Why Are My Giant Bird Of Paradise Leaf Edges Turning Brown?
The question is regarding brown leaf edges on a Giant Bird of Paradise. A few reasons cause this along with splitting leaves.
I receive so many questions here, on my videos and via email. I decided to start a segment called “Ask Nell” because you all might have the same questions and/or be interested in the answers. The first one comes from Patti regarding her Giant Bird Of Paradise, or Strelitzia nicolai.
The photo you see above was sent to me by Patti. These plants are native to subtropical coastal forests of South Africa where the humidity is higher and there’s more rainfall.
This is especially true in California these days as we’re in the midst of a megadrought; yes, it’s extreme. It’s common for the edges of these plants brown but nowadays they’re downright crispy because even the maritime layer, aka fog, has been almost nonexistent.
You can see my Giant Bird of Paradise in this video as well as the Bird of Paradise you are probably more familiar with:
Also, you see a lot of split Giant Bird Of Paradise leaves and that is because of the wind. As with most plants, the older leaves will brown, yellow and split more than the younger ones.
The leaves get browner and more raggedy as they get older. They don’t need much water at all once they get established but we haven’t been receiving enough winter rain to hold them through our dry months. After all, they do need some water … not no water.
So Patti, water yours deeply every 2-3 months (until we get some substantial winter rains) and give it a 2-3″ layer of some rich, organic compost to help hold that moisture in. The compost will also enrich the soil naturally making the roots and the plant grow stronger.
The bottom line:
You can reduce the brown edging to an extent but if your Giant Bird Of Paradise is in a windy area, the leaves will split. Nothing you can do about that!
I’m including a bit about the Bird Of Paradise, Strelizia reginae, in here because the same applies to them. It’s not as noticeable on them because their leaves are smaller and seem to be a bit tougher. I’ve been noticing quite a bit of leaf curling on these plants around town because we’re so darned dry.
If you happen to have 1 as a houseplant and the edges are brown, it’s because the air in our homes is much drier than they’d like it to be. The average home is not the subtropics after all!
Thanks for the question Patti. If any of you have a question for me regarding plants, flowers and/or gardening, simply leave it below this post, in the video comment section or send it to [email protected] (if you do this, please put “ask nell” in the subject line). Now let’s get gardening and make the world a more beautiful place!
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Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.
Hi Nell, my indoor 2 yo bird of paradise was repotted recently and since then, the leaves have been drooping, so much so that the roots are being lifted up over the soil. It’s still located in the same position as before and I am still watering it as much as possible but it still doesn’t look good. What can I do to fix it? Thank you for your help
Hi Vicky – The leaves are most likely drooping because the roots can uptake enough water. Drooping leaves can also be due to over watering, but because the plant was recently transplanted, I’d say it’s not getting enough. I’m sure sure if it’s growing indoors or outdoors so it’s hard to give advice. You want to keep it evenly moist but never over saturated. My neighbors completely cut down their 2 BOPs & they came back beautifully so that’s an option if need be. Nell
Hi I have a tall birds of paradise indoor in a sunny lit room it’s about 2.5m just wondering I water it once a week and I noticed one of the leaves is curling is that normal in winter as its winter here in sydney
Hi I purchased a bird of paradise from Costco about 3 months ago and repotted into a new pot because it came in that plastic store container. Everything was fine I watered it throughly and I put decorative rocks on the very top. I used compost and organic soil and top soil in the container all mixed. The plant is indoors but on top of my staircase and it get lots of light from windows that are right over and aside from the plant. The plant has two sections of plants of that makes sense and I just noticed that one row of the leaves started to curl completely and the ones on the ends wilt a bit. The other section of leaves are perfectly fine. I water maybe every 2to 3 weeks when I feel top of soil is dry. I don’t want it to die. Lots of new leaves are coming in though from both sections. What can it be? I will include a picture it’s night time now I hope it shows up
Hi Rimz – It’s hard to say but here are a couple of possibilities: it could have insects (houseplants are prone to spider mites in the winter when the dry heat comes on or perhaps if it’s been in its pot for a while, it needs to be repotted. Nell
Hi Mayra – A bit of curling is normal for these plants. Especially when growing indoors, the leaves of a BOP will curl as a reaction to repotting. They open back up over time if they have enough water & light. Other reasons could be: infestation of spider mites (BOPs are subject to these indoors) & the plant is too dry or has dried out too much at 1 time. Nell
Hello! I am enjoying your blog! I am a new Bird of Paradise owner and absolutely love her. Or should I say them? It appears that there are 4 plants in my pot! I have a question about the leaves. I have noticed that some of the leaves form a “cupped” shape towards the tip. Is this normal behavior or does it indicate a problem? Thanks!
Hi Kari – I don’t know if your plant is a houseplant or growing in the garden. Some reasons for BOP leaves curling inward are: adjusting to being repotted, too much wind & not enough water. Nell
Hello! My BOP is doing really well however new leaves are opening and they don’t have pointy tips it’s like they are burnt off almost the leaves aren’t curling or wilting so I’m not sure if they need more water or if there’s something I need to do to have them develop differently? Thanks so much!
I’ve seen Giant BOP’s so large they are lifting up sidewalks and breaking out of brick gardens. I’d love to plant this in my backyard for shade but I don’t want the roots to go nuts and break up all my cement. Do I accomplish this by planting inside of something to contain the roots?