Second post for me on this white bird of paradise, but I’m determined to save him. Water was running right through the soil in November, so fearing it was hydrophobic I submerged him for a bit. Now the water doesn’t run through but it appears to be failing. I water every 17 days during winter. Fertilize every 3 waterings. It’s in a 10” pot with drainage onto clay pebbles. Should I try repotting…has never been done. Should I separate the plants? Thanks in advance!
A few things could be creating problems. The outer pot is too tall and may not be allowing enough air circulation to help dry the soil surface. Secondly, are you checking the soil before you water? Are you checking to see if it needs to be watered? Just because it’s scheduled doesn’t mean it has to be watered. Are emptying the drainage saucer with the leca after watering? What is the purpose of the leca in the drainage saucer? Sorry for all the questions but the answers may help solve the issue.
2 Mi piaceThanks. Up until November, water was running right through it down to the pan. I put the leca to raise it above any standing water and hopefully to create some humidity, although I never let it sit in water. I do have a water reader in addition to the schedule. Since I submerged it in November water does not run through. Coincidentally it was due for a water today so I did that with some fertilizer (and checked the dryness)
0 Mi piace Well Brian sounds all good to me. Now I am making an assumption. You said “water does not run through”. I’m assuming you are thoroughly watering till it comes out the drain. Only other thing I can suggest is higher humidity. Maybe a humidifier. Check the level with a humidistat.
1 mi piaceI’ve been careful recently because when it was hydrophobic I’d water it and come back later to find it swamped. Gave it a large drink today and nothing coming out yet
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How long has it been since you last watered? Do the finger/stick test. How wet/dry does the soil feel? I’ve had my BOP over 15 years and In my experience, leaf curl is a usually an indication this plant is thirsty.
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How dry is the soil before you water it? If it’s drying out all the way, that could explain the leaf curling. I’d probably check the soil closer to every 7-10 days to see if it needs to be watered during the winter months; sometimes the heat that we run inside during winter makes plants dry out faster than Planta’s algorithm predicts. I like to check that my soil is dry by sticking a chopstick into it, just like if you’re checking a baking cake. The soil should be 50% dry in the growing season and 75% dry during the winter months. It might be good to repot if you’ve never done it before, especially if you can see a lot of roots coming out the bottom. If it’s too root bound in there, it might also be drying out faster than usual. You can separate the plants if you want, but it could lead to one or both of them declining, plus if you keep them together you have an extra full-looking plant. Whenever you do repot, make sure it’s in a well-draining chunky soil mix (for example, equal parts potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark) and that the planter you put it in is no more than 1-2 inches bigger than the root ball. It’s also worth mentioning that one time when my BOP was drooping, I realized I had it right next to a heat vent. Once I added a vent deflector, it improved a lot. I suspect the heat vent was drying it out quickly and also making the air unusually dry.
3 Mi piaceGreat points - thanks! I am going to attempt repotting (in a warm room of course) although I’m a bit terrified. Do have a 12” pot ready to go. Also of note, we did move it from an eastern facing window to a northwest facing window during the holidays to make room for our tree. Maybe that shocked it?
1 mi piace it’s possible the change made it a little unhappy! Repotting can be intimidating but you’ve got it! If it helps, Tanner the Planter has some great repotting videos that really help make it easy.
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