{"id":2966,"date":"2019-09-19T00:08:14","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T07:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/pal-question-598\/"},"modified":"2023-08-09T09:55:29","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T16:55:29","slug":"ideal-growing-conditions-for-bird-of-0paradise-plant","status":"publish","type":"pal","link":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/pal\/ideal-growing-conditions-for-bird-of-0paradise-plant\/","title":{"rendered":"ideal growing conditions for Bird of Paradise plant"},"content":{"rendered":"

I think that my bird of paradise plant is dying. Last year it had around 8 leaves, now it is down to 3 and they <\/strong>are all starting to yellow. I recently bought some fertilizer, but it hasn’t seemed to help. I moved it to a window with more light, and it still seems upset. What can I do to revive it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Indoor Gardening<\/em> edited by Anne Halpin (Rodale Press, 1980) and The House Plant Expert<\/em> by D. G. Hessayon (Expert Books, 2001), the ideal growing conditions for Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae<\/em> is the most common species) are bright light (direct morning or winter sun, southern or eastern exposure), and a humusy soil mix with good drainage. Keep the plant at 55-60 degrees in the winter, and do not overwater. The rest of the year, it prefers indoor daytime temperatures of 65-70 degrees, and nighttime no lower than 50-55. Let the soil dry out between moderate waterings, and keep humidity at 30-35%. You can improve humidity by misting the leaves from time to time. The plant needs to be pot-bound (not overly roomy container) in order to flower. New plants take 4 to 6 years to flower.<\/p>\n

As for fertilizing, you can feed every two weeks with a water soluble fertilizer, but do not fertilize in the winter.<\/p>\n

There are several reasons it might have yellowed leaves. It could be due to unfavorable light or temperature, over- or under-watering, or the pot might not be draining well. I can’t diagnose the problem via e-mail, but if you try to maintain the appropriate conditions for your plant, it may recover. You can also take pictures and bring a sample leaf or two to a Master Gardener Clinic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think that my bird of paradise plant is dying. Last year it had around 8 leaves, now it is down to 3 and they are all starting to yellow. I recently bought some fertilizer, but it hasn’t seemed to help. I moved it to a window with more light, and it still seems upset. What can I do to revive it? According to Rodale’s Encyclopedia of Indoor Gardening edited by Anne Halpin (Rodale Press, 1980) and The House Plant…<\/p>\n

Continue reading ideal growing conditions for Bird of Paradise plant<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","keyword":[45,804],"class_list":["post-2966","pal","type-pal","status-publish","hentry","keyword-house-plants","keyword-strelitzia-reginae"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal\/2966"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pal"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/pal"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hortlib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=2966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}