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lujza_inurov

dying bird of paradise please help

hey dear friends please what is happening with my strelitzia? I though she has too much water bc leaves was yellow, so i didnt watering it for one month, but its getting worst and leaces are dying. Also a new big leaf didnt grow up to height, it's staying so low and it cant bloom. Pls help 🙏😭

Comments (4)

  • 3 years ago

    Where do you live (country/ city)?

    Does the pot have a drain hole?

    How do you decide when it's time to water?

    If the pot has a drain hole, is there a collection saucer under the pot and is the pot allowed to sit in water that collects in the saucer?

    How long have you had the plant?

    Do you fertilize? Tell us all you can about what you use? how often?

    At first glance, it looks like the plant is being over-watered, but answers to the questions will help us determine if it's reasonable to suspect that as the cause of the spoiled foliage.


    Al

  • 3 years ago

    thank you for comment i have plant about 6 months and the issues started about 3 months ago. I found out that it can be overwatered by dipping my fingers into the soil, so I limited watering to once a month or less, but the problem keeps getting worse. Now I am wondering if it cant be a bacteria from the new substrate. At the time when it was transplanted, it stopped doing well, I used a standard substrate for palm trees from the market. I live in Slovakia where the current winter is freezing outside and very cloudy.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Important: * Does the pot have a drain hole to let excess water out of the pot?

    * Is there a collection saucer under the pot to catch any water that flows out of the drain hole, and does the pot sit in the collection saucer?

    This is an example of what a collection saucer (on the bottom) might look like:

    Notice the pot sits above any water that collects in the saucer.

    There is nothing you've said so far to make me think the problem is anything but over-watering. The moisture level at the top of the soil isn't important. What IS important is what the moisture level is deep in the pot - at the bottom. Read below about how to use a "tell" to "tell" you when it's time to water. It is a very simple but useful and accurate tool, and easy to make. The wooden tool below, bottom row second from the right side, is used here as a root pick, but it is exactly the same as what a "tell" looks like, except a tell is usually longer, maybe 60cm.


    Using a 'tell'

    Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant.

    Watering in small sips leads to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor.

    In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water.

    Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'.

    One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue.

    Al

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    where is the light source.. how far from the window is the plant.. and do you have shears or drapes over the window ...

    a plant that is getting insufficient light ... is a stressed plant.. and stressed plants end up with all kinds of problems....

    also.. all plants shed leaves.. its an annual event.. and it usually inn fall or winter ... it is usually the oldest leaves .. those we just cut off and that is all need be done ..

    its usually the lowest or outer most leaves ...

    it is obvious it has very lush new growth .. so it sure didnt seem to mind that lack of water for a month ... and that growth means to me.. contrary to your drama title.. this plant is not dying ...

    ken