long-shot to be honest, it is better to catch the plant before it has fully reverted.

In the picture below I am water propagating all the reverted cutting, I’ll update this post later if any grow back pink.

a reverted pink princess leaf — An example of a reverted leaf with hardly any pink on it.

an all pink leaf on a philodendron pink princess — This plant once put out an entirely pink leaf, but now has practically no pink on it.

Reverted Philodendron Pink Princess – frequently asked questions

Can Reverted Variegation Come Back?

Yes, a variegated plant can revert and then come back. The more (and the longer) it loses its variegation the less likely it is come back.

What Does A Reverted Pink Princess Look Like?

The leaves looks all dark green, wihtout any pink variegation on them. Sometimes they have a brown hue to them, especially the newer ones. reverted pink princess

How Do You Encourage Variegation In Plants?

You can encourage variegation by giving the plant plenty of indirect sunlight, Don’t give it direct sun which can burn it, but give it as much indirect light as you can. I keep most of my variegated plants next to a south facing window out of direct sun but just off to the side where they still get a lot of light.

Should I Worry If My Pink Princess Starts Putting Out Burgundy Leaves?

Don’t worry too much, it is normal for variegated plants to sometimes put out a non variegated leaf. If it puts out 2 or more then you should take action: trim the plant back to it’s last variegated node and keep it in bright indirect sunlight to encourage the leaves to grow back with variegation.