Hawaii gardening - Bird of Paradise

Author

Bird of Paradise

Dwayne Young

2006-10-07, 1:25 pm

I actually have a Bird of Paradise growing and surviving in NC - albeit,
it's in doors!

It's been grown from seed beginning in April of 2005. It now is green and
leafy - 7-8 leaves.

What is the normal growth rate and what will encourage blooming?

Thanks for the help.

das

2006-10-15, 5:25 pm

Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) takes a long time to bloom from seed.
If grown in a sub-tropical climate, they take 3-5 years to bloom. If you
grow them as a house plant, I'd expect a minimum of five years. They tend
to be pretty large plants when mature enough to flower. Give it all the
light and heat you can, especially during the winter. Water when it gets
slightly dry; don't keep it soggy during the winter or it may rot.
Fertilize about once a month with something like Miracle-Gro at the rate of
1 tbsp. per gallon of water and give it a goodly amount of this water mix
but be sure it drains away so that the pot isn't in standing water anytime.

Kawika

"Dwayne Young" <dyoung244@triad.rr.com> wrote in message
news:4cQVg.1921$gL.1548@southeast.rr.com...
> I actually have a Bird of Paradise growing and surviving in NC - albeit,
> it's in doors!
>
> It's been grown from seed beginning in April of 2005. It now is green and
> leafy - 7-8 leaves.
>
> What is the normal growth rate and what will encourage blooming?
>
> Thanks for the help.
>
>

A. Pismo Clam

2006-10-16, 8:25 pm

das wrote:
> Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) takes a long time to bloom from seed.
> If grown in a sub-tropical climate, they take 3-5 years to bloom. If you
> grow them as a house plant, I'd expect a minimum of five years. They tend
> to be pretty large plants when mature enough to flower. Give it all the
> light and heat you can, especially during the winter. Water when it gets
> slightly dry; don't keep it soggy during the winter or it may rot.
> Fertilize about once a month with something like Miracle-Gro at the rate of
> 1 tbsp. per gallon of water and give it a goodly amount of this water mix
> but be sure it drains away so that the pot isn't in standing water anytime.
>
> Kawika
>
> "Dwayne Young" <dyoung244@triad.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:4cQVg.1921$gL.1548@southeast.rr.com...
>
>
>
>
Great advise...except that I would suggest an */organic/* fertilizer.

Chemical fertilizers do very little except leech through the soil and
screw up our ground water system. Try something like Dr. Earth's All
Purpose Fertilizer or the Palm and Tropical Fertilizer.

Do something good for your plant, as well as the earth; those who come
after you will thank you...

Here's their website: http://drearth.net

Alain

Dwayne Young

2006-10-17, 8:25 pm

Thanks so much for the help. I expected a long wait but it will be worth the work! This seed will hopefully be a long lasting memory of my wife and I's trip to Kauai and Oahu!

Thanks again.
Dwayne
"A. Pismo Clam" <opalockamishabob@'86DASPAMyahoo.com> wrote in message news:9bidne7Q9pdNlKnYnZ2dnUVZ_vednZ2d@got.net...
das wrote:
Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) takes a long time to bloom from seed.
If grown in a sub-tropical climate, they take 3-5 years to bloom. If you
grow them as a house plant, I'd expect a minimum of five years. They tend
to be pretty large plants when mature enough to flower. Give it all the
light and heat you can, especially during the winter. Water when it gets
slightly dry; don't keep it soggy during the winter or it may rot.
Fertilize about once a month with something like Miracle-Gro at the rate of
1 tbsp. per gallon of water and give it a goodly amount of this water mix
but be sure it drains away so that the pot isn't in standing water anytime.

Kawika

"Dwayne Young" <dyoung244@triad.rr.com> wrote in message
news:4cQVg.1921$gL.1548@southeast.rr.com...
I actually have a Bird of Paradise growing and surviving in NC - albeit,
it's in doors!

It's been grown from seed beginning in April of 2005. It now is green and
leafy - 7-8 leaves.

What is the normal growth rate and what will encourage blooming?

Thanks for the help.

Great advise...except that I would suggest an organic fertilizer.

Chemical fertilizers do very little except leech through the soil and screw up our ground water system. Try something like Dr. Earth's All Purpose Fertilizer or the Palm and Tropical Fertilizer.

Do something good for your plant, as well as the earth; those who come after you will thank you...

Here's their website: http://drearth.net

Alain

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