Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. It allows air and light into the center of older plants, increasing flowering and reducing fungal disease. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 53,659 times. Getting Started. Take all leaves and stems back to just above the ground. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. The Bird of Paradise flower is brightly colored with spiky-looking blooms that are eye catching and exciting in any garden. Generally speaking, there is very little pruning required for White Bird of Paradise plants. Bird of paradise plants are pretty forgiving and will grow in a range of soil types. No-dash-here, you've found The Real Garden Helper! By: Bonnie L. Grant, Certified Urban Agriculturist. If you hit a particularly dense area, use your pruning shears to pre-cut some of the stems to make the area a little easier to cut through. This involves harder pruning and should be attacked in early spring. Here’s how to care for birds of paradise to keep them at their best. This will give you the space to clear out old foliage and let new growth begin. You’ll want to remove the dead flowers & any unsightly foliage. You can prune your Bird of Paradise easily when they’ve finished blooming! Many … Last Updated: April 23, 2020 When using the saw, work slowly. Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) … As mentioned in our introduction, you can't easily prune a Bird of Paradise plant without ruining its look and future growth so all you can do is to be prepared to accommodate its large size. This article has been viewed 53,659 times. Larger leaves can be ragged from winds. Bird of paradise can be cleaned up and trimmed at any point, but serious pruning should wait until early spring. Bird Of Paradise don’t require much pruning at all. You can of course prune out the flowers once they are finished, just cut them off as close to the base as you can. This leaves no dead stems to mar the beauty of the plant. Look for brown, dead flowers, and cut the stem of these growths as close as possible to the base of the plant. These instructions were very clear.". Gardening on the Web since 1997 The plants can briefly tolerate temperatures as low as 24°F, although freezing temperatures will … The flowers will last 2 to 3 weeks before dropping petals and dying. Use loppers, hand pruners or a pruning saw, but never hedge trimmers which will make rough cuts and leave ragged, damaged edges. Pruning bird of paradise Pruning is not required beyond removing dead or damaged leaves and flower stalks once they have finished. These flowers can grow to be extremely large, and they require regular maintenance to stay healthy. Bird of Paradise Pruning The bird of paradise pruning should be done in early spring. Always try to remove any dead foliage as close to the stump of the plant as possible to maintain the trimmed appearance of the plant. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. Apply the trimming and pruning techniques and assess the effect. This is the first opportunity for pruning birds of paradise, but not the last. Any time you cut into a plant you should have sharp implements, safety garb, and sanitized equipment to prevent introducing and spreading disease. Spraying with mist is appreciated in the warm months. Birds of paradise are large, relatively easy to grow plants that lend a bold tropical flair to any indoor space. These plants can easily grow to be up to 5 feet (1.5 m) in diameter, so refrain from planting other flowers in the surrounding area. There are also desert-thriving bird of paradise plants found in another genus – red bird of paradise (Caesaepinia pulcherrima), yellow bird of paradise (C. gilliesii), and the Mexican bird of paradise (C. mexicana). A Bird of Paradise plant needs less water in the fall and winter. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Retain any leaves with more than 50% live tissue. To my mind, trimming is different than pruning, and thinning is another thing altogether. Keep bird of paradise (Strelitizia reginae) and white bird of paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) looking trim and tidy with regular pruning.Regularly tidying up the dead flowers and leaf debris also helps keep fungal diseases from getting established. Water from the bottom so the soil stays loose and remains well aerated. For dense plants, use a pruning saw to cut the entire plant to about 1 foot off the ground. This article has been viewed 53,659 times. Always wear thick safety gloves when pruning because you will be working with sharp shears. Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is one of those plants that you don’t forget. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Never remove more than one third of plant material per season and follow up with good cultural care. Major Pruning Of Large Bird Of Pardise Plant - I have an over grown Bird of Pardise plant in front of my house that is about 15 feet tall. ... Q. Bird Of Paradise Leaves Are Turning Brown - The established plant is 5 years old. What Are The Different Types Of Bird Of Paradise Plants, Feeding Bird Of Paradise Plants – How To Fertilize Bird Of Paradise Plants, What Are Loppers Used For: Tips On Using Garden Loppers For Pruning, Garden Inside During Winter: How To Plant An Indoor Winter Garden, Growing Food For Christmas: How To Grow Christmas Dinner, Boxwood Wreath Ideas: Tips For Making Boxwood Wreaths, Black Walnut Tree Compatible Plants: Plants That Grow Under Black Walnut Trees, Growing And Planting Smoke Trees In The Landscape, Information On How To Prune Roots On Houseplants, Fresh-Cut Pine Tree Smell: Perfect Christmas Tree Memories, Norfolk Island Pine - The Perfect Christmas Tree, Winter Survival Guide: Creative Ways To Garden In Winter, Evergreen Favorite: Container Grown Olive Trees. You can trim a bird of paradise at any point since you are only removing a small amount of plant matter, so damage potential is minimal. Step 5 Water the plant after pruning. Bird of Paradise flowers won’t naturally shed dead stems after the flower is removed, so it’s important to remove as much of the stem as possible. Try to maintain the shape of the flower in a circle to ensure easy access to all sides of the flower. References. Prune dead or broken branches of croton any time of year. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. If your plant is in a pot, bring it indoors during very cold temperatures to prevent freezing of the leaves and flowers. Pruning is one of the most important maintenance tasks for the landscape, but every plant has a different time and method. Both Yellow and Mexican Bird of Paradise flowers should be pruned sparingly when flowers and stems begin to die. In general, the pruning of bird of paradise shrubberies is necessary only to remove frost-damaged limbs or to remove dead, crossing or damaged branches. Pruning at this point will encourage new growth in the plant later in the season. A Bird of Paradise that is trimmed in this way will normally grow back within 1-2 blooming seasons if treated with water and fertilizer. Bird of paradise, or strelitzia reginae, produces thick, leathery leaves and colorful flowers that resemble the shape of a bird's head. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. You can also opt for a fine quality of coarse-grained fertilizer three times in a year period. Read more articles about Bird Of Paradise. Remove new growth at the base of the plant. With proper care, a bird of paradise can grow to over six feet tall, even indoors. These plants also have large green leaves that can die and brown once blooming is over, so cut or pull any excess brown foliage. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz. In the dormant period, water less, about once a month, allowing the top 2 … It is a crucial part of rejuvenating a neglected plant. Near life-sized crane’s heads in bright, exotic plumage are the focal point of this extraordinary tropical plant. However, they grow best in organically-rich, loamy soil that drains well with a pH of 5.5-7.5. There are five species of bird of paradise, in Strelizia genus, and not all of them are suitable for growing indoors.. Water that has a high salt content burns the leaves. Always be careful on the ladder! It’s not just their sheer size and impressive foliage but the plant’s namesake blooms. Never fertilize a Bird of Paradise plant in the fall and winter when it is resting. The goals of bird of paradise pruning are to remove old plant matter, thin the leaves, and take out damaged stems. Thinning is another way of cleaning up a bird of paradise. Remove dead flowers to the base of the plant and clean up any old vegetation that has dropped in or around the plant. The Bird of Paradise flower is brightly colored and can grow extremely large as long as you prune it after it has finished blooming. This is done for the same reasons as trimming, but the goals are more intensive and combined. It’s okay to begin pruning before all of the blooms on the plant have died. Water: In the spring and summer keep the soil moist but never soggy. Trimming is when you remove just a bit of the plant where it is damaged, dead, or diseased. Just be sure to take the stems all the way down as close to the base of the plant as you can. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. They will become full-sized, mature bird of paradises and create a massive clump that ruins the landscape. "I needed to understand the process of dead-heading my Bird of Paradise. Bird of paradise can be cleaned up and trimmed at any point, but serious pruning should wait until early spring. Q. Bird-of-Paradise Houseplant - My bird-of-paradise is 4 years old and has never bloomed. Wondering how to prune Bird of Paradise plant that has grown too wide, too tall, or has damaged leaves? There are three species of bird of paradise (Caesalpinia) grown in the Southwest, red (C. pulcherrima), yellow (C. gilliesii), and Mexican (C. mexicana). % of people told us that this article helped them. Fertilize a bird of paradise indoors with a half-strength water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks during the growing period. However, it’s a good idea to know the type of paradise plant you have, as bird of paradise pruning tips vary slightly between varieties. Make sure to remove leaves from time to time. This helps your plant to look clean and colorful year round! An expert weighs in on how to feel better. Home / Gardening / How to Prune a Bird of Paradise : Great Gardening How to Prune a Bird of Paradise : Great Gardening Posted by: admin in Gardening January 29, 2014 0 208 Views {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/5f\/Prune-a-Bird-of-Paradise-Plant-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Prune-a-Bird-of-Paradise-Plant-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5f\/Prune-a-Bird-of-Paradise-Plant-Step-1.jpg\/aid9830044-v4-728px-Prune-a-Bird-of-Paradise-Plant-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"