I bought the plant earlier in the spring and while it was off to a good start a few issues have come up.
First, I had an infestation of small bugs that went unchecked during a trip away. The end result being some damage to the leaves in the form of unsightly brown striations. After getting the bugs under control, and everything growing good once again, I decided to move the plant out of the plastic pot it came in into a slightly larger container (12 inch). The end result has been stunted growth, both in a new leaf that had emerged, as well as just the spike of a new leaf that has not really moved in a month. Overall the plant seems to be slumping.
I repotted with Promix and water with 1.5-2L water once a week. Plant get's lots of sun in the afternoon. Looking for any advice or feedback on how to get this plant back on track. I'm a bit of a noob so if there's anything else I can share that would help, let me know. Thanks!
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Lenny Ford
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2017 9:47 pm
k ofHello Lenny
Welcome to the forum. It is a good idea to put your zone in your profile so we get an idea of your growing conditions.
In Hawaii, bird of paradse, strelitzia reginae, and the white bird are more often grown in the yard in full sun or partial shade. They like a moist composty soil and even watering. They don't like to sit in water. Bird of paradise comes in a dwarf and standard form. The dwarf gets to be about 3-4 ft high and the standard over 5 ft tall. White birds are more like travelers they will grow taller than a house over 20 ft tall.
It does need warmth and is not frost tolerant. if the weather is good outside it would be happier in a shady spot outdoors. Indoors it will require bright light.
Make sure when you repot any plant that you do not damage the roots and you don't plant it too deep. Promix is good, but you have to feed the plant fertilizer too. They like a tropical blend which is low is phosphorus but high in potassium.
9-3-9 every 3 months or you could go with a slow release like nutracote 13-13-13 or osmocote 14-14-14 every 6 months.
Welcome to the forum. It is a good idea to put your zone in your profile so we get an idea of your growing conditions.
In Hawaii, bird of paradse, strelitzia reginae, and the white bird are more often grown in the yard in full sun or partial shade. They like a moist composty soil and even watering. They don't like to sit in water. Bird of paradise comes in a dwarf and standard form. The dwarf gets to be about 3-4 ft high and the standard over 5 ft tall. White birds are more like travelers they will grow taller than a house over 20 ft tall.
It does need warmth and is not frost tolerant. if the weather is good outside it would be happier in a shady spot outdoors. Indoors it will require bright light.
Make sure when you repot any plant that you do not damage the roots and you don't plant it too deep. Promix is good, but you have to feed the plant fertilizer too. They like a tropical blend which is low is phosphorus but high in potassium.
9-3-9 every 3 months or you could go with a slow release like nutracote 13-13-13 or osmocote 14-14-14 every 6 months.
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applestar
- Mod
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- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Fertilizer for sure. ProMix comes in various formulations but most of the plain ones that are not specifically blended potting mix don't have any fertilizer in them. Also, my understanding is that they are very acidic, so it might be pH issue. I suppose many tropical plants tend to prefer somewhat acid medium, but this might be too low in pH?
Promix is fine. We would actually add more cinder or perlite because while the bird of paradise likes evenly moist soil, it does not really like overly wet ones. These are plants that grow in full sun on slopes. They aren't that fussy and Promix is in normal range for most plants. They do have a large root system so they will need potting up over time.