White bird of paradise plant care indoors

White bird of paradise plant care indoors

A white bird of paradise plant in bloom in a pot. Photo by Steve

Voisard

White Bird of Paradise is a great house plant that you can have in an office or other indoor location.

For those who live in warmer parts of the country, the

white bird of paradise plant (Strelitzia nicolae)

can grow well indoors if you provide

a warm and light-filled environment with

water available on a regular basis.

White bird of paradise is hardy to temperatures

as low as 20° F (and can take temperatures of about

110° F (45° C)).

White bird of paradise is ideal for a hanging plant, but it's nice in a vase as well.

Plant the white bird of paradise plant outside in the summer and bring it in for the cold winter months. It can also be kept indoors for an extended summer bloom by selecting only those flower buds that are growing on the upper sides of the stalks. Some plants grow their blooms in the middle or near the bottom of the plant, which makes them ideal to have as container plants in a room or office but not suitable for a hanging plant, which should be growing in an environment that gets plenty of sun.

Watering

Water when the top of the potting medium is dry.

Fertilize lightly each month in spring and fall using a liquid

fish-based fertilizer such as "Sunrise."

Inspect the plant often and replace the soil when necessary.

Repot when the plant has outgrown the pot and

the roots are root bound. This may happen sooner

than you expect if you water the plant too

much or in hot, dry weather. The top of the potting

medium should be dry, and water will flow from

the soil into the plant's potting medium as the

potting medium becomes saturated with water.

When repotting, use only fresh, clean potting medium.

Troubleshooting

The white bird of paradise has been widely introduced to the United States

and can be found in many garden stores and online, but if you want to grow

it yourself, then keep a few things in mind before you get your hands on

this exotic beauty.

The plant enjoys the same light conditions as its African relative, but

it requires a good amount of sun. If you have to grow it inside for the

winter months, it will benefit from good southern light, but it should be

protected from direct rays during the winter.

White birds of paradise do best in a warm room with good air circulation.

Keep it well-watered, and be careful not to overwater. Overwatering can cause root rot.

The bloom has a tendency to drop easily, so it's best to get the plant

when it's still in full bloom. As soon as the blooms drop, the plant

will tend to look "moth-eaten."

Plant it in a medium with good drainage, such as pebbles. Be careful

that the potting medium doesn't dry out quickly, or the plant will need

to be watered.

The white bird of paradise can be propagated by simply taking stem cuttings

and growing them. The flowers in particular are especially easy to propagate

from stem cuttings.

If you buy a plant, be sure to check the pot carefully before taking

it out of the packaging. If the pot is dry, it's probably too old to use.

If you get the plant wet before planting it, it will never be able to

be dried in the garden.

If you can't get any of these points sorted out, don't worry about it

just yet. The plant is easy to grow, and it will keep you occupied for

quite some time. Just enjoy the blooms for their exotic beauty.

Foliage and flowers

In the summer, the leaves of the white bird of paradise are very small

and pale yellow-green. They grow in groups of five to nine, and each group

includes about fifteen to twenty-five leaves. The leaves on the upper

half of the plant are larger than those on the lower half. The leaves

are arranged on the stem in a "fan-like" arrangement.

The flowers are usually pink to red, and form in groups of five to fifteen.

Some flowers have a yellow center. The flower is formed by five sepals

and five petals. The five sepals form the "wings" of the flower, and

these can be seen underneath the petals. The five petals also form the

flower's outer rim.

The white bird of paradise is very hardy, and the plant has the ability

to survive in a wide range of climates. It can be grown in tropical

and subtropical climates as well as cooler climates, but it does best

in an environment with temperatures between 50 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

This plant is not very fussy about soil, and it can grow in a wide

range of soil types. However, it does well when the soil has a lot of

organic material. There is also a tendency for the plant to grow better

in a full-sun environment, and the best temperature for a white bird

of paradise is between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some care and maintenance is necessary to keep this plant in good shape.

The leaves need to be sprayed with insect repellent occasionally, and

it is also good practice to give the plant a water- and fertilizer-rich

solution every few weeks.

Growth rate

This is a slow-growing plant, and it is unlikely that you will notice

any changes in its growth rate from month to month. However, this plant

takes about one year to grow from seed to a flowering plant, and about

five years to produce seed and fruit.

This slow growth makes it a good plant for a large garden or a home

where space is at a premium.

Fruit/Flowers

This plant produces white flowers in the early spring. It is also

likely to produce fruit. A single plant can be expected to bear around

two to three pairs of fruits. The flowers are followed by several

fruiting capsules. The capsules are long, and have the shape of a peanut.

Inside these are two or more seeds that germinate in the soil. The seeds

can be sown immediately after they are harvested.

Fruit ripens in the summer and autumn. The fruits have a soft, mushy

appearance and a sweet taste. They are very rich in carbohydrates. The

fruit can be eaten straight away, or cooked in different ways. However,

the high sugar content of the fruit makes it unlikely that the seeds

will be viable after cooking. The seeds need to be sown in moist soil

within the next two weeks. This plant does not