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Growing up, my mother had this plant in our garden in South Africa and we knew it as Strelitzia.
Also known as the bird of paradise, it can grow up to 20 feet under perfect growing conditions.
Although ours had never been bigger, it produced a beautiful display of tropical leaves with the most beautiful flowers, much to my mother’s delight.
The bird of paradise is often confused with the banana tree†
The difference between the two is that the bird of paradise has an alternating leaf growth pattern while the banana plant has a sort of spiral leaf system.
As you can imagine, when grown in South Africa these plants get plenty of sun, in fact they do very well in sunny locations.
Your bird of paradise will tolerate average light conditions, although it may not be as happy as you would like.
Although it prefers to be outdoors, you can grow Bird of Paradise indoors in a pot and still have a healthy plant, if you provide the right conditions.
Contents
Why are your Bird of Paradise’s leaves hanging down?
Reasons for your bird of paradise leaves to drop include too little or too much water, roots, older leaves, transplant shock, and light.
The lack of water
If your plant seems to be drooping, first check how much water it is getting. This is probably why your bird of paradise’s leaves are droopy.
Birds of paradise need water, and lots of it, to thrive. If they don’t have enough water, they hang around.
The easiest way to check if they are getting enough is to poke your finger into the soil around the base of the plant.
While the top may be dry, the ground below should feel moist to the touch. If the soil feels dry when you put your finger in it, your plant needs water.
If you need help watering your plant, try this Automatic drip irrigation kit.
check the roots
Birds of paradise do not like to be potted and have narrow roots. This is why they often do not do well in pots.
They don’t like their roots to be restricted. Living in the open countryside offers them many opportunities for propagation.
There are other reasons why your bird of paradise has fallen leaves, let’s see.
old leaves
Although the bird of paradise is classified as a tropical evergreen tree, its leaves still age and eventually die.
You may even notice that some leaves appear to be splitting. This is a normal part of the aging process and is not a cause for concern.
If you don’t like the look of split leaves, you can prune them, although they will fall off on their own over time.
A point to note here is that the bird of paradise in its natural state will develop cracks in the leaves so that in strong winds the leaves do not break but allow the wind to pass through them.
You may also be interested in: How Is Root Rot Treated In A Bird Of Paradise?
transplant shock
Most plants experience some degree of shock after being transplanted.
Some are more receptive than others, and fallen leaves are a sign that your plant is reacting if you’ve just repotted or repotted it.
Again, this is an adaptation phase and the plant should settle in a few weeks.
check the light
The bird of paradise plant loves light, ideally it needs five to six hours a day, so if your plant is going to cling, see where it is. If it’s in a pot, consider moving it elsewhere.
Before planting a new bird of paradise in the ground, make sure there is enough light for it. This saves you from having to dig it up and transplant it later.
If your plant has trouble finding light, try East to help control lighting.
Too much water
Although eager for water, birds of paradise do not like soil that is always wet and soggy.
Check that the container it is in has sufficient drainage for water to seep through.
Stick your finger back into the soil at the base and, if it’s soggy, resist watering for a few days until it’s almost dry.
Again, if you need help watering your plant, try this Automatic drip irrigation kit.
How to keep your bird of paradise leaves from hanging down?
Once you rule out issues such as transplanting and older leaves, you will find that you have two reasons for leaf drop, namely under-watering or over-watering.
Keep in mind that in spring and summer the plant will grow and need more water.
During the colder months, cut and let the top two inches of soil dry out.
During the cold months, the bird of paradise enters a period of torpor and needs less water than when it is growing.
How do you keep leaves from clinging to your bird of paradise?
It can be very distressing to watch your bird of paradise drop its leaves and many plant owners may seek out the fertilizer to try to correct this.
They can also water the plant infrequently, which will not help.
Your bird of paradise will respond to consistency – that’s what you want if you want to thrive.
Be consistent in your watering schedule, remember to place it in a spot with plenty of light and sun, provide good drainage if potted, or non-clay soil if grown in the air. ‘outside.
If you have to change things, do it slowly, one change at a time, giving your plant a chance to adapt before trying anything else.
For indoor birds of paradise, make sure the pot is large enough to allow plenty of root space.
Make sure it gets plenty of direct sunlight, up to six hours a day.
Check that the temperature does not drop below 55 degrees at night and does not exceed 70 degrees during the day.
Bird of paradise plants do not like drafts, hot and cold vents.
final thoughts
Although the bird of paradise is a hardy specimen, it has needs which, if left unmet, will cause it to suffer and possibly die.
Large leaves can drop for a variety of reasons, all of which are easily corrected.
Indoor plants need a steady temperature, adequate light and drainage, and some humidity to grow.
If you’re willing to pay attention to the bird of paradise’s needs, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy these beautiful plants for years to come.
Whether in a pot indoors or as an eye-catcher in your garden.
Before you go, here are some more related articles that I encourage you to read below to solve more of your gardening problems:
Why are my bird of paradise leaves curling up?
How to prevent Dieffenbachia leaves from hanging down?
Why are my Croton leaves hanging down?
How do you fix a wandering, leggy bean plant?