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New White Birds of Paradise
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Posted by mkilcourse z7Atlanta (My Page) on Mon, Apr 19, 04 at 15:58
| Hi.. my husband just purchased a white birds of paraidse.. it's about 8-10 feet tall... for some reason he thought it would fit in our house, but it does not. We have resorted to putting it outside on our deck but have no idea how to maintain it. The spot it is in gets sun for a good part of the day. We transplanted it from it's original pot from the greenhouse into a large ceramic pot with a draining hole. I watered it yesterday until water came out of the drain, but i read in the forum not to transplant into a pot much larger than what it is in...oopps.. what should we do!!! Please help, i would hate to kill this plant!! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: New White Birds of Paradise
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| Oh don't you worry about the pot size! A large plant like this does need a large pot. Nurseries keep their plants in minimal sizes to save space. Whether you put it in a large pot, a huge planter or in the ground makes no difference. I am sure your plant will be much happier in there with some space. It has to be able to develop a good root system. And you don't want it to blow over in the wind either. I think the 'plants want to/need to be pot-bound' tale was just an invention of chronic overwaterers. Just remember, the larger the pot, the longer it takes to dry out. You will have to watch the plant and the soil until you get the feel for it, you don't want to keep it permanently soggy. But as long as it has a drainage hole this will hardly happen. The spot you have it in sounds good to me, just be careful of the sun in the beginning if this plant has been standing in a shady place or indoors until now.
But - what are you going to do with it in winter?? Maddy |
RE: New White Birds of Paradise
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| Thanks for your response. I feel much better. In the winter..that is something we have be wondering ourselves... I have read on this site that it is OK to cut it down so it is smaller (right?). I think we will leave it outside until about October, then cut it down and find a place for it inside for good.... I just don't want to do much to it until we are sure it will live. I checked on it yesterday and it's leaves seem to be curling up a little bit and possibly turning a little yellow (barely), is this normal? Thanks!! Michelle |
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