If we had to name some of the most beautiful plants in the vegetable kingdom, without a doubt Strelitzia augusta would be one of them. Also known as bird of paradise, it yields one of the showiest flowers you’ve ever seen. And best of all, Strelitzia augusta and its care aren’t difficult to manage. Do you want to know how?
If you have a “frontier banana”, as it is also called, and want it to be as good as possible, we will help you make it that way. Dark?
Contents
Strelitzia augusta: important care
Strelitzia augusta is a plant native to Africa, which can give you an idea of the temperature it is able to withstand. In addition, in general it is very resistant and apart from a few details that you will have to master to avoid major problems, there is not much to give it.
The care of Strelitzia augusta goes above all to its flowering, since it is the flowers that attract so much attention, due to their color and their way of resembling a bird (hence the common call bird of heaven).
But what are these concerns?
Location
Although they are sold as houseplants, the truth is that Strelitzia augusta needs lots of direct sun. For this reason, the ideal place for this plant is outdoors, in full sun.
Now, if you live in an area where it is very very hot and the sun is scorching, it is best to place it in a semi-shaded place, so that high temperatures do not affect its condition.
If you want it inside the house, we recommend that you always place it near the terrace, balcony or window where there is a lot of sunlight. Keep in mind that if it doesn’t get enough light, it won’t grow well and new leaves may not come through or the leaves may turn black. To give you an idea, experts say the best thing for this plant is for it to get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight.
Temperature
The ideal temperature for Strelitzia augusta is between 18 and 30 degrees. We are talking about a plant with a temperate or warm climate and, due to its origin, it is accustomed to high temperatures.
However, in terms of accidents, it does not suffer them as well as we would like and, although it can withstand frosts of -2ºC, these must be very sporadic because if they are usual, it would put the plant health in danger.
For this reason, if you cannot bring it indoors in winter due to lack of light, you must protect it, especially the part with the roots.
Substrate and grafts
One of the most important parts of Strelitzia augusta care is undoubtedly the substrate. You need to provide one that has really good drainage, something that when you first buy it, it might not have. Therefore, consider, depending on the season of the year in which you buy it, to make a transplant to change the ground.
Our best recommendation is to combine a universal substrate with perlite and/or coarse sand. In this way the roots can be aerated much better and we also prevent them from rotting due to the humidity.
In general, transplants should always be carried out in the spring, when the temperature is already longer and warmer. If you have it in a pot you will need to change it every 2-3 years to one that is only about 5cm taller than the original (it does not tolerate changes to larger pots as it stops His development). What if you had it in the garden? In this case, you will only have to remove a little soil and add a new one so that it can be fed.
Irrigation
There is no doubt that among the care of Strelitzia augusta, irrigation is a determining factor for your plant to be truly healthy. And this is the most problematic, and why many fall along the way. We are therefore going to endeavor to give you all the keys so that this does not happen.
To begin with, you should know that irrigation will depend on the season of the year. In autumn and winter, watering is practically sporadic, if at all (especially in November, December and January). In the spring you can start watering and you will increase the frequency until the summer, when you will maintain this type of irrigation.
Obviously, the more sun it receives, the more water it will need. For some it may be good to water twice a week in the summer, but we already tell you that it will depend on the weather, humidity, etc. If it’s in the Mediterranean zone, with direct sun and temperatures that don’t drop below 40°C, then maybe twice is too little and you have to add three.
The advantage of this plant is that it does not need a lot of humidity, unlike other plants. If you want it to look pretty, we recommend misting its leaves from time to time. Of course, do it at night because if the sun hits the water drops on the leaves, it could burn them.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is very necessary for this plant, especially because one of the signs that it lacks fertilizer is that when it comes out new stems with leaves, they break in half or do not come out. .
Therefore, every two weeks you should give it some fertilizer. Of course, only during the months of March to September; then you have to let her rest.
Plagues and diseases
Before we told you that Strelitzia augusta is a very resistant plant. And the truth is that it is so. It is generally not attacked by pests unless stressed. If this happens to it, then yes, you should be “vigilant” for scale insects.
Of the diseases, perhaps the most problematic is related to irrigation, due to root rot. Likewise, electricity (especially lack) and subscriber problems are also aspects to be taken into account.
Multiplication
When your Strelitzia augusta is already big and you want to have a smaller one but just like its “mother”, know that you can get it. In fact, the plant itself will develop suckers, and you will see these develop as little shoots that come out of the plant.
Here you can do two things:
- Take the opportunity to transplant it and find the rejection and its roots to remove it as it is (this is the most complicated operation, especially since sometimes they have no roots).
- Cut it straight and root it (good in water, good on land).
Both methods work quite well, although they usually take time to show results.
As you can see, the care of Strelitzia augusta is not complicated at all, and it is a plant suitable for beginners. It will be more complicated for him to bloom, but if you give him time to get used to it and provide for all his needs, sooner or later he will reward you with a long-awaited flower. Do you have a Strelitzia augusta at home? How are you?