Bird of Paradise Indoor Care | Everything You Need To Know

Types of Birds of Paradise

Look, I’m going to be real honest with you here. When I was first seeking a birds of paradise, I actually had no idea that there were so many different varieties. The two common types that you will actually see sold at nurseries or hardware stores are usually the Strelitzia Nicolai and the Strelitzia Reginae. There are other varieties out there such as the Alba, the Cordata, and the Juncia.

The Strelitzia Nicolai, otherwise known as the giant birds of paradise, if it ever flowers, flowers white. Also, it has banana-shaped leaves.

Things You Should Know Before Having One

Birds of paradise originate in South Africa, and I’m a little biased towards the Strelitzia Nikolai in particular because I feel like it gives your home a classier, more luxurious, and tropical feel if you have the space. So if you haven’t bought one yet, I would say the Nikolai is the one to go for.

Make sure that you’re reading the label before you do. Soon after I realized my fatal error of buying the incorrect birds of paradise, I rushed out and got the Strelitzia. But, as you know, they do grow quite large, and it can grow through your ceiling at any moment.

So only buy it if your space can accommodate it. If you have the luxury of space, I’d actually be biased towards the Nikolai, but if you don’t, you probably want to go for the Reginae. They’re a bit smaller. You can see them lined up, for example, at swimming pools because they can span a longer surface area compared to the Nikolai.

They do grow a bit larger in height and scale, but yeah, it’s totally up to you. It’s really a preference on what you like aesthetically. I would say that the care tips are pretty much the same across the two, so let’s get into it now.

Lighting

So let’s talk about lighting. Bright light is especially important for birds of paradise. They’re usually used to that in nature.

If your home does not have bright light, do not acquire a birds of paradise. They absolutely need it. They can even tolerate hours of direct sunlight, so make sure that the spot you’re choosing has ample light.

Unfortunately, here in Sydney, I’ve actually seen a lot of birds of paradise planted in shop fronts where there is absolutely no light or even windows, and I get the appeal. The birds of paradise look elegant and appealing, but if you don’t have the correct lighting conditions or at least some grow lights or some mechanism to allow them to acquire some light for photosynthesis, then don’t purchase one.

Watering

Let’s talk about watering. In proper lighting conditions, birds of paradise are heavy feeders, meaning that they need a lot of water to sustain. I would usually recommend that you let your soil dry out a little bit between waterings. I found that extended periods of drying out between my waterings actually gave my birds of paradise some brown tips, so my recommendation is actually watering soon after the soil is dry.

I actually experienced firsthand with my Strelitzia Reginae that when it wasn’t receiving enough light, it wasn’t consuming enough water, and I found that firsthand. I was dipping my finger into the soil and finding that the soil was still wet within a week. I soon realized that the place I put it had not enough light, and I’m always stressing the importance of light when you’re looking after plants.

Obvious signs of overwatering include:

• droopy leaves
• excessive splitting
• browning of the edges

So you want to prevent some of these signs. As with all plants, there will be some natural buildup when you are watering it with different chemicals such as liquid fertilizer and oils, so you do want to look at leaching the soil from time to time.

Repotting

Regarding repotting, repotting is a little strenuous with these guys obviously because they’re so giant, so it is desirable to have someone else there with you so you’re not causing your plant any harm when you’re trying to transport it in and out of a different pot or into the same medium.

They do prefer to be a little more pot-bound. You could probably get away with not repotting for about 18 to 28 months. You do want to repot a little sooner so you can replenish those nutrients in the soil because generally after a year’s time, they do sort of dissipate.

Typically, you want to choose a pot that is about 5 to 10 centimeters in diameter, a bit larger than the previous pot if you want it to grow. However, if you’re happy with the size, you could replant it in the same medium, but make sure you’re changing out that soil. Repotting the birds of paradise is recommended in spring and summer because that’s when the plant is the strongest.

Soil Mix

So my personal recommendation on a potting mix includes 70% premium potting mix, 15% charcoal, and 15% perlite. You can substitute the premium potting mix for, for example, 35% cactus mix and 35% orchid mix. They have roughly the same ingredients.

Another mix that you can consider includes 30% peat moss, 40% compost, and 30% pumice or perlite.

Maintenance

Wipe the Leaves

The thing that I always remind people to do is make sure that you’re wiping those leaves down. The leaves are so large and they have a massive surface area for dust to accumulate on them. So make sure that you’re wiping them down periodically and you’re also preventing snarky pests.

Prevent It from Snarky Pests

Some common pests that your birds of paradise will experience are:

• scale
• aphids
• mealybugs
• whiteflies
• spider mites

I’ve also been attacked by spider mites, which has been crazy. I do see they suck the life out of your plant.

Anyway, I’ll probably just hone in on one topic, which is the mealybugs. I’ve gone to multiple mates’ places who do own birds of paradise, and they all have mealybugs for some reason.

How to Get Rid of Mealy Bugs

So the tip that I recommend to get rid of mealybugs includes getting a cotton swab, putting a little bit of rubbing alcohol, and if you don’t have any rubbing alcohol, I actually substitute this for hand sanitizer. Obviously, after the COVID times, everyone’s got a bit of hand sanitizer at home. I dip that into the hand sanitizer.

I bring the cotton bud over to the leaf and then I start swirling the cotton bud around to get rid of the mealybugs. After I’ve cosmetically removed all the mealybugs, I’ll grab some paper towel, prepare a little bit of a

solution of diluted dishwasher liquid as well as some neem oil. Then I’ll give it a thorough wipe down.

Common Problems

A common problem that you may face with the birds of paradise is that sometimes the leaves may get stuck and you may want to just give it a little bit of a helping hand. I’ve got two methods here. The first one I try is misting, and if that’s not too effective, the second one I go for is a little more physical in action where I grab some paper towel and lukewarm water and then glide that over the leaf and then maneuver it out.

Styling

Finally, onto my favorite topic, styling. So I’m a little particular about how I style my plants in general, and even with the birds of paradise, when I first bought it, the bases were actually perpendicular to each other. I didn’t like this personally because I didn’t have much apartment space, and it was growing a little too wide.

I found that if I brought the bases parallel, it would allow me to achieve a little more luscious look as well as giving me a little more apartment space.

So when I repotted, I actually pulled the root system out and then realigned the base. Then I used a stake and some rubber ties to just encourage the direction I wanted it to grow out of.

Even though that was a risky operation, my birds of paradise was pretty much fine afterward. I didn’t notice much repot stress. It was still pushing out new growth, which was a positive sign.

So other things I do is I grab some scissors and I snip some of the brown edges that can occur. Don’t be alarmed if some of the browning is spreading. It is a little normal, but then just make sure you’re monitoring the health of your plant to figure out what the signs are.

The signature look of a birds of paradise is that it stands tall and strong, at least in my head anyway. So I wanted to buy a pot that matches that sort of description. I bought one that was an outdoor pot.

And basically, I grab another pot and I place that on the inside because most of your nursery pots out there won’t be of this height. So then essentially I place that on the inside as so. And then I place the birds of paradise into the same pot but with a saucer underneath.

So then making sure that there are no leakages when I do water it. But remember to do your measurements before you’re purchasing these pots. I mean, I purchased mine online and I made sure that I did the measurements of the openings of the diameter because you don’t want to be left disappointed that it doesn’t fit.