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ileea1

Bird of Paradise

ileea1
17 years ago

I was given 2 very large Bird of Paradise plants, not sure what colour as the lady said they had never bloomed for her. She had then about 5-6 years. They are about 8 feet high with 4 large leaves on one and 5 large leaves on the other. They are in what looks like about a five gallon pot. I haven't been able to find much information as to growing these as an indoor plant. I'm not sure if I should be fertilizing them and what type, any help at all would be appreciated. I hope to move them into the front lounge later. Where they would get a fair bit of sun.

Thanks

Sharon

Comments (6)

  • ianna
    17 years ago

    Sharon,

    This is more of a tropical forum type of topic and I would suggest you approach that forum for specifics. These large leafed plants like indirect sunlight and something under a glass filter would do well & (like a greenhouse). These normally thrive in under the canopy of jungle trees and so mimicking that condition would be best. They also love moisture.

  • ladybug6a
    17 years ago

    I have a white Bird.. and a orange. The white I put outside in the summer near a pond. Looks great, but the wind does a number on the leafs, sometimes. Lots of water, filtered sun, under something as janna said, is true.They can be fertlized now. Stop in August. Bring back inside the house...out in spring...one day you will have flowers.....
    good luck

  • bonniepunch
    16 years ago

    I wouldn't put any indoor plant in direct sun suddenly as it would burn in no time, but if you accustomed the plant slowly to the sun it should do just fine in it.

    If they're eight feet high, they might be the white ones - they get bigger than the common orange ones. But I'd guess they are orange ones and are that big because they haven't gotten any/much sun.

    I do have one question - at eight feet tall and only four or five leaves each - are you 100% positive that they're birds of paradise and not bananas? They're sort of related and I have seen people confuse them.

    BP

  • ileea1
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks for the information.

    They are definitely not bananas, my Mom has a couple of banana plants and they are different. One of them just unfurled a new leaf. It is so cool looking. Am hoping that I can get them to thrive and possibly even bloom here. When it warms up I'll move them onto the deck for the day and bring back in a night for a while. I can't leave them outside all summer as this is a public building and unfortunately every thing has to be nailed down at night.

  • daynatews
    16 years ago

    I have just tried sewing these from seeds I purchased.. Not yet up.. The package says they are Houseplants.. You can put them outside during the summer months but not in Direct Hot sun..But to bring them inside during winter months.. Watch they don't get bugs in them if you put them outside..just a tip.. take care

  • bonniepunch
    16 years ago

    ileea 1 - that's good that you're sure :-) I was just wondering because most of the ones I see growing have many more leaves, even the ones I see growing as houseplants in our frozen north. But they're also much shorter - so you may have a less common one. Or it may leaf out like crazy this summer!

    A couple of ideas to help them take off and bloom - do you know when the last time they had the soil changed was? If it was a long time ago, they might benefit from being unpotted and having as much of the old soil gently removed as possible. Then replaced with some new stuff with lots of added perlite. They like well draining soil, and messing with the roots a bit will often trigger a growth spurt. What size pot are they in? Too big a pot will tend to discourage blooms on most plants. And don't fertilize them with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Look for something like 8-10-10, or 5-10-5. It doesn't have to be exactly that - just a low first number and a higher second one.

    If people in your building are likely to walk off with them, then you'd better not leave them out at all unless you chain it somehow (through the pot?)! It's such a nice plant and if it does bloom, you can be sure someone will be tempted to 'help themselves'. I had a four foot tall grapefruit tree stolen one day. I had my back to a window and the plant was ten feet away from me. I heard the back gate and turned around in time to see it disappearing. Unfortunately I was in my skivvies at the time (it was hot!) and by the time I threw some clothes on it was out of sight.

    daynatews - bird of paradise seeds are not easy seeds to germinate. They are slow, they require quite a bit of warmth, and they sometimes need to be nicked or soaked in GA-3 or something similar. They also need to be fresh. They are large tropical plants and can be grown as houseplants if you have a bright sunny window. They can take hot Florida sun just fine, so they can certainly take our Canadian summer sun :-) They do need to be acclimated slowly though, if you put an indoor plant out in full sun, it *will* burn as the leaves have not formed the protective layer of cutin.

    BP

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