This leaves no dead stems to mar the beauty of the plant. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. Here’s how to care for birds of paradise to keep them at their best. After cold winter weather ends, you can start assessing your Yellow and Mexican Bird of Paradise flowers to prune them. By: Bonnie L. Grant, Certified Urban Agriculturist. Remove new growth at the base of the plant. This article has been viewed 53,659 times. You might need a friend or neighbor to hold it steady while you’re trimming to avoid getting hurt with the shears. Excess plant food deposits salts in the soil and these salts cause leaf tip burn. Failure to remove dead leaves can result in rotting and fungal infections that can kill the plant completely, so make sure you dispose of the dead foliage completely! If the plant isn’t growing well throughout the year, prune at least half of the stems to the ground to allow the plant to grow healthy. pruning bird of paradise houseplant December 2, 2020 / 0 Comments / in Uncategorized / by / 0 Comments / in Uncategorized / by Prune dead or broken branches of croton any time of year. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. By using our site, you agree to our. Bird of paradise can be cleaned up and trimmed at any point, but serious pruning should wait until early spring. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. This article has been viewed 53,659 times. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Many … While most people know how to grow a bird of paradise, how to trim a bird of paradise plant is another thing.Since these plants are vigorous growers, in the right conditions, pruning birds of paradise is oftentimes necessary. This helps your plant to look clean and colorful year round! The Bird of Paradise is considered the queen of the indoor plant world. You can also opt for a fine quality of coarse-grained fertilizer three times in a year period. Major Pruning Of Large Bird Of Pardise Plant - I have an over grown Bird of Pardise plant in front of my house that is about 15 feet tall. Remove root suckers or sprouts that grow at the base of the plant in order to control the growth. If any are present, use a household insecticide and disinfect the pruning tools before using them on any other plant. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. These plants also have large green leaves that can die and brown once blooming is over, so cut or pull any excess brown foliage. Larger species like S. nicolai or S. alba grow up to 30 feet tall, which makes them difficult to grow in your home unless you live in a mansion with an enormous, well-lit foyer.. Both Yellow and Mexican Bird of Paradise flowers should be pruned sparingly when flowers and stems begin to die. The plant is native to South Africa and requires a steady climate between 50-72 degrees Fahrenheit (10-20 degrees Celsius) to thrive. Water: In the spring and summer keep the soil moist but never soggy. This will give you the space to clear out old foliage and let new growth begin. Just be sure to take the stems all the way down as close to the base of the plant as you can. Bird Of Paradise don’t require much pruning at all. This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Its broad, arching leaves make a dramatic, graceful statement in your home. You can of course prune out the flowers once they are finished, just cut them off as close to the base as you can. Prune spent flowers and flower stalks in the early spring. Use loppers, hand pruners or a pruning saw, but never hedge trimmers which will make rough cuts and leave ragged, damaged edges. Pruning your Red Bird of Paradise, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, which is what I have, should be in late winter or early spring. Bird of Paradise flowers won’t naturally shed dead stems after the flower is removed, so it’s important to remove as much of the stem as possible. Pruning for Height. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Never fertilize a Bird of Paradise plant in the fall and winter when it is resting. ... Q. % of people told us that this article helped them. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is one of those plants that you don’t forget. A Bird of Paradise plant needs less water in the fall and winter. Remove dead flowers to the base of the plant and clean up any old vegetation that has dropped in or around the plant. Sign up for our newsletter. The goals of bird of paradise pruning are to remove old plant matter, thin the leaves, and take out damaged stems. Helping gardeners grow their dreams since 1997. Feed monthly in the spring and summer when a Bird of Paradise is actively growing; use a balanced plant food diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength. The plants can briefly tolerate temperatures as low as 24°F, although freezing temperatures will … Never remove more than one third of plant material per season and follow up with good cultural care. The goals of bird of paradise pruning are to remove old plant matter, thin the leaves, and take out damaged stems. When using the saw, work slowly. Pruning bird of paradise Pruning is not required beyond removing dead or damaged leaves and flower stalks once they have finished. Near life-sized crane’s heads in bright, exotic plumage are the focal point of this extraordinary tropical plant. You may trim it here and there if it gets too crowded. The Bird of Paradise flower is brightly colored and can grow extremely large as long as you prune it after it has finished blooming. They will become full-sized, mature bird of paradises and create a massive clump that ruins the landscape. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/5f\/Prune-a-Bird-of-Paradise-Plant-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-a-Bird-of-Paradise-Plant-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5f\/Prune-a-Bird-of-Paradise-Plant-Step-1.jpg\/aid9830044-v4-728px-Prune-a-Bird-of-Paradise-Plant-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"

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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. It sits in a south window, so it gets plenty of sunshine. Removing just damaged material to where it connects to the main body of the plant is how to trim a bird of paradise cleanly. There’s something tropical and exotic about the upright stalks, the banana-shaped leaves, and the unique flowers that look like a crane. The Garden Helper is a free gardening encyclopedia and guides to growing and caring for gardens, plants and flowers. This is the first opportunity for pruning birds of paradise, but not the last. Need to know how to prune a bird of paradise? Thinning is another way of cleaning up a bird of paradise. Try to maintain the shape of the flower in a circle to ensure easy access to all sides of the flower. If you want to limit the height of a Bird of Paradise, you can selectively prune its … Home / Gardening / How to Prune a Bird of Paradise : Great Gardening How to Prune a Bird of Paradise : Great Gardening Posted by: admin in Gardening January 29, 2014 0 208 Views For more tips from our Horticulturalist co-author, including how to keep Bird of Paradise plants safe during frosts, keep reading! Fertilize a bird of paradise indoors with a half-strength water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks during the growing period. Look for brown, dead flowers, and cut the stem of these growths as close as possible to the base of the plant. If your plant is simply growing too large, remove the outer edges of the plant by cutting the stem and leaf to the base. For more tips from our Horticulturalist co-author, including how to keep Bird of Paradise plants safe during frosts, keep reading! Cut off the leaves that grow very low on the plant. Feeling lonely and sad? The flowers will last 2 to 3 weeks before dropping petals and dying. These instructions were very clear.". Trimming is when you remove just a bit of the plant where it is damaged, dead, or diseased. ... Q. Bird Of Paradise Leaves Are Turning Brown - The established plant is 5 years old. You can divide it with a shovel and saw for replanting elsewhere. If you hit a particularly dense area, use your pruning shears to pre-cut some of the stems to make the area a little easier to cut through. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. Pruning is one of the most important maintenance tasks for the landscape, but every plant has a different time and method. Pruning at this point will encourage new growth in the plant later in the season. What Are The Different Types Of Bird Of Paradise Plants, Feeding Bird Of Paradise Plants – How To Fertilize Bird Of Paradise Plants, What Are Loppers Used For: Tips On Using Garden Loppers For Pruning, Garden Inside During Winter: How To Plant An Indoor Winter Garden, Growing Food For Christmas: How To Grow Christmas Dinner, Boxwood Wreath Ideas: Tips For Making Boxwood Wreaths, Black Walnut Tree Compatible Plants: Plants That Grow Under Black Walnut Trees, Growing And Planting Smoke Trees In The Landscape, Information On How To Prune Roots On Houseplants, Fresh-Cut Pine Tree Smell: Perfect Christmas Tree Memories, Norfolk Island Pine - The Perfect Christmas Tree, Winter Survival Guide: Creative Ways To Garden In Winter, Evergreen Favorite: Container Grown Olive Trees. If your plant is in a pot, bring it indoors during very cold temperatures to prevent freezing of the leaves and flowers. Birds of paradise are large, relatively easy to grow plants that lend a bold tropical flair to any indoor space. You can trim a bird of paradise at any point since you are only removing a small amount of plant matter, so damage potential is minimal. Spraying with mist is appreciated in the warm months. It’s not just their sheer size and impressive foliage but the plant’s namesake blooms.

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