The bird of paradise is one of the best house plants. It can be grown outdoors and indoors, but still, taking care of it is important even though it came from South Africa and has the ability to survive in different environments, including humidity and warmth.
In South Africa and many other cultures, the Bird of Paradise is used in weddings and other celebrations, including birthday parties. That’s because its flowers are unique. They look like a bird flying, which is rare compared to common flowers such as lilies, roses, Tulips, sunflowers, etc.
So you need to know about the Bird of Paradise plant care if you’re considering growing it.
Bird of Paradise Plant Care Tips
Now, here are some important tips that you need to know about Bird of Paradise Plant to take care of it:
Light Requirements for Bird of Paradise
The Bird of Paradise plant needs at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight, including indirect or filtered sunlight.
That’s why you can consider keeping your plant near a sunny window. Although it’s a South African plant that can survive outdoors as well as indoors, it’s still recommended not to provide it too much direct sunlight because sun rays can scorch its leaves.
Especially during noon, the sun stays on its peak. So, it is harmful to Bird of Paradise plants. You can only keep it outside if you can move during noon. Because the plant can easily bear morning and evening sunlight, but not at noon.
Signs of too little or too much light
Thinking of an outdoor plant, if you keep your bird-of-paradise plant in such a place where it’s not getting proper light, then you will notice some changes. For example, leaves will start turning yellow, and you won’t see proper growth, so the plant will start appearing weak.
On the other hand, if you’re providing too much direct sunlight, you’ll notice your plants developing scorch marks, turning leaves into yellow. That’s why I recommend not to expose your plant to direct sunlight.
Placement tips for Bird of Paradise indoor and outdoor plants
Yeah, that’s true. You can keep your bird of paradise plants indoors and outdoors.
Indoor Placement: If you want to keep your plant indoors, I would suggest you keep it near south or west-facing windows where it can receive light. Besides this, you can also rotate the plant periodically to ensure even exposure.
Outdoor Placement: When you want to keep your bird-of-paradise plant outdoors, make sure to choose a spot that receives partial shades throughout the day.
Because as I have said before, it’s an African plant and can also survive in sunlight, but not too much direct sunlight.
Watering Needs for Bird of Paradise
How often to water: Bird of Paradise plants need water to grow, and they want to keep them continuously moist, but not waterlogged.
Especially during the growing season, which is spring or early summer, you can provide water in 7 to 10 days.
Checking soil moisture: Before providing water to your plant, you can also check the moisturizer level by sticking your finger into the soil for a second. If you feel it’s dry, you can provide water.
On the other hand, if you don’t want to stick it with your finger, you can lift the pot. A dry pot will feel lighter than a moisturized pot.
Overwatering vs. underwatering symptoms
Underwatering and overwatering both are not good for plants. Therefore, it needs to be in moderation. Here are some symptoms that you will see if you aren’t providing water properly:
- Underwater: Yellow leaves wilt and develop brown, dried out, or crispy leaf edges.
- Overwatering: Yellow leaves, brown leaves, soft leaves, mushy spots, wet soil.
In both cases, Overwatering and Underwatering, you can notice one or multiple symptoms.
Tips for proper watering
- Provide water in moderation, and always allow the excess water to drain out from the pot’s bottom. That’s why holes are important.
- If there aren’t holes in the pot and your plant sits in standing water, then it can lead to root rot.
- Don’t provide water every 7 days or 10 days. You need to adjust the watering frequency based on the environment or weather conditions. For example, in the growing season, you have to provide more. And on the other hand, in the winter season, you have to provide less. Besides this, you can see the temperature and humidity.
- During winter, even 1-2 times in a month is okay.
Soil and Potting for Bird of Paradise
Ideal soil type and pH: In order to thrive your bird of paradise plants, you can provide a well-draining, nutrition-rich potting mix. Besides this, you can also add a slightly acidic to neutral pH, which is around 6.0 to 7.0.
Moreover, you can include a combination of high-quality potting soil, compost, perlite, or sand. By doing so, your plant will get the necessary drainage and nutrients.
Choosing the right pot size: You can choose a pot size for your Bird of Paradise plant depending on its root ball. Usually, it should be around 12 inches to 14 inches. Overall, it needs to be a little wider.
When the plant grows bigger or matures, you can also move it into another pot. And again, the new pot should be a little wider than the previous one.
If you don’t replace the pot at the right time, you won’t be able to see new growth. That’s because the roots are getting bigger, and they don’t have enough space to spread out.
Repotting frequency and tips: Usually, you’ll have to report your plant every 2-3 years once you see roots start to emerge from the drainage hole or the growth is stopped.
Here are some tips when repotting Bird of paradise:
- The new pot should be larger than the previous one.
- Use fresh and well-draining soil potting mix.
- Don’t plant too deeply, as it can cause root rot.
- Water your plant after repotting; it’ll help the plant’s roots to get settled.
Fertilizing Bird of Paradise Plants
Best fertilizer types: The best fertilizer for a bird-of-paradise plant is Balanced Slow-Release Fertilizer, which is high in nitrogen.
Therefore, you can look for a fertilizer with an NPK ratio of around 10-10-10 or 12-12-12.
Feeding schedule: In the growing season, you can feed your plant every 4 to 6 weeks with a diluted solution of balanced fertilizer.
On the other hand, you can reduce feeding your plant during fall and winter when the plant is not growing.
Signs of nutrient deficiencies
If you aren’t providing fertilizer or feeding your plant, you will notice some symptoms. They are as follows:
- Because of nitrogen deficiency in plants, leaves will start turning yellow or pale green. Besides this, your plant’s growth may be stunted.
- Due to Phosphorus deficiency, your plants may develop a reddish-purple hue, and the plant may have poor root development.
- Potassium deficiency can turn your plant’s leaf edges brown or yellow, and in some cases, plants can also get some diseases.
Pruning and Maintenance
When and how to prune: You can prune during early summer before the new growth starts to appear. To do so, you only need a clean and sharp knife or scissor to remove any dead or damaged leaves, as well as flower stalks.
However, you can’t cut off any healthy green leaves because they are the reason your plant is thriving and staying happy. They play the most important role in making food through photosynthesis.
Removing dead or damaged leaves: You can also regularly inspect your plant and remove dead, yellow, and damaged leaves. If you want, you can use a knife, otherwise hand, or okay too; my grandfather pulled leaves away from the plant with his hand
However, you want to make sure that you’re removing the entire leaf, including the stem. If you don’t do so, then it can spread any disease.
Cleaning the leaves: While taking care of your bird of paradise plant, you can periodically clean your plant’s leaves with a piece of cloth.
By doing so, you can avoid many diseases from your plant, including bad pets like spider mites, mealybugs, Aphids, etc.
Moreover, when you’re periodically cleaning your plant’s leaf will increase the ability of photosynthesis and will maintain a healthy, vibrant appearance.
Common Issues and Troubleshooting
There are some problems that you can see in your Bird of Paradise plant:
Leaf discoloration
Yellowing leaves: It happens when you don’t provide enough water or provide too much water. And in some cases, it can also be due to nutrient deficiency.
That’s why you have to adjust the watering schedule and provide water in moderation. And if it’s happening because of nutrient deficiency, then you can provide a balanced fertilizer.
Brown or Scorched leaves: You will see Scorched leaves, sometimes crispy too because your plant is getting too much direct sunlight, which isn’t good. And if it’s not the reason, then it’s low humidity.
Therefore, you should keep your plant in an indirect bright light. And if it’s already in bright light, then you want to increase the humidity level. You can use a pebble tray or consider misting leaves.
Stunted growth
If your plant isn’t growing as you expected, then it might be happening because you aren’t providing enough bright light, or the soil condition is poor, and root congestion might also be the reason.
Therefore, make sure to keep your plant in an indirect bright light. You can also transplant your pot into a bigger pot that has fresh and well-draining soil. Plus, you can also use balanced fertilizer to boost growth.
Pests and diseases to watch for
There are some common pests that you have to deal with, such as spider mites, mealybugs, scale insects, etc. To prevent all these things, you can inspect your plant regularly. Besides this, you can also use insecticidal soap or neem oil.
If you don’t pay attention to all these pests, you’ll see some problems in your bird of paradise plant, such as leaf spot, fungal infection, roto-rot, etc.
Moreover, maintaining proper air circulation and providing water can also help you.
Remember, many pests love dirty environments. It’s heaven for them. That’s why you want to keep your surroundings clean, which is good not just for plants but also for you, especially if you have a pet or kids.
Growing Bird of Paradise Outdoors
Here are some important key things to remember for bird paradise plant care:
Climate and temperature requirements
The suitable environment or temperature requirement for a Bird of paradise plant is warm tropical or subtropical climates.
They prefer temperatures between 60°F to 85°F, which means 15°C to 29°C. And they can’t tolerate too much cold or freezing temperatures. These Plants are hardy in USDA hardiness zone 10-12.
Planting and care tips for outdoor cultivation
- As mentioned earlier, always choose a location where your plant receives plenty of bright or indirect sunlight.
- Prepare the area where you want to plant your bird of paradise by amending the soil with compost or well-draining potting mix, and make sure to do proper drainage.
- You can also consider planting Bird of Paradise in the ground because when it has a large space, it can grow up to 20 feet or 6 meters, which is huge.
- You have to provide consistent water to keep it moisturized but avoid waterlogging.
- Protect your plants from strong winds and freezing weather.
Overwintering strategies
Here are some simple tips that you can follow to keep your Bird of Paradise plant healthy during winter:
- If you have planted your plant outside, then you need to bring it indoors to provide winter protection.
- If you’re growing your plant in a container, you can move the plant into a sunny or warm indoor location. For example, a greenhouse or sunroom. And that’s only during the winter months.
- During the dormant season, you should reduce overwatering, fertilizing, etc.
- Most importantly, you can insulate your bird of paradise plant’s root zone with a thick layer of mulch, especially when your plant is outside.
Conclusion
Bird of Paradise plant care is easy and important. You just have to focus on some simple things, such as providing water in moderation, enough indirect light, fertilization, and keeping it clean to avoid pests.
This plant can thrive in both places indoors and outdoors. However, you have to avoid extreme weather conditions, especially during winter, because it’s hard for it to tolerate extreme weather. On the other hand, it can tolerate summer because it is part of South Africa.
By following some of these bird of paradise care tips, you can keep your plant healthy, happy, and thriving.