On Saturday the plants looked great. 5 days later they are looking like this. They are bird of paradise seeds that I planted. They are sitting on my apartment patio. Don’t get direct sunlight but ample indirect light. The soil is a mixture of store bought indoor potting soil and perlite. How much should I be watering? Do you think these need more light? Not sure what’s going on. Any advice appreciated.
by hotsause9
6 Comments
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You’re keeping this inside, right? Invasive and terrible plant we’re trying to rip out in the mid-Atlantic, even more so these days bc the spotted lantern flies thrive on them. Rare to see someone trying to grow it instead of destroy it!
I haven’t worked with this variety of plant before, but one good rule of thumb is usually to fill the pot to just below the lip. With that in mind, it looks like you planted it a little too low.
Based on a very quick online search (and no prior experience!) it looks like your plant prefers full sun and well-draining soil. Full sun plants tend not to do as well indoors unless you get them a grow light.
One source did say they can handle partial shade, but those plants will grow much tallertl than one grown in full sun plant. So it depends whether you prefer a tall or more compact plant.
My recommendation based on this would be to get it into a nice sunny window sill–or a grow light!–water only when the top few inches are dry, and then once the plant has had a few weeks to grow and get stronger, repot with more soil and incorporate a bit more perlite or pumice into the potting mix to ensure there’s proper drainage.
Hopefully someone with more experience can give better advice though!
Not a BIP. Or am I missing something? Isn’t this a curry tree?
I have four birds of paradise and they look nothing like this? Lol
This is absolutely not a bird of paradise.
I agree, the pot needs to be tiny, and needs to be filled to the lip with soil.
If the plant is hiding below the lip it will not receive adequate light.
A giant pot means that he plant is getting too much water because the soil can’t dry out adequately compared to the plant’s ability to absorb moisture.