If you own a bird of paradise, you certainly want the bird of paradise flower to live up to its name. However, this can only be achieved with the right care.
Strelitzia is one of the more complex plants and definitely requires effort. When caring for Strelitzia, for example, it is important that the general conditions are right. Otherwise, problems quickly arise, ranging from flowers that are too small or missing to a pest infestation.
It makes a lot of sense, for example, if you plant the Strelitzia in a bucket that you place on a castor base if possible. So you can easily ensure that the evergreen plant, which belongs to the banana family, is always in a perfect location. This can definitely lie in the sun, after all, the plant comes from South Africa and forms larger flowers, the brighter it is. The bucket should be large enough. Although the native variant does not reach the size of the original bird of paradise flower, it can reach a height of almost two meters.
Always pay attention to the following:
- permeable earth
- sunny, at least very bright location
- Temperature between 10 and 30 degrees Celsius
- enough water
- high humidity
- suitable location: kitchen and bathroom (humidity)
Important: keep an eye on temperature and humidity
It is quite possible that you put the Strelitzia outdoors in the summer months. Just make sure the midday heat doesn't exceed 30 degrees, as the plant may well suffer from the heat now. If the humidity is generally too low, the natural defenses of the plant are weakened, which can manifest itself in the death of roots or in the colonization of pests. If you are unsure whether the room air is not too dry (e.g. in winter due to the heating), you can water the leaves regularly with a spray bottle.
How to water the Strelitzia correctly
Although the bird of paradise flower is one of those plants that use a lot of water, you cando the wrong thing when watering and literally drown the plant. Already the choice of the earth creates a remedy at this point. Choose the loosest possible mixture of potting soil, gravel, sand and a little clay powder. The clay allows the soil to absorb less water, while gravel and sand prevent the soil from clumping together and becoming firm. When watering, pay attention to the following points:
- never let the root ball dry out
- best watering time: when the top layer of soil is dry
- Use low-lime water (rainwater, stagnant mineral water)
- Let the water stand before watering to reach room temperature
- avoid waterlogging at all costs
- Water a lot in summer, less in winter
How to fertilize Strelitzia
The fertilizing time for the Strelitzia is between the late spring months and the late summer months. You can definitely use ordinary complete fertilizer and add it to the irrigation water according to the manufacturer's instructions. Feel free to reduce the amount of fertilizer down. There is less harm in underfeeding your bird of paradise flower than overfeeding it. An oversupply often leads to the absence of flowers.
Tip: Do you like to forget to fertilize? Then you can use long-term fertilizer in the form of sticks:
Don't cut the Strelitzia, clean it out
You have to cut back some plants regularly so that they flower or grow splendidly. This work is not necessary with the Strelitzia. If you remove leaves, you can even damage the plant. It is important that you remove dried leaves in good time and detach the faded flowers. Such dead and dead materials weaken the plant and often allow pests to spread.
Tip: The blossoms of the Strelitzia are ideal for flower vases. To do this, cut off the stem of the flower with a clean cut deep at the point of attachment.
How to repot strelitzias correctly
If you choose a pot that is too small at the beginning, you will have to repot the Strelitzia relatively quickly. You can use a simple trick to test whether the plant has outgrown its pot. If the bucket already wobbles when you only touch the Strelitzia lightly, it needs a much larger pot. Alternatively, a look at the water outlets of the pot helps. If you see the tips of the roots here or if the roots are already reaching through the holes, you have to hurry. Usually this case occursevery three years.
Basically, you only have to pay very little attention to when repotting. Only the roots of the Strelitzia are sensitive and must not be damaged. Since the roots break easily, we recommend that you never shake the old plant substrate from the root, but rather rinse it off completely. However, this operation is only necessary if you are not using an underlay and want to prevent substrate from falling to the ground. Otherwise you can plant the Strelitzia directly in a new pot with the soil hanging from the roots.