How to Propagate a Philodendron Birkin

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my short journey of separating my Philodendron Birkin last week.

This is a rare houseplant that grew in popularity last year. I was stunned to find it at my local Walmart for a decent price. Of course, I needed to have it in my collection. The leaves are what catch the eyes & why you need one in your collection too. Dark green leaves with white (or yellow) paintbrush strokes make this plant absolutely stunning.

When I snagged my Birkin I knew at the time there were two plants in the pot (a reason I picked this one out). Well, I decided to keep them together when I potted it.

Fast forward to 2022, and from what I could tell is there were now three plants crowded in this pot. So, that's why I decided to try this separation. It turns out there were five plants! FIVE!

Technically, these are called pups and all you have to do is separate them from the mother plant and untangle the roots. I was not expecting to pot up that many. You can simply pull them apart or you may need to use a knife. Keep as many roots intact as you can otherwise, you may need to stick the nodes in water until it produces enough roots to pot.

Be sure to check out the slide of pictures below.

As you can tell, the smaller plants need a lot of love. The leaves are not as pretty since they were being sheltered from the sun by the larger plants when they shared a pot.

You can find me on Instagram @always_willow to follow my Philodendron Birkin journey this year. I plan to share monthly updates of these five beauties to see how well I can get them to look! Below are some care tips if you have one or plan to add one to your plant collection.

Always,

Erikka

Care Tips:

• Bright indirect light is a must otherwise you will lose the variegation just as this one is. When I first got this plant the leaves were almost all white. It was stunning!

• Water only when the soil is almost dry. It is a thirsty plant but it doesn't like to sit in wet soil.

• I used a soil mixture of regular potting soil, worm castings, perlite, and cactus soil.

• Propagate the pup as the shows up in your pot. This may be easily done during a repot so that you are able to keep the roots intact.

• This plant prefers temperatures between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Prefers 60% humidity.

• Use a balanced fertilizer. (I mixed worm castings in the soil)