Philodendron ‘Prince of Orange’ – Care Guide (2024)

Growing Philodendron Prince of Orange may take a little more effort than growing other houseplants.

However, every effort will seem worthwhile when you get the burst of unique colors in the broad leaves to enhance the decor!

Give extra attention to its growth habits, like most tropical houseplants, to avoid costly mistakes that may damage the multi-colored leaves.

Read this article to learn how to best care for Philodendron Prince of Orange.

Philodendron Prince of Orange Overview

Prince of Orange is not your usual tropical plant because you would not find them in a natural setting.

The name comes for its uniquely hued leaves that change colors from yellow to copper and orange tones and ultimately settle with a green shade.

Let us understand more about this unique hybrid houseplant.

Now that you know about the basics of the plant let us delve deeper into how to care for them.

Is Philodendron Prince of Orange Difficult to Care For?

Growing Philodendron “Prince of Orange” indoors can be tricky because you need to recreate a tropical environment.

Philodendrons naturally grow under the shade of highly humid forest beds and dislike soggy soil conditions.

Moreover, they prefer root-bound conditions to encourage the growth of feeder roots.

Remember these pointers to make growing Prince of Orange an easy affair.

Following these tips, growing a Prince of Orange at home becomes relatively easy.

If you expect to see a healthy plant with multi-color leaves, ensure to provide them with warm temperatures, warm soil conditions, and enough humidity at all times.

However, your plant may face some grave issues of pests and diseases despite enough upkeep, which we will discuss later.

Philodendron Prince of Orange Complete Care Guide

Prince of Orange can extend to 18-24 inches when grown in the right conditions.

Providing enough optimum care and the right conditions will ensure that your Prince of Orange becomes the prestige of your home and office decor.

Here is everything you would need to know about your tropical plant.

1. Watering & Humidity

The moistening need of Prince of Orange is similar to Calathea plants, where it only requires enough water to moisten the soil mix slightly.

An epiphyte with aerial roots takes up oxygen and nutrients from the air. Therefore, they hate sitting in too much water.

In fact, overwatering could be more damaging to the plant than underwatering.

However, waterlogging and underwatering can cause the broad leaves to turn yellow and brownish.

On top of that, the leaves start drooping when the plant receives too much or too little water.

Practical Solutions

• The plant enjoys evenly moist conditions; hence water them only once a week during the growing season and once in two weeks in winter.
• Depending on the pot size, you must use 0.5-1 liter of water for deep watering.
• Introducing a self-watering device is a great idea to slowly release water into the soil by constantly checking the soil’s moisture level.
• Consider placing the pot on a pebble water tray to retain moisture when the water evaporates.
• Misting 2-3 times a day will help control summer temperature.

Pro Tip: Use tepid or slightly warm water instead of cold water when moistening the plant.

2. Sunlight & Temperature

Prince of Orange is a warm-loving species, and it naturally thrives in temperatures that mimic the tropical environment of Central America.

However, it can tolerate extremely cold temperatures, but too much of either can slow down the plant’s growth.

Curling and browning leaves are among the earliest signs of a plant suffering from the cold draft.

Leaving the plant in constant low temperature will gradually wither the plant causing its early death.

Practical Solutions 

• Place them in a brightly lit place with indirect sunlight daily, but bring them indoors when the temperature drops below 60°F.  
• Keep your plant in the east-facing window where it can receive early sunlight.
• Relocate it at least 4 feet from the window to avoid exposure to direct sunlight at noon.
• It can effectively tackle hot temperatures but mistreat the leaves regularly to maintain the humidity.
• Place them in a warm section of your home during winter and cover them with black plastic when the temperature drops below 55°F (13°C).
• Provide at least 70-85% of filtered sunlight daily to help photosynthesis, providing unique colors to the plant.

3. Soil & Fertilizers

Growing Prince of Orange requires a well-aerated soil mix that allows fast draining.

The airy pockets in the soil allow the feeder root to quickly obtain oxygen from the air and keep the epiphytic roots healthy.

On top of that, ensure to fertilize your plant once in two weeks or once a month with mild houseplant food with micronutrients like calcium and magnesium.

Therefore, use porous containers like terracotta, clay, or ceramic with drainage holes for your Prince of Orange.

Practical Solutions

• The organic mix allows the plant to gradually suck nutrients from the soil without fertilizing for the first six months of potting.
• Add one part of fertilizer to three or four-part of water to provide an optimum boost to the plant.
• You can choose a commercial potting mix Monstera Quick Drain Potting Soil, or Tropical plant potting soil.
• When fertilizing your plant, ensure to use a water-soluble or liquid-based balanced organic fertilizer like a 10-10-10.

4. Yearly Repotting

Prince of Orange is an epiphytic plant that loves root-bound conditions.

Thus, avoid repotting them every year to encourage healthy feeder root growth.

The repotting of the Philodendron plant may depend on its size.

You must remember a few things when repotting your Prince of Orange.

• They ideally would require repotting when the top gets heavy, and the roots will take up the entire pot.
• A slowed growth is one of the early signs of severely root-bound plants.
• When repotting, you can switch to a slightly larger pot and change the potting mix with fresh soil.
• Ensure to repot only during the spring and summer when the plant is actively growing.
• Changing the soil in winter may affect the plant’s roots, causing plant stress.

Here is How to Repot the Plant

• Choose a container 2″ larger than the current pot for quick root-bound conditions.
• Slide out the plant using your hand and loosen the root ball.
• Clear the root with water and check for signs of decay, browning, and mushy problems.
• Only half-fill the new container with the appropriate potting mix and carefully place the plant (root-down) inside.
• Fill the pot with the remaining soil and pat it around the base.
• Next, let it rest in a brightly lit location.

5. Occasional Pruning

The Philodendron ‘Prince of Orange’ needs infrequent pruning with sterilized tools like Pruning shears, Baskets, and Gloves.

Using those tools, you can prune the dead, damaged, and pest-infected leaves.

These pests and pathogens hinder the beauty of the plants by forming ugly spots. Also, the plants show symptoms like yellowing, browning, and drooping.

Practical Solutions

• Firstly, pruning should be done in the Spring.
• Always cut down to the soil line or just above a developing point.
• Thirdly, also get rid of any troublesome branches.
• Likewise, dense growth should be thinned down. You may increase the general health of your plant by thinning down thick growth and allowing more light, rain, and air to penetrate.
• In addition, prune your plant frequently. During pruning, you should just remove 30% of the plant.

Growth Habits

These plants are not vine-like other philodendrons; hence, they grow only up to a height of 2 feet at most.

They are self-headers; therefore, many leaves may sprout from a single short stem.

The petioles are stacked close together, often hiding the stem under the fire-like foliage, making them a magnificent tabletop plant.

To encourage even growth of the leaves, ensure adequate fertilizing and bright light during the growing season.

Plant Propagation

If you wish to propagate your plant, consider doing it in early spring when it is actively growing.

You can propagate the plant using stem cuttings and leaves cuttings. While leaf cutting sometimes works, it may not yield as good results as stem cuttings.

Propagating Prince of Orange with healthy stem cuttings in the potting soil or water works best.

1. Propagation in Soil

Here is a guided approach to propagating stem cutting in soil.

• Choose a mature plant with a settled root base and cut the stem at a 45° angle.
• Apply rooting hormone to the trimmed cutting end and let it rest.
• Prepare a potting mix in a small pot (3-4”) and poke a hole in the medium.
• Place the stem in the growing medium and gently tap the soil around the plant to hold it upright.
• Place them in a brightly lit location with adequate humidity and indirect sunlight.

2. Propagation in Water

Follow the guided approach as before, but instead of planting the stem in the soil, dip it in a jar of water.

Leave the jar in enough indirect sunlight and a warm temperature, but do not forget to replace the water every alternative day.

Once the roots start sprouting after 2-3 weeks, you can transfer the sapling to the potting mix and continue the usual care required for Prince of Orange.

Leaves cuttings method requires cutting leaves just above the stem and sinking them into the water, where the roots shall start forming within 10 days to three weeks.

Plant Toxicity

As stated by Poison.org about poisonous houseplants,

The philodendron Prince of Orange plant is toxic to humans and pets, especially cats. Strictly keep them away from your children and pet.

When consumed, the plant’s sap emits calcium oxalate crystals that can cause fatal injury or even death.

Chewing the plant will release toxins causing tissue penetration and skin irritation.

Check for toxicities through tell-tale signs of vomiting, loss of appetite, oral pain, and excessive drooling in pets.

Call the Pet Poison Hotline at (855) 764-7661 in case of emergencies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some of the frequently asked questions about Prince of Orange grown indoors.

Should I Mist My Plant Leaves Regularly?

Certainly, mist the plant leaves frequently throughout the day during the growing season to keep the humidity levels up.

Continue misting during the winter but limit the frequency to only 3 or 4 times a week.

How to make my plant look bushy?

You cannot apply the conventional method of pruning to grow them bushier. Instead, provide organic fertilizer rich in iron and magnesium that helps for thicker foliage.

However, limit the Nitrogen content when fertilizing to avoid Rhizoctonia fungus infestation.

Why are my plant leaves yellowing?

There is not a single reason for yellowing foliage. Instead, look for other signs as well when diagnosing a possible problem.

• Yellowing leaves with wilting may suggest an overwatering problem or fungal infestation.
• Yellow and brown leaves may suggest underwatering problems with the plant.
• Pale leaves indicate a lack of sufficient sunlight.

Do I keep or prune the blossoms?

Blossoms are typical during spring when you will notice small white flowers.

However, they are entirely harmless to the plant leaves, so you can choose to keep or prune them away.

How do I know my plant is suffering from a cold?

You would know they are suffering from a cold when you notice slowed growth, drooping leaves, and sudden dark patches on the leaf.

The best thing to do is bring them inside and adjust the room temperature and humidity level accordingly.