From time to time my Philodendron Birkin gets yellow leaves. This post will cover some scenarios in which you might encounter yellow leaves. I will also cover some recommendations to address Philodendron Birkin yellow leaves to make sure your plant stays healthy.
About Philodendron Birkin
Philodendrons are a very popular houseplant often found at home improvement stores and nurseries. They come in a wide variety. Philodendrons vary in leaf size, leaf shape, and leaf color. The Birkin is a hybrid philodendron or self-heading, which basically just means that it’s not vining like other philodendrons. The leaves are green and white striped. They do well in an east-facing window or west-facing window where it will get moderate light. When a Philodendron Birkin doesn’t get enough light the variegation, or white lines, that it is known for will be underdeveloped.
| Light Needs | Watering Needs | Soil Needs | Fertilizing Needs |
| Moderate to bright indirect light. | The top inch of soil should be dry before watering. | Well draining potting soil. | A few times per growing season. |
Philodendron Birkins are relatively quick-growing. I have had mine for about three years. During the growing season, it can just about put out a new leaf each week. Below is a picture of a few of my Philodendrons, including my Birkin from a repotting post I did earlier a while back. They are also not safe for your dog or cat to ingest, so keep them out of reach.
What Causes Philodendron Birkin Yellow Leaves?
Water Issues Can Cause Yellow Leaves
Both over and underwatering can cause your Philodendron Birkin to have yellow leaves. For me, the best way to tell if there are water issues is to use a soil moisture meter. Something simple like this soil moisture meter will do the trick. You can also use your finger.
I sometimes end up underwatering my Philodendron Birkin. For me, it’s easy to spot because the leaves of the whole plant seem a little droopy. If you are underwatering typically the leaves that turn yellow first are the oldest ones at the base of a stem. These are the older leaves and tend to be more susceptible to drying out. You can see some examples in the photo below.
If your soil feels moist and the yellow leaves are more disbursed and not concentrated at the base of the stems, then you may be dealing with overwatering.
How to Fix Water Issues
If you are underwatering, it’s pretty straightforward. Water your plant. Don’t overdo it though, you could go too far the other way. The yellow leaves on your Philodendron Birkin will not regain their color though. You can let them fall off or pull them off if you want to. If the water just runs through your plant because it was previously underwatered, you may need to water from the bottom. That just means to stick your plant pot in a bowl or the sink with water and the soil and roots soak up water from the base of the plant.
If you have overwatered, it will be more complicated. The first thing you want to do is carefully remove your Philodendron Birkin from its pot. That will let the root ball and soil dry more quickly. Overwatered roots are very tender and vulnerable, so you have to be careful and clean. Once the root ball has dried enough to handle, you need to inspect the roots for rot. Rotten roots appear brown and feel mushy. If you find rotten roots you need to cut them away with a clean sharp knife. Then you can repot your Birkin in new soil and hope for the best. I have a whole post dedicated to fixing an overwatered plant if you want to follow along in more detail.
Fertilizing Issues Can Yellow Leaves
Nutrients are the same as water you can both over and under fertilize. Yellow leaves are typically a sign of under fertilization. Overfertilized plants are more likely to exhibit slow growth and maybe wilting. Typical houseplant fertilizers have a balanced ratio of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, or n-p-k, which you see on the label of plant fertilizer. Yellow leaves may be a symptom of a lack of nitrogen or phosphorous. Nitrogen helps promote healthy foliage growth.
Fertilization issues should affect all the leaves on your plant equally. Other signs that you have a fertilization issue can be slow growth. You can use soil rapitest which allows you to test for ph and each nutrient individually. It’s the only way to be totally sure you have a nutrient deficiency, and if you have a lot of plants it’s a good investment.
How to Fix Fertilization Issues
If you have overfertilized your Philodendron Birkin, the best thing to try is to flush the soil by watering it a lot. You may even want to remove the plant from its pot because you don’t want to end up overwatering either.
To fix an under fertilized plant you will need to fertilize it. Water-soluble or liquid fertilizers work best for quicker absorption. If you don’t opt for a soil rapitest that I linked earlier, it would be best to stick with a balanced fertilizer that has the same number in the n-p-k ratio. However, if you know for sure you have either nitrogen or phosphorous deficiency, then you can find fertilizers that have higher ratios of the nutrient you need. Whatever you do, follow the instructions on the fertilizing product. Some fertilizers require dilution or that you water the plant beforehand.
Pests Can Cause Yellow Leaves
A wide variety of pests can attack indoor plants. The big ones that attack foliage, causing leaf yellowing, are aphids, scale/mealybugs, spider mites, and thrips. These pests pierce your leaves to feed and ultimately destroy the leaves. Yellowing leaves from pests may appear spotty where the pests have attacked. If you think you might have pests the best thing you can do is a close visual inspection of your plant. Use a flashlight to help you see contrast and shadows. Pay close attention to the underside of the leaves.
How to Fix Pest Issues
If you have pests, it is very important that you quarantine your plant away from other healthy uninfested plants as soon as possible. A pest’s job is to seek and destroy new plants! Next, you’ll need a multipronged approach to address pests. The first order of business is removal. Most pests can be removed by a strong spray in the shower or with a hose. Scale and mealybugs require manual removal because they have an armor-like shell.
Next use an insecticide. There are organic versions like neem oil that seem to do well. I have personally used neem oil on spider mites successfully. Nonorganic insecticidal soap also works well on these pests. The most important thing to do is to repeat removal and insecticide until you do not detect pests for over a week. Pests have short lifecycles so although you don’t see them, their eggs may still remain.
Hopefully, this helps explain why your Philodendron Birkin had yellow leaves and now you can begin your journey to fix it. Have any questions? Post them in the Comments section below.
I'm a long time plant lover on the quest to happily coexist with as many plants as I can. Let's grow!