Planting, maintenance, cultivation of the Bird of Paradise

Presentation of strelitzia

What is the ideal light and exposure for the bird of paradise?

It all depends on the region you live in:

• If you live in a hot region, you can grow your strelitzia in the ground in a sunny, south-facing space. However, make sure that this location is protected from the coldest winds.
• In other regions, you will need to grow it in a pot so that you can shelter it as soon as the temperatures start to drop. On sunny days, you can install the pot on your terrace or where your plant can benefit from the sun and heat.
• If you don’t have a garden, you can also enjoy this magnificent plant in your interior. But be careful not to install it behind a window exposed to the sun, as the direct rays of the sun could burn its foliage.

What is the ideal temperature for strelitzia?

Strelitzia is a non-hardy tropical plant. From his South African origins, he has retained a certain reluctance and does not tolerate temperatures below 5°C. This means that you must adapt its cultivation method to the climate of your region:

• If you live in a hot regionit can be grown in open ground without special precautions.
• In regions subject to brief episodes of light frostit can also be grown in open ground outside, provided that the soil is well drained, and it will be important to provide a winter cover and to mulch the base copiously to protect it.
• In colder regions, favor a pot culture. This will allow you to protect your plant from frost in winter.

Watering strelitzia

To grow well, strelitzia needs food, water and sun. Let’s see how to meet your water needs:

• If you grow your strelitzia in the ground: During the first 2 years after planting, water your bird of paradise regularly, without skimping on the water supply during the summer. But be careful not to go overboard. After these 2 years, you will just need to water it from time to time.
• If you grow your bird of paradise in a pot: it will be necessary to be attentive to the water needs of your plant. This means that as soon as the substrate is dry on the surface, approximately 3 cm thick, you must water. It is essential to remember to then remove the excess water from the cup. In winter, the plant being in vegetative rest, watering can be spaced out so as not to risk rotting of the roots or the crown.

What types of soil and fertilizer for the bird of paradise?

Earth

In open ground, you must ensure that the soil is well drained. Depending on the nature of your soil, do not hesitate to enrich it with organic matter and lighten it with sand. In a pot, opt for quality potting soil to provide your plant with all the nourishment it needs.

Fertilizer

In order to boost the flowering of your plant, you can add fertilizer in early March, then renew the intake before the arrival of summer. It is also possible to add a little compost to enrich the substrate.

Planting and repotting strelitzia

Cultivation in open ground

In spring, plant in a sunny location. To do this :

• Make a hole two to three times larger than the size of the root ball.
• Install a thick drainage layer at the bottom of the hole. You can do it with gravel.
• Install your plant in the hole, taking care not to bury the collar.
• Fill the hole with a mixture of soil and sand, especially if your garden soil is dense. This will lighten it and promote drainage. If the soil is poor, do not hesitate to add compost.
• Tamp, then finish with a good watering.

Pot cultivation

For cultivation, it is necessary to plan a terracotta pot of at least 40 cm in diameter and with pierced bottom. Proceed as follows:

• At the bottom of the pot, install a drainage layer 2-3 cm thick. You can use clay balls or gravel.
• Place your plant in the pot.
• Fill with a mixture of equal parts potting soil, garden soil and sand. Be careful not to bury the crown of the plant.
• Pack, then water.

Repotting

The roots of strelitzia being powerful, it will probably be necessary to carry out repotting in a larger pot each spring. If the original pot is still suitable for your plant, you can settle for topping, that is to say removing the soil a few centimeters thick to replace it with new soil.

How to propagate strelitzia?

It is possible to propagate the bird of paradise by division or by sowing.

Division

You will have to wait until the plant is around 5 years old to divide it. To do this, you can follow the following steps:

• Take out the root ball and take clumps with roots.
• Plant the pieces taken in pots filled with a mixture of potting soil and sand.
• Place the pots in a warm place, out of direct sunlight.
• Keep the substrate moist.
• Two months later, place the pots outside if the weather permits.

Sowing

It is also possible to seed from seeds collected from flowers in spring. To do this :

• After letting the seeds soak in hot water for at least a day, plant each seed, 1 cm deep, in a pot filled with special seedling soil.
• Install your pots in a heated mini-greenhouse and always make sure to keep the substrate moist until the seeds emerge, which can take 1 to 6 months.

How to prune the bird of paradise?

This plant does not require pruning.

Strelitzia maintenance

Strelitzia requires little maintenance. However, some actions must be adopted:

• Be sure to regularly remove leaves that have yellowed or dried out.
• Cut off dead stems as soon as necessary.
• Indoors, it may be necessary to dust the foliage regularly to facilitate photosynthesis.
• In winter and if you grow your strelitzia indoors, install it in a cooler room to promote vegetative rest.

Species and varieties of strelitzia: there are a large number of them

There are different varieties of strelitzia. The most cultivated being Strelitzia reggae, but there are others such as:

• strelitzia alba;
• strelitzia juncea;
• strelitzia nicolai ;
• strelitzia angustifolia;
• etc.

The 3 points to remember about the bird of paradise

• The bird of paradise is a beautiful ornamental plant with spectacular flowering evoking an exotic bird. It will bring originality and exoticism to your garden.
• It is a plant that does not go unnoticed whether you grow it indoors or outdoors.
• Not hardyit will be necessary to protect it from negative temperatures.