With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town life in Tallahassee, Florida, which she now calls home. She's been writing professionally for twenty years and she loves lifestyle photography, memory keeping, gardening, reading, and going to the beach with her husband and children.
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Birds of paradise are large, relatively easy to grow plants that lend a bold tropical flair to any indoor space. With proper care, a bird of paradise can grow to over six feet tall, even indoors. Its broad, arching leaves make a dramatic, graceful statement in your home. Here’s how to care for birds of paradise to keep them at their best.
Since birds of paradise are tropical plants, it’s no surprise that they enjoy bright sunlight. Place your indoor bird of paradise in a spot where it will get the most light. The only exception is if it’s very hot, such as in a sun room; in that case, bright, indirect light is best. If your plant’s leaves are yellowing, try increasing the amount of light exposure.
Birds of paradise prefer rich, well-draining soil that still retains some moisture.
Birds of paradise do best with a regular watering schedule. Keep the soil moist in spring and summer, during the growing season, but allow the soil to dry between waterings in the dormant fall and winter months.
Water that has a high salt content could burn the leaves. If this is the case with your water, consider using rain water, when possible, or distilled water to water your bird of paradise. Birds of paradise do well in typical household humidity, but they may benefit from intermittent misting during dryer winter months.
During the spring and summer, fertilize your bird of paradise with an all-purpose liquid fertilizer diluted to half its recommended strength. Never fertilize your bird of paradise in the fall and winter; excess plant food can also cause leaf tip burn.
Birds of paradise are susceptible to scale, mealy bugs, and spider mites, but these pests are easy to spot and address. Simply wipe the leaves with a soft cloth or warm, soapy water. Avoid alcohol and spray pesticides as they can harm the finish on the leaves.
Water and humidity are important to keep your Bird of Paradise
Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia /strɛˈlɪtsiə/ is a genus of five species of perennial plants, native to South Africa. It belongs to the plant family Strelitziaceae. A common name of the genus is bird of paradise flower/plant, because of a resemblance of its flowers to birds-of-paradise.
healthy. It needs consistent watering to keep the soil moist, but never wet or soggy. In addition to careful watering, it will benefit from regular misting to boost its humidity.
Keep your plant away from drafts, and apply extra humidity with a humidifier, pebble tray, or mister to keep the splitting to a minimum. Rotate your plant periodically to ensure even growth on all sides and don't be afraid to prune discolored or broken leaves.
Bird of paradise plants grow best in rich, loamy, well-draining soil with a pH of 5.5. to 7.5. While they are growing, water your bird of paradise plants often enough to keep the soil evenly moist, but not soggy. If you are keeping your plant in bright sunlight, you may need to water it more often.
Use a mild water-soluble fertilizer, like fish emulsion or houseplant fertilizer. Wipe down dusty leaves with a moist cloth or paper towel to make the leaves shine and help the leaves absorb more light. If your plant gets bright yellow leaves, it may be over-watered, rotted, or pot bound.
White Bird of Paradise grows best in a space with bright direct light, where the sunlight streams inside directly, and can also adapt to spaces with bright indirect light, where the sun rays are diffused.
The Bird of Paradise can handle direct and bright indirect light. However, it will flourish most in a sunny spot in direct sun. If you don't think you have a spot with enough light, try using a grow light.
In growing areas where winter temperatures drop below freezing for extended periods of time, growing bird of paradise indoors is the only option. To get plants to bloom inside, place them in very bright light and let plants become crowded in their pots.
An overwatered Bird of Paradise plant may exhibit yellowing, droopy, and splitting leaves. Browning leaf tips and edges with a yellow line is also a common sign of too frequent watering. Wilted leaves may indicate root rot, where the plant looks generally unwell.
For best growth and flowering, bird-of-paradise requires fertilization. Organic fertilizers (such as sewage sludge, manure, or blood meal), granular landscape fertilizers, or controlled-release materials such as Osmocote® or Nutricote® can be used.
Although your plant will do just fine in household humidity, increase the humidity around the plant, by misting or using a humidifier, to keep the splitting to a minimum. Avoid keeping your plant in any drafts though.
Bird of paradise need bright, direct light in order to bloom. If the plant fails to produce any blooms, consider where it is planted. It's probably more shaded than its ideal growing conditions require. Move it to a spot that will receive at least four to six hours of sun each day.
Your Bird of Paradise likes a salt-free diet, so make sure you are using good water. You may need to switch to distilled water if you notice the leaves are turning brown. However, first try letting your tap water sit uncovered overnight to allow for the chlorine and fluoride to evaporate.
Blooming season: The flowers are produced in succession, typically from late fall to late spring, depending on the species, latitude, and climate. In the right conditions, they can bloom year-round. A healthy, mature Bird of Paradise plant can produce up to 36 flower spikes per year.
The most likely culprit is dehydration or a bit too much sunlight, which can lead to sun-scorch or leaf burn. While your Bird of Paradise does enjoy some direct light, if the plant has previously spent their life in lower light conditions, they may have a hard time adjusting.
Vet. Sometimes a dead leaf may be wiggled loose without pruning but if you can't wiggle it loose. Insert the pruners blades around the stem as low as possible, just above its attachment to the plant base. Prune out up any dead leaf or old flower debris from the center of the bird-or-paradise.
Birds of paradise are large, relatively easy to grow plants that lend a bold tropical flair to any indoor space. With proper care, a bird of paradise can grow to over six feet tall, even indoors. Its broad, arching leaves make a dramatic, graceful statement in your home.
Even with its ease of care, a Bird of Paradise can still run into snags along the way. Brown leaves, overwatering, and root rot are all common issues to watch for. Here are our best tips on how to keep your Bird of Paradise plant alive year-round.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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