hi everyone it's marianne
and welcome to My Wasteless Life
today let's talk about 2021's plant of the year
the birds of paradise
thank you so much for joining me today
and if you're new this is My Wasteless Life
where i take you along my plant and sustainable lifestyle journey
and share with you some of my tips and tricks along the way
and today we're going to talk about what i believe is
2021's plant of the year the birds of paradise
i personally believe and predict that 2021's plant of the year
at least when it comes to statement floor plants
is going to be the birds of paradise
and i say that for a couple of reasons
one as i watch a lot of the home trends for 2021
a lot of designers do say when it comes to house plants as a style decor
the birds of paradise is going to be the go-to plant of the year
previously it was the fiddle leaf fig and the monstera deliciosa
and while those two plants are still going to be staples in home styling and home decor
the fiddle leaf fig as we know by now is not exactly beginners friendly
and it doesn't always work in any type of space
and the monstera deliciosa while it's an easier care plant compared to the fiddle lead fig
once it grows and it matures you have to stick it up in a pole
and it does become a little bit unruly and hard to manage as the plants get bigger
but when it comes to your birds of paradise
it is pretty much similar to your standard draceana or majestic palm floor plants when
it comes to its care
but the birth of paradise gives more a wow factor as a statement floor plant due to its
banana leaf-like foliage
and another reason is in the increase in both of the supply and demand of the birds of paradise
when i talked to local nurseries around me the birds of paradise is one of their best-selling
plants
and as you might have noticed the birds of paradise is becoming a lot more available
kind of like with the fiddle leaf fig and monstera deliciosa when it first came out
the birds of paradise wasn't very accessible and it only came in that huge large floor
plant
but nowadays you can easily and frequently find a birds of paradise
whether in your local nursery or in big box stores like home depot or lowe's
and now the birds of paradise also comes in many different sizes
so you could pick the size of the birds of paradise that would fit your space
the birds of paradise is a tropical plant that originated in south africa
and is often mistaken for a banana tree or a palm
it comes in many different varieties but the two most common one is
the white bird of paradise
and the orange for the paradise
the orange birds of paradise is probably a lot more familiar to people or at least it's
bloom because it is the one that we often see
while the white birds of paradise is very difficult to get to bloom as indoor plants
and even if you put it outdoors
the orange birds of paradise also is more of a dwarf version of the birds of paradise
and it has a lot narrower and smaller leaves
while the white birds of paradise or the striletzia nicolai
which is the one that i have right here behind me
is the one that has a banana leaf like foliage and the one that you would want to get
if you want a birds of paradise as your statement floor plant
the white birds of paradise as an indoor plant can grow from three feet up to 10 or 15 feet
so now that you know a little bit more about the birds of paradise
and my reasons why i believe it's going to be 2021's plant of the year
i'm going to talk about how to shop for your birds of paradise
what to do with them once you bring them home and what's the regular plant care for the
birds of paradise
so keep on watching after this ad break
and like with any plant you should pick the birds of paradise if it's right for your space
meaning you'll be able to provide the enough light it needs for it to grow
and a birds paradise would need an indirect bright light in order to grow properly
and the birds of paradise do come as a large plant but as mentioned earlier now it comes
in many different sizes
so don't be afraid to start with a much smaller plant if that's what fits your budget or that's
what fits your current space
just remember plants grow and the birds of paradise during the growing season is an exceptionally
fast grower
so even though you start with a smaller birds of paradise like the one i have right here
with me
it will grow pretty quick during the growing season and you will have a large birds of
paradise in no time
when it comes to floor plants i personally like to pick plants that's just a single plant
in a pot
as opposed to one that has multiple plants in a single pot
while it feels like you're getting a bonus or extra plants when you get a plant that
has multiple plants in a single pot
for a statement plant like birds of paradise it makes them grow a little bit slower
or the foliage grows a little bit smaller when there's multiple plants in a single pot
and if it's only a single plant it has the opportunity to grow much larger foliage and
mature a lot faster
and especially when you're shopping for a birds of paradise in a garden center
you'll probably find the foliage has a bit of a damage in it but that is okay
splits and a little bit of browning is fine for birds of paradise
what you really want to look out for is to make sure that the plant don't have any pests
in it
especially if you're buying it during the winter time where spider mites are very rampant
so make sure you check not only on top of the foliage but underneath the foliage
and also on the stems of the birds of paradise especially in between where those pests could
really hide
also check the top of the soil and make sure you don't spot any insects or pests crawling
on top of it
and despite any aesthetic or cosmetic imperfections that you might see in the birds of paradise
pick out a plant that has an incoming growth in it
because that is a good indication that the plant is not experiencing root rot currently
and it's an overall good health
and that's what you want to bring home a healthy plant not just a beautiful plant
and as mentioned earlier while the demand for the birds of paradise has increased but
also the supply
so don't pay too much for your birds of paradise
the prices could range from fifteen dollars to upwards of over a hundred dollars depending
on the size
the birds of paradise that i got is around three feet and i got that from lowe's for
$12.98 including tax is around $15
and in one of the local nurseries in my area plants alive
they constantly have a supply of birds of paradise and for a plant that is slightly
larger than this it starts at 25
they also have the large floor statement plants from $50 to upwards of a hundred dollars
and so you can definitely find a birds of paradise that fits your space and your budget
so what to do once you bring your birds of paradise home
like with most houseplants you would want to isolate your birds of paradise from the
rest of your houseplants for at least 24 to 48 hours
but during winter time and if you have limited space that is almost quite impossible to do
so here's what you can do instead
first thing you should do the moment you bring your plant home is to clean the foliage of
your birds of paradise
you can either bring it into your bathroom put it under the shower or in your bathtub
wash the foliage and also wash the stems or just wipe down the foliage and the stems
i choose to just wipe it down instead of washing the entire plant because i don't want to water
the plant also the moment i bring it home
and usually when you buy plants from a garden center or a nursery they just have been recently
watered or just been watered that day
so i don't want to bring it home into a completely different environment and water it right away
at the same time
the first thing i would do is to take a wet washcloth just you know wet it with regular
water
wipe down the foliage and wipe down the stems and you will see a lot of dust accumulation
on this foliage
so i'll do that maybe once or twice until i have taken out most of the dust
and next thing that i would do is spray the entire plant with a neem oil solution
you can either buy a neem oil spray or make your own i prefer making my own
and i would generously spray the plant with neem oil let it sit for a few minutes and
then wipe down the entire plant
and i'll probably do that once or twice and do it again for the next consecutive two or
three days
just to make sure that the birds of paradise don't have any pests in it that might drop
or spread to my other plants
when you bring home your birds of paradise don't repot it right away in fact don't repot
it at all
you can wait for six months up to a year before you repot your birds of paradise
unless the nursery pot it came with is broken or doesn't have enough drainage that's the
only time that i would repot
but even then i would still wait until the plant acclimates to my space before i do that
and right now the birds of paradise that i have is still in the nursery pot and i just
placed it in this decorative planter
even though you're not repotting it there's a couple things that you can do
one is to change out the top soil of the birds of paradise because usually that's where the
fungus gnats would have laid its egg
and if there's any pests it's usually going to be in the top inch or two of the soil
so you can change that out and replenish it with fresh soil and with added nutrients as
well
i have had my birds of paradise for over two weeks now and i haven't watered it since the
day i've gotten it
and since it is the first time i am watering my birds paradise i would first do a hydrogen
peroxide flush
just to make sure that the soil is treated and don't have any bacterial or any fungus
or any pests in it that might harm the plant
but when it comes to the regular watering of your birds of paradise
as with any large plant with large foliage you'd want to water it a little bit more frequently
than most of your houseplants
like with my fiddle leaf fig and my monstera deliciosa
prefer for the soil to not be completely dry or to be dry for too long before i water it
water your birds of paradise when the top two or three inches of the soil is dry
do not wait for the soil to be completely dry or let it go dry for too long before you
water it
but at the same time you also don't want to be over watering your birds of paradise
signs of over watering in your breasts of paradise includes
droopy leaves, brown edges that is followed by yellowing on the leaves, curling leaves,
extreme leaf splitting and also discoloration
and on the other end signs of underwatering includes crispy tips, brittle edges and shriveled
leaves
when it comes to lighting the birds of paradise love indirect bright light
it's best to put it in a south facing window or supplement it with the grow light
during the growing season you can bring it outside to encourage faster growth and maybe
even get it to flower
but as mentioned earlier the white birds of paradise is very difficult to get to flower
also if you're putting your birds of paradise outside don't put it where it can get direct
full sun
you want to put it in a slightly shady area or at least in the area that doesn't get direct
sun
because even though birds of paradise found natively in tropical regions do well under
full sun
the birds paradise that we get from garden centers and local nurseries were bred or grown
inside greenhouses
and they haven't adapted to full sun like the birds of paradise that are grown in the
wild
clean the foliage of the birds of paradise regularly to help it absorb more light for
photosynthesis
and when your birds of paradise is not getting enough light
it would have droopy leaves, leaf browning, yellowing leaves, extremely splitting and
it will also have stunted growth
and if you notice the signs of the lack of light is also the same for the signs of over
watering your plant
because the lack of light will prevent the absorption of the water a lot faster
which can then lead to root rot no matter how careful you are with your watering
and when it comes to fertilization birds of paradise are heavy feeders due to their large
foliage
so during the growing season make sure you are fertilizing them at least once a month
maybe twice a month if you're using liquid fertilizer
and if you're using a slow release granular fertilizer fertilize your bursts of paradise
every three months or as the package instructs
and because they are heavy feeders there's also risk of over fertilization
so make sure you are flushing your plants at least twice a year or when you see heavy
buildup in the soil
and like with most houseplants there's no need to fertilize your birds paradise during
the winter months or when it's in dormancy
because even if it's pushing out new growth it is likely a lot slower compared to the
growing season
and over fertilization can lead to stunted growth in your birds of paradise
and when picking out a fertilizer for your birds of paradise
you would want something with a higher nitrogen content because of its large foliage
but if you're also trying to get your birds of paradise to flower you might alternately
use a fertilizer
that has a higher phosphorus content or add bone meal to the soil during the growing season
however it takes at least a five-year-old birth of paradise plant before it starts to
bloom
in an ideal condition it would bloom year round but the normal blooming period is from
fall to spring
and as mentioned earlier the white birds of paradise is very difficult to get to bloom
as an indoor plant
and even as a plant that is grown outdoors
and lastly pest prevention when it comes to birds paradise
since the birds of paradise is often compared to the majestic palm i imagine its susceptibility
to past is also very similar
if you ever have a majestic palm you will notice that come winter time they quickly
die out
and they also get infested with a lot of fats from spider mites to thrips to aphids and
scales and whatnot
and i suspect the birds of paradise is also getting produced in the greenhouses the same
way the majestic palms are
so they are not very resilient and they are not grown to withstand heavy pest infestations
so prevention is key
if you take one thing away from this video clean the foliage of your birth of paradise
because in the process of cleaning it not only you're allowing the plant to absorb more
light
if you're using a neem oil solution to clean your foliage then you're also preventing it
from getting infested with pests
and even if you don't have neem oil solution at hand you can use soapy water to clean the
leaves of your birds of paradise
and if you are just regularly watering your plant you're not flushing it i highly recommend
bottom watering instead of top watering
and if you are top watering make sure you are not pouring water on the stems of the
birds of paradise
because water can accumulate in between those stems which could lead to rot and can also
be breeding grounds for pests
so that's how you properly take care of a birds of paradise
let me know if you recently got one or you're thinking of buying one down in the comments
and if you have owned a birds of paradise for quite a while also share your tips and
tricks down in the comments section
i would love to hear it and i'll be sharing updates of my birds of paradise on my instagram
account
so make sure you're also following me there @mywastelesslife
and if you haven't yet also be subscribed to my monthly newsletter Plantiful Newsletter
it comes out every first of the month and i usually give a lot of planned updates in
my exclusive videos in my newsletters
so yeah thank you so much for watching
if you like this video please give me a thumbs up
and if you're new here i hope you subscribe
i come up with houseplants and sustainable lifestyle videos every week
and if you haven't yet go check out this videos up here until my next one
but until then i see you, i appreciate you
take care of yourself and each other
and have a plantiful day
bye