Philodendron Birken

Bright, indirect light keeps this plant healthy and vibrant. That light gives it the energy to keep producing its signature pinstripe pattern.

Keep it fully away from harsh direct midday sun, that'll scorch and bleach the leaves. It can survive in medium light, but if there's not enough, new leaves will come in solid green and lose the pinstripes.

Watering is simple, let the top 1 to 2 inches of soil dry out before watering thoroughly again. Unlike Alocasias, which like more consistent moisture, Philodendrons like some breathing room between waterings.

When you water, pour evenly until it drains from the bottom, then empty the saucer so it's not sitting in water. Water less often in late fall and winter.

This plant adapts well to normal home and office conditions. Rare or heavily variegated versions do best around 50 to 70% humidity for clean leaf unfurling, but standard humidity of 40% or more is plenty for regular plants.

Keep the room warm and steady, between 65°F and 85°F. Keep it away from window drafts, cold AC air, or anything below 55°F.

Use a loose, chunky potting mix to keep the roots from getting compacted. Mix orchid bark and perlite into a standard potting soil for good airflow and fast drainage.

Feed it monthly with a balanced liquid fertilizer during spring and summer. Stop feeding entirely in winter while the plant rests.

Since this plant grows upright instead of trailing, propagation is a bit slower than other varieties, but you can still do it with stem cuttings or by separating offsets. If your plant grows small pups at the base, separate them during spring repotting once they've formed their own roots, and pot them up in fresh, airy soil.

Repot this plant every 1 to 2 years in spring to refresh the soil and give it more room. Move up to a pot just 1 to 2 inches bigger, with good drainage holes.

This plant is toxic to pets. It has calcium oxalate crystals in its tissue, which can cause mouth irritation, swelling, and stomach upset if chewed or eaten.

Keep it up on a shelf, wall mount, or plant stand, out of reach of pets.

This plant doesn't grow in the wild, it's a rare hybrid discovered in a nursery, bred from the Philodendron rojo congo, which comes from the rainforests of South America.

The Philodendron Birkin came from a random genetic mutation. Since its coloring isn't stable, one plant can sometimes grow all kinds of unpredictable leaves, some half-cream, some splashed with pink, and some that revert completely back to the solid red-burgundy of its ancestor, the Rojo Congo.