White leaves ok?
My philodendron Birkin has been giving me leaf after leaf, and I'm very proud of her. However, each leaf has progressively been whiter than the next. Is this ok? I also noticed a brown spot on one of her older leaves. Is this normal or a sign of trouble? Thanks for your help! #philodendron #philodendronbirkin #plantsmakepeoplehappy #plantaddict
1ft to light, direct
6” pot with drainage
Last watered 4 days ago
20
Best Answer
The white leaves can happen if this variety gets too much light. The brown spot I suspect is an infection seems to be common in Birkins. I would first check the roots (I suspect they will be fine and healthy). Cut off that leaf with the brown so the infection does not spread. Water with a fungicide and and your plant should improve. These types of infections tend to happen with these when overwatered. Be sure to wait until it is dry before watering in the future to prevent any re-occurance. Lovely plant you have! 🪴❤️
@wolfwoman your profile says 10ft light, indirect. They need light for photosynthesis, hence the greener leaves. I have a lot of variegated plants and I have to be careful as they don’t absorb light that well.
@SuperbRaspfern, thanks. I'm thinking of moving her to the bathroom, where she'll get am sunlight rather than pm. I'll remove that leaf, which will give her more of a compact appearance, which I want anyway. Roots should be ok, but I'll check them, just in case. Appreciate it!
@SvelteDevilsivy, I must have forgotten to update her stats. I'll fox it. Thanks. I see your pic. Is yours reverting?
@SvelteDevilsivy, reverting means losing variegation. I have one that is affectionately called an "revirkin." I named her Uniqua.
@SvelteDevilsivy, this fall going into winter has been hard. I lost a lot of plants due to root rot, and I'm usually really good about watering. I have a moisture meter and everything. I am also trying to switch plants to clear pots, but discovered some of my plants don't like them. It's definitely a learning experience. Lots of trial and error. Your moonlight looks better than one of mine. Proceeded to lose all her leaves. Probably will be throwing her away soon. She has one leaf trying to emerge. My hopes aren't high.
@wolfwoman oh I’m not sure. I bought it with both types of those colored leaves. Shortly after it pushed out one white/green and the new new are all green. Thanks I learned something new!
@wolfwoman may I make a suggestion? Don’t use moisture meters. I know everyone suggests having them. I used them in the past too but quickly learned they all suck. Since ditching moisture readers I have not ever again suffered from root rot!
Here is why?
They are highly inaccurate and will often tell you to water when your plant has plenty already in the pot.
Next time test it you will be shocked. 😮
Use your meter and right after stick your finger in the soil knuckle deep.
Not don’t immediately remove you finger keep it there for a few seconds and focus on what you feel….
Is it damp?
Is it cool to the touch?
Does a bit of soil stick to your finger when you remove it?
Even one of these is your sign not to water yet, just wait a day or two.
Trust me you’ll get the hang of the feel of it in no time and can roll right though all of your plants in minutes okay fine it takes me 20 minutes but I have over 300 plants so it will take a while.
You can also tell be looking at it next time look at your dry soil vs your still damp soil the damp soil will be much darker.
Just wanted to share because watering can seem daunting but with practice it will seem easy. 💕
Here is why?
They are highly inaccurate and will often tell you to water when your plant has plenty already in the pot.
Next time test it you will be shocked. 😮
Use your meter and right after stick your finger in the soil knuckle deep.
Not don’t immediately remove you finger keep it there for a few seconds and focus on what you feel….
Is it damp?
Is it cool to the touch?
Does a bit of soil stick to your finger when you remove it?
Even one of these is your sign not to water yet, just wait a day or two.
Trust me you’ll get the hang of the feel of it in no time and can roll right though all of your plants in minutes okay fine it takes me 20 minutes but I have over 300 plants so it will take a while.
You can also tell be looking at it next time look at your dry soil vs your still damp soil the damp soil will be much darker.
Just wanted to share because watering can seem daunting but with practice it will seem easy. 💕
@SuperbRaspfern, thank you. I admit to being wildly unimpressed with moisture meters. You're absolutely right. They misread all the time. And if your soil is chunky, like many of mine are, they often don't read at all. Hopefully, things will improve.
@wolfwoman but how large are your pots. I find that mine are so large, the top may be dry, however deep down the soil is still quite moist to wet
@wolfwoman mine are in 20-30” pots. My plants and pots are so large that I feel the top soil is always dry compared to the bottom which is much more wet to moist and I do not want root rot in these huge plants
@QuesterBluebill I didn't realize my answer didn't post. I had said that it might be best to downsize. If there's too much soil, watering issues usually develop. The soil can be moist, but not have much getting to the roots. I would check your root ball size and adjust to a pot just a small bit bigger than that.
@wolfwoman thank you❣️