In warmer climates, the bird of paradise is a common indoor plant or garden addition that grows stunning flowers that resemble soaring birds. If the right growing conditions aren’t met, it can be difficult to get a bird of paradise to bloom.
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What Is The Average Bloom Time Of A Bird Of Paradise?
Springtime is when this plant typically blooms. Even so, it’s quite fascinating that it can bloom more than once throughout the year.
You cannot skip the dormant winter season, which starts in December and lasts for two to three months, in order to keep the Bird of Paradise’s leaves healthy.
Bird of Paradise blooms in the spring or summer. The colors of lovely flowers can be white, blue, yellow, orange, lilac, purple, or blue.
Flowers can grow up to 6 inches long. It is possible to obtain seeds from the Bird of Paradise flowers in order to grow new plants if the flowers are pollinated.
Bird of Paradise flowers is frequently used by florists to create stunning bouquets.
Why Bird Of Paradise Is Not Blooming
Insufficient light is one of the most frequent causes for a bird of paradise plants to not bloom. For these plants to bloom adequately, they need to receive four to six hours of direct sunlight (or bright indoor light). Throughout the summer, they should be kept evenly moist, but they must dry out in between waterings. Using a general-purpose water-soluble fertilizer at least once every couple of weeks while these plants are actively growing is also beneficial.
How To Help Bird Of Paradise Bloom
1. Check The Age Of Your Plant To Know If It Should Be Blooming
Only after they reach the age of three to four do birds of paradise begin to bloom. Before taking any further action if your plant isn’t blooming, first, determine how old it is. Continue with your regular maintenance routine to keep the plant healthy if it is younger than this. Take action to promote blooming if the plant is of the proper age.
- Note the date you purchased a new plant. If you want to know the exact age, ask a worker when it was planted.
- If you planted the seeds yourself, it will take at least a few years before the flowers bloom. Be patient and allow the plant to develop.
2. Move Your Plant To A Sunnier Location
One of the main causes of birds of paradise not blooming is a lack of sunlight. Keep an eye on how much sun your plant receives. Move it to a new location with more direct sunlight if it doesn’t receive the minimum six hours of sunlight.
- Alternately, put the plant in a pot and move it with the sun all day. This maximizes the amount of sunlight it gets.
- Place the plant near a window to get the most sunlight possible, even if it will be indoors over the winter. The plant should be placed in the home’s windows that receive the most sunlight. Most sunlight typically enters windows that face south.
3. Don’t Water Until The Soil Is Completely Dry.
A bird of paradise can occasionally fail to bloom due to excessive watering. Reduce your watering routine during the growing season and let the soil’s surface dry out. If the soil is dry, only water after that.
- Dry the soil about halfway down the pot. Keep the soil from drying out all the way to the bottom, or the plant will start to wilt.
- The plant requires additional water if you see any signs of wilting or discoloration in it. Increase your watering frequency to prevent the plant from dying.
4. Change To A 10-30-10 Fertilizer With A High Phosphorus Content.
Plants grow flowers more readily when phosphorus is present. Find a fertilizer with a higher phosphorus content if your plant isn’t blooming. To find a product that contains 30% phosphorus, look for one that is marked 10-30-10. Use that in place of the all-purpose fertilizer every two weeks.
- The amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are represented on fertilizers by numbers in that order. While a 10-30-10 mixture has more phosphorus, a 10-10-10 mixture has equal amounts of each.
- Check the application guidelines on your new fertilizer and abide by them.
- If your entire garden’s soil is not deficient in phosphorus, then avoid using the phosphorus fertilizer there. This might deplete fertile soil.
5. If The Temperature Is below 50 °f (10 °c), Bring The Plant Inside.
It is likely that the growing season is over if the outside temperature consistently falls below 50 °F (10 °C). Past this point, no flowers will bloom. Bring the plant inside so it can rest before the upcoming season. Put it on a winter watering schedule, and leave it outside in the sun.
- Given enough time, birds of paradise can survive in temperatures as low as 24 °F (minus 4 °C). But any flower buds exposed for a long time will perish.
- You can leave the plants outside if you live in a warm region where the temperature regularly rises to 40–50 °F (4–10 °C).
6. Allow The Plant Roots To Spread Out Gradually.
Keep in mind that it takes birds of paradise several years to establish roots and bloom. All these methods won’t cause the plant to bloom if the root system isn’t yet developed. until the plant is developed enough to bloom, keep up with your normal maintenance routine.
How To Grow A Healthy Bird Of Paradise
1. Use organic soil with good drainage. Get a rich, organic soil mixture if you’re planting a new bird of paradise plant or repotting an existing one. Peat, compost, and perlite are desirable components in a mixture. Make sure the soil is free of clay and sand, which hinder drainage.
- Avoid compacting the soil too firmly. As a result, it will drain less effectively.
- Use a container with drainage holes at the bottom. If not, the plant might become flooded.
2. Put the plant in a position where its roots are just below the soil’s surface. Avoid burying a bird of paradise’s roots too deep in the ground when repotting it. This inhibits the growth of flowers. To encourage better flower blooming, keep the roots just below the surface of the soil.
- If you’ve already planted the plant with deep roots, carefully remove it and replant it with shallower roots.
- If you started the plant from a seed, the roots will most likely naturally remain close to the surface.
3. To promote the development of the roots, keep the plant in its pot.
When their roots form a compact mass, birds of paradise bloom at their best. By preventing the roots from spreading out over a wide area, keeping the plant in its pot speeds up this process.
- Replant the plant in a larger pot if it grows too big for the current one. Don’t forget to repot it with an organic soil mixture.
- If you plant it in the ground, the flowers will still bloom but the formation of the root clusters will take longer.
4. Ensure that the plant receives six hours or more of sunlight each day.
Sunlight is necessary for birds of paradise to grow. Place the plant in the area of your property that receives the most sunlight.
- When the plant is in a pot, you can move it around your property easily as the sun moves throughout the day.
- If your plant is inside, make sure it’s near a window in direct sunlight
5. In the spring and summer, make sure the soil is consistently moist.
Regularly water the plant throughout the growing season. At all times, keep the soil moist. Water it once more when it starts to dry.
- You’re watering the soil too much if water pools on the top. When watering the plants again, use less water after letting the soil drain and dry out a little.
- Instead of pouring water into the soil, you can wet the soil with a spray bottle to prevent overwatering.
6. Winter watering should wait until the soil has dried out. In the winter, birds of paradise use less water.
Till the soil dries out, do not water. Use just enough water to moisten the soil when you do water to prevent overwatering.
- To measure the amount of moisture in the soil, gently press your finger into the ground. Wait another day before watering the soil if it still feels damp beneath the surface. Some fertilizer products have specific application instructions; follow them.
7. Every two weeks during the growing season, apply a general-purpose fertilizer.
During the growing season, keep the plant well-fed. Use a balanced mixture that contains the same amounts of phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium. For best results, feed the plant every two weeks.
Instead of during the height of the day, apply the fertilizer in the morning or evening.
How Long Does A Flower Of Paradise Last?
The Bird of Paradise is one of nature’s most unusual and beautiful flowers, mesmerizing with its stunning coloration and delicate form.
The flowers are easy to move and will stay fresh for a long time if you cut them.