White Birds are quite popular and growing well in many indoor NYC locations. They may not be in their "natural" environment, but they will thrive when placed in front of a sunny window, kept in their nursery pots and watered as soon as the top half-inch of soil is dry. Low humidity is not an issue as long as the soil is properly hydrated. They make very good specimen plants indoors as long as they are put in a sunny location.

I inherited a couple of very large plants when we bought our house a few months ago. After looking online I think the plant in my room is a bird of paradise. It is over 6 ft tall, but the leaves have started splitting and a couple are turning brown. I was told to water it with aprox 2-3 litres of fertilized water every 4 days. I do not think the pot has any drainage holes, I thought it was a clay pot, but it is more of some type of resin pot. the last time I watered it water sat on the surface of the soil for a couple of days. I have not watered it for a week and if I press on the top of the soil it is still quite wet. Should I try to drill some drainage holes in the bottom of the pot? How wet should the soil always be? Any advice is appreciated, thank you

That may well be the White Bird of Paradise, @Elee2000. Unless you are growing a "bog" plant, you have got to grow tropical plants in well draining soil with plenty of drainage. "Wet-feet" will kill these plants. Birds need all the light you can give them. I grow mine in full sun, sun that will be 10-14 hr. long depending on the season.

to NGA

Take a moment and go to your "Profile", putting in your location. Knowing the location of the person when a question is asked or answered, is very important.

I had a white bird in the first home I lived in when I came to Ca. 7 blocks from the beach, where the sheets and crackers are always damp, in an area protected from winds. The leaves were always shredded...and yes, it did bloom...at about 15 ft. tall.

Those "trees" get really tall here, Carol, around 30'. When container grown, they'll usually top out around 15' though. I've now got six planted in the ground and two in pots. The largest of them is only about 18 mo. old and is approaching 5' tall.

I'm trying to grow these magnificent plants from seed, and prepared the seeds three different ways to see if it matters.

Faux terra cotta pots usually have a drain hole in the bottom. If water is collecting in yours, then the hole must be clogged either deliberately with a plug or by accident. Tilt the pot sideways enough that you can poke something into the drain hole to allow excess water to drain out. If that doesn't work or if there is no drain hole, then you would need to drill a hole or holes. If it is easier, you could even drill holes along the sides at the very bottom of the pot.

White Birds do prefer soil that does not get very dried out, but they should not be left sitting in water. Allow the top half to one inch of the soil to dry before watering thoroughly.

Stop fertilizing! If you move the plant close to the window, it might need some dilute fertilizer a few times per year, but no more.

Thank you everyone for your advice My husband helped me tip the pot and there was a drain hole. We pulled the plug out and tons of stinky water came pouring out! My plant is much happier now!

No doubt! I hope you got it in time!

@ELee2000, if you can, drill several more large holes in the bottom of that pot to ensure good draining. A single hole can easily get clogged. You can also drill holes around the sides of the pot, near the bottom, for better drainage.

Hi everyone,

I have a BOP it's about 6' tall. I'm new to plant care and could use some advice. I have only had this about 3 weeks, but since I've got it I have noticed a couple of changes on it.

The BOP leaves are curling up, a few are crimping along the side, and have a couple of brown spots and holes in some of the foliage.

I've been misting it in the morning before the sun hits, and have it in a sunny west facing window.

I have attached some pictures to show it. Any pointers on how to take care of this thing would be very helpful.

THanks,
GP

Not to make you feel bad since your new, and you probably don't know, but you're supposed to ask separate questions in your own thread. Just some advice, because other people will probably tell you that as well 😁😁.

by the way @GraemeP!

NOTE: ask your question here, and it has better chances of being replied to: https://garden.org/apps/ask/

@ @GraemeP - Your White Bird is probably getting too much direct sun in that location. If possible, move it back a few feet from the window or move it off to the side of the window.

Water it very thoroughly as soon as the SURFACE of the soil feels almost dry or barely damp. In good light, it will use a lot of water.

I suspect the combination of excess sun and too little water are the cause of the leaf spot. Misting provides no benefit and can damage leaves if they are misted in direct sun.

And now I'll tell you that we have them in several different locations on our campus (Cal Poly Pomona) in full sun and heavy shade, rainwater only and watered 3 times a week and they all grow nicely. The ones in sun are denser and the ones in shade are taller and have bigger leaves. Practically indestructible.

I did have one(Strelitzia nicolai) in an enclosed atrium with a clear skylight that bloomed when it had about 4' of trunk. Sucked up water like a dehydrated elephant.

My White Bird of Paradise plants sure do look different than what I see in those photos, @GraemeP. I have nine of them, 7 in the ground (most are in all-day sun) and two in pots. All my plants were started from seed and they are now approximately 18 mo. old. One of those potted plants is in the screened-in lanai. Those potted ones are sort of experiments, just to see what happens with them. None have bloomed yet, and all the plants are 4-7' tall. Oddly enough, the two still in pots have grown larger than those in the ground. That's probably because my potting soils are custom made and thus, have more "goodies" than the soil (even though I amend the dirt when planting).

Strelitzia nicolai in pots


Strelitzia nicolai in the ground

Hi all,

I purchased the BOP below back in Feb 2020 and the first leaf that came out didn't look so well. I think I was letting the soil dry out too much. I'm now watering with less more often to see if that does the trick. New leaf on the way, we'll have to wait and see.

In my opinion, these large tropical plants do best when the potting soil/ground is kept constantly moist. There is no advantage whatsoever in allowing their soil to dry out.

@starams5 - I agree with Ken but would add that partial watering can cause problems, too. Water your White Bird as soon as the top half-inch of soil feels dry and then always water thoroughly enough that some water trickles through the drain holes.

WillC said:@starams5 - I agree with Ken but would add that partial watering can cause problems, too. Water your White Bird as soon as the top half-inch of soil feels dry and then always water thoroughly enough that some water trickles through the drain holes.

Thanks WillC and drdawg, I'll give that a shot and see how it works out. Your advice is much appreciated.

You are quite welcome, @starams5. Best of luck with your Bird.