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  • Bird of paradise will NOT bloom

    Created by Bonnie crim on July 30, 2016 at 2:15 pm

    I obtained a bird of paradise plant last year, and it bloomed within a month of arriving from the grower. I wintered it inside, and put it in the same spot as last year. It only gets about three hours of direct sun. It is growing very nicely, but no flowers this year. I fertilize it once a week and it seems to be thriving. I know that it needs more sun, but I’m hoping that you can suggest a product that would encourage it to bloom using the amount of sun that it gets. It’s outside, in the heat and by a beautiful Koi pond. I’m really hoping that you can help me coax this beautiful plant to start flowering. Thanking you in advance, Bonnie Crim

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  • August 3, 2016 at 6:55 am #206167

    Eric Vinje
    Keymaster

    Hi Bonnie,

    Unfortunately, increasing the amount of light that your bird of paradise receives is really the best way to encourage it to flower. However, there are some other strategies that can help to promote blossoms! Be certain that your plant is potted in well draining soil and that you are watering it evenly, but also allowing it to dry out between waterings. Water the entire pot thoroughly and determine when to water again by sticking your finger about two inches into the soil – once it has dried out to that depth, it is time to water again. It is also important to provide your plant with some humidity, you can achieve this by spraying water on the leaves at least two times per week.

    If you recently re-potted your bird of paradise, this could be responsible for the plants’ lack of flower production. These plants actually thrive when they are root bound so you may need to transplant yours into a smaller pot to achieve shallower planting. Allowing roots to be near the surface of the soil can also benefit the plant.

    Providing your bird of paradise with optimal growing conditions is the best way to get it to bloom, and when conditions are not ideal it can delay this later stage for several years! It sounds like your plant is really benefiting from your fertilizing regime but if all else fails, you could try switching to a bloom booster fertilizer. Plants require more phosphorous and potassium when they are flowering so providing yours with a fertilizer that has little nitrogen and more P and K could also help to initiate blossom production.

    Here is a great product for flowering plants:
    https://www.planetnatural.com/product/alaska-morbloom/

    Good luck!

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