Look no farther than the bird of paradise if you're looking for a true showcase of a houseplant (Strelitzia reginae). Long, graceful stems with banana-like, fan-shaped green leaves and beautiful blooms, which blossom dramatically with spiky orange and purple petals that mimic tropical bird plumage, grow on this treelike tropical plant.
Make sure you have the correct kind of room for your bird of paradise before taking it home. It's critical that this tall indoor plant has at least several feet of space to spread its leaves as it grows.
You'll also need to make sure that the area where you'd like to display your new plant has a significant, constant source of bright sunshine. A large window in the living room or doorway is great.
The Best Growing Conditions for Your Paradise Bird
Lots of bright, indirect light is preferable for your bird of paradise. It's best to have a large, south-facing window. While the plant may live in reduced light circumstances indoors, only specimens in well-lit rooms will bloom, and even then, indoor plant blooms are uncommon.
Your plant should get at least six hours of sunlight per day, including direct sunlight. If you're going to put it in a very warm space, such as a glassed-in porch or sunroom, pick a location with plenty of bright, indirect light.
When it comes to temperature, birds of paradise plants thrive when the temperature stays between 55 and 60 degrees at night and 70 degrees or higher during the day. Keep your plant away from chilly gusts and away from air vents, both hot and cold.
High humidity is also a must for this tropical houseplant. Use a humidifying tray if your space is too dry.
Fill a shallow tray with small stones that are a few inches larger than the pot's base. Fill the container with water until it reaches just below the tops of the stones.
As the water evaporates, the air around your plant becomes more humidified.
How to Look After a Paradise Bird
Weekly, check the moisture in your plant's soil. During the spring and summer growing seasons, when the plant needs more water, keep the soil just slightly moist. Reduce watering in the winter and let the top two inches of soil dry out completely before watering again. If the leaves of your bird of paradise are drooping or curling, it's time to water it.
Don't be alarmed if you detect wounds or tears on your plant's leaves; this is a natural occurrence. It's said to be a mutation that permits high winds to flow through without destroying the leaves.
Fertilize your bird of paradise every two weeks during the spring and summer growing seasons using half-strength houseplant fertilizer. During the winter dormant season, stop feeding.
Because slightly potbound birds of paradise plants are more likely to flower, only repot when you observe roots coming out of or cracking the container. Use a rich, well-draining potting soil and repot in the spring before new growth emerges.
How to Reproduce Your Paradise Bird
By division, a lush, leafy bird of paradise plant can be easily propagated. To generate additional plants in addition to the mother plant, this procedure entails plucking or cutting apart individual tubers or rhizomes of a mature plant with stems and leaves attached.
Before dividing your plant, wait until it is at least three years old. Keep in mind that dividing birds of paradise plants will postpone flowering by one to two years.
A few tiny containers adequate for the size of the divisions you wish to make, commercial potting soil, a clean, sharp blade, and powdered rooting hormone are all you'll need to divide your bird of paradise.
Step 1: Carefully tip the plant's pot on its side, grip the stem's base, and carefully remove the root ball from the container, being careful not to damage the stem.
Step 2: Gently peel apart as many stems as you desire new plants, ensuring that each divided stem has at least four rhizomes. If the roots won't split on their own, chop them apart with your knife. Remove any rotten or dead roots, as well as any dead leaves. The rooting hormone should be applied to any cut surfaces of the divisions and mother plant.
Step 3: Fill your new plants' containers with fresh dirt. Plant one young stem in each pot and repot the mother plant with fresh soil, making sure the soil level remains the same. Do not irrigate.
Step 4: After the cuts have healed for a few days, you can water the new divisions as well as the mother plant. Keep the new plants in a warm, humid location with bright, indirect light and care for them as you would any other plant.
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