Reasons Your Philodendron has Wrinkled Leaves

Sometimes my Philodendrons leaves unfurl and they look a bit wrinkled. I have a Philodendron McColley's Finale, Philodendron Birkin, and Philodendron Prince of Orange. There are a variety of reasons your Philodendron may have wrinkled leaves. I'll go over the most likely culprits in this post and provide suggestions for preventing wrinkled leaves in the future. Unfortunately, leaves that are wrinkled cannot be unwrinkled, but you can take steps to prevent new leaves from becoming wrinkled.

Reasons for Philodendron Wrinkled Leaves

Low Humidity

Low humidity is the most likely culprit for your Philodendron wrinkled leaves. They like medium to high humidity. Philodendrons are moist tropical plants, think rainforest, so they enjoy some humidity. Most homes are not kept at the ideal humidity for Philodendrons especially not in winter when the heater is drying the air.

How to Solve Low Humidity

You can try using a spray bottle daily to increase the humidity around your Philodendron. I've read that spraying and misting plants does not raise humidity for a meaningful amount of time in a household environment. I've tried it before to varying degrees of success. If your leaf looks like mine above, it's already too late for spraying though.

You can also add a humidifier next to your Philodendron to raise the humidity in the immediate vicinity of the plant. Humidifiers come in all shapes and sizes with different bells and whistles. I really prefer the small personal humidifiers. This type of humidifier is very easy to clean and you don't spend a fortune on them if they do end up getting gross and you have to replace it. I have seen some disgusting humidifiers and the stuff that grows in those things just really grosses me out.

The Leaf was Damaged in the Cataphyll

The cataphyll is a small outer leaf that is wrapped around the nicer bigger leaf that you actually want to see. The cataphyll protects the nice leaf while it develops. If the cataphyll is damaged before the leaf has emerged, then the leaf itself may be damaged permanently as well. Under the right conditions, the nice leaf grows until it burst open the cataphyll and unfurls. I have a whole post on why your Philodendron leaf is not unfurling.

As you can see above, this leaf is stuck in the cataphyll. If that happens for too long then, the leaf will be damaged permanently. See the leaf in the bottom right-hand corner of the picture for an example.

How to Prevent Leaves Being Damaged in the Cataphyll

Leaves can get stuck in the cataphyll because of a lack of humidity, which we already discussed above. The cataphyll can also be damaged by other environmental factors. There could be pests attacking the cataphyll. You may bump or scrape it when you're watering your plant. The best thing to do is keep the humidity optimal. Philodendrons like it and many pests don't. Also, just be careful around the new leaves.

Cold Temperatures

Philodendrons are tropical plants. They prefer warm temperatures and pretty moist air. Cold temperatures can cause philodendron leaves to wrinkle. The cold can damage tender new leaves especially. In most homes, this should not be an issue though.

How to Prevent Leaf Wrinkle from Cold Temperatures

If your Philodendron is outside for the summer and the night temperatures dip below about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, then you should bring it inside. It's possible that your Philodendron may experience cold enough temperatures to be damaged if it is near a drafty window in the cold of winter. Especially if the leaf is touching the cold glass. If you find this happening, move your plant away from the window.

Low Soil Moisture

Low air humidity is a problem I already address, but low or uneven soil moisture can also be a problem for smooth leaf development. Philodendrons can be forgiving about soil moisture or lack thereof, but low soil moisture can also contribute to Philodendron wrinkled leaves.

How to Fix Low Soil Moisture

Just add water, problem solved. You may not be watering a large enough quantity of water or you may not be watering often enough. Another issue can be that you water too fast and then a lot of the water ends up draining out of the bottom of the pot. One good way to combat this is to water from the bottom. This means you place your pot in a bucket of water or a sink filled with water and let the soil and roots soak up water. If your Philodendron is not properly holding moisture, then you may be due for a repot, follow this post on repotting a Philodendron Birkin.

One of my favorite and most used houseplant tools is a cheap soil moisture meter. With all of my houseplants, it literally is used dozens of times a week. It takes all the guesswork out of how moist your soil is. It also makes you better at watering your plants, because you learn that this one dries out fast when you use a certain amount of water and that one still hasn't dried out after a whole week.

These are the most common causes of Philodendron wrinkled leaves. Of my Philodendrons, the Philodendron Birkin seems to not get wrinkled leaves like the other two despite being on the same shelf together. Maybe Philodendron Birkins are less susceptible to leaf wrinkle than other Philodendron hybrids.

What has your experience with Philodendron leaf wrinkle been? Share in the comments.