Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Bird of Paradise

Q. How to take care of a bird-of-paradise plant?

A. Strelitzia reginea is the species best for growing indoors. Patience is a virtue here, as plants take between 4-6 years to mature before flowering, which occurs in the spring and sometimes later in the summer indoors.

They love lots of moisture in the air, so place on pebble and water filled-saucers to increase humidity, especially in the dry winter indoors due to a heating system. In the winter, the temp can be 55-60F but much warmer in the spring and summer.

Gradually pot up to a 10" pot and it will grow to 3-4 feet in height. Give it lots of sun, but do shelter it from the intense direct summer sun, or the foliage will burn. It does not like growing in lots of shade.

Grow in a loose, fertile soil, with perlite and vermiculite added. Water well, but allow to dry also well before rewatering. Misting the leaves is a good way to increase the humidity, but not when the sun is shining directly on them!

Feed them lightly with a house plant food once a month.

Repot every couple years and divide the plant if you wish, into several new ones, but remember that the plant likes to be on the crowded and root-bound side in order to bloom.

Q. I have had a bird of paradise plant for about 5 years now and it hasn't flowered. Do you know when they flower, and/or how to get them to flower? I have mine in the front window which receives some afternoon sun.

A. First of all, Strelitzia regina [from South Africa, this is the best species for indoor gardening], need to be 4-6 years old before they are mature enough to bloom. They also require a large growing area for its roots. Mature plants grow to 4' inside and should be in a 10" pot.

Give it as much light as possible, but shade from the harsh summer sun. 'Some afternoon sun' may be insufficient. Water thoroughly. then leave to dry well, until an inch down into the medium is dry to the touch. Daily misting of the foliage is very beneficial to growth and blooming. Never let the night temperature drop below 60F.

Next time you repot, which should be every two years, make sure you use a well-drained soil mix enriched with organic material. This encourages flowering, too.

Sandy writes~ Can a Bird of Paradise be split and should it? In Hawaii, I noticed they let them grow in to large clumps. Any information is appreciated.

Another reader writes~ What care should I give to a Bird of Paradise? The one I have or I should say had has died.

A. Yes, you certainly can and should divide these plants or allow to keep growing in clumps. I find that the flowering diminishes if left undivided, but once you divide the clumps, they take a few years to get back to full flowering.

The roots are very thick and fleshy, so be very careful, but the plant is quite tough. Separate the roots coming from each division, and carefully cut between the two sections with a clean, sharp knife. Dust the cuts with a rooting hormone as Rootone.

Cut off any of the roots that may have been badly damaged. Repot each section in a sterile pot, using a good commercial potting soil lightened with perlite and sand. Or, replant in your outdoor garden bed which you have spaded up and supplemented with some organic material.

Bird of Paradise [Strelitzia reginae] blooms best when it is root bound, so keep the pots as small as is feasible. Do not water the plants for 3 days to give the cuts a chance to callous, and then water moderately.

Give them an all-purpose fertilizer [20-20-20] next spring and they will grow well. With luck, they will be blooming again in a year.

If the plant shows no signs of green growth, it is probably dead, since they do not have a dormant period. They do best with at least four hours of direct sunlight a day, but should have bright light all day, with day temperatures of 68-72 degrees F and night temperatures of 50 degrees F to 55 degrees F. Generally they are hardy to about 20 degrees F.

It should be potted in a mixture of sterile potting soil, peat moss, and sand with a liberal amount of bone meal added. Excellent drainage is essential. Keep the soil evenly moist except from November-February when the plant should be kept on the dry side. Feed every two weeks from March through September with a balanced fertilizer. Plants are propagated by divisions and seed, neither of which is difficult. Divisions may take two years to reach blooming size, when grown from seed it will take from seven to ten years before you see your first flower.

Assistance from: http://www.thegardenhelper.com

Lou writes~
I have a Bird of Paradise plant whose leaves are curling and turning brown. It also looks like there has been a bug of some kind. I have sprayed it with a safe bug killer, but wonder what else I should do to make it healthy again. I feed it very ripe bananas like I was advised to do by the lady that gave me the plant. I live in central Florida and have it on the Northeast side of the house. It did have 5 blooms last year. Please advise me as to what I should do about the leaves.

A. It would help to know the climate in which you are growing it. Is the humidity very high? Curling and browning foliage points to drying out, either in the root area or in the air surrounding the leaves. Having problems with browning and curling leaves on Bird of Paradise and other tropical plants may be avoided by misting the foliage numerous times per day (especially early morning before direct sunlight and early evening). This will cut down on the amount of moisture the leaves lose and keep them happier. Water twice each week depending on weather and amount of wind and fertilize monthly with a balanced plant food.