Is the bird of paradise poisonous? Potted cultivation methods and precautions
The bird of paradise likes to grow in places with plenty of sunlight, and it is not demanding about temperature, with strong adaptability. Especially when it blooms, its flowers are a perfect combination of blue petals and yellow sepals, making people like it even more. Growing such a beautiful plant is actually very simple. Let's take a look at its specific cultivation methods and precautions below.
Potted cultivation methods and precautions for the bird of paradise
Cultivation methods
1. Light: The bird of paradise likes to grow in an environment with plenty of sunlight, but in summer it is afraid of intense direct sunlight, so appropriate shading treatment should be done when cultivating it in summer. The suitable light intensity for the bird of paradise during the growing period is 30000Lx. If it is exposed to too much sun in summer, the leaves will curl inward and growth will be slow.
Insufficient sunlight in winter can also cause leggy leaves or thin, weak, and bent petioles, making it difficult to bloom. Therefore, when cultivating the bird of paradise, it should not be kept in shade in winter or exposed to the sun in summer, otherwise the yield of cut flowers will be affected.
2. Temperature: The suitable growing temperature for the bird of paradise is 18-24 degrees Celsius. In summer, above 40 degrees Celsius will hinder growth, and in winter, below 0 degrees Celsius and lower will also suffer from freezing damage. The general cultivation temperature is no lower than 10 degrees at night in winter, and it can still bloom when the daytime temperature is around 20 degrees.
When the bird of paradise grows within the suitable temperature range, flower buds can form in every leaf axil and scapes can emerge to bear flowers. Therefore, controlling the temperature well is the key to increasing the number of bird of paradise flowers.
3. Soil: The bird of paradise has fleshy roots and is afraid of waterlogging, so when the soil for cultivating the bird of paradise is too moist and poorly aerated, root rot can occur. Generally, sufficient water should be supplied during the flowering period and in summer, while the amount of watering should be appropriately reduced in early spring and after flowering.
In order to increase the humidity in the air and ensure that the bird of paradise can fully absorb water, the aboveground part of the plant also needs timely spraying, keeping the air humidity during the growing period at 60% to 70%.
4. Watering: The amount of watering should depend on seasonal changes, the plant's growth condition, and the actual degree of dryness and wetness of the soil. Generally speaking, watering should follow the principle of watering when dry and stopping when wet.
In summer, watering should be sufficient. In spring and summer, water should also often be sprayed on the leaf surface and sprinkled on the ground around the flower pot to increase air humidity, create a cool environment, and benefit its growth and development. After late autumn, watering should be reduced, and in winter watering should be controlled to keep the potting soil somewhat dry.
5. Fertilizer: During the growing period, the bird of paradise needs topdressing about once every 20 days, preferably with decomposed cake fertilizer water. From flower stem formation to full flowering, it needs 2 to 3 applications of compound fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus and potassium.
In autumn, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer should be appropriately reduced to prevent excessive growth of stems and leaves from affecting flower bud development and cold resistance. In summer, because the plant is in a semi-dormant state, the amount of fertilizer water should be reduced; remember to stop fertilizing in winter, and loosen the soil through weeding and hoeing to increase aeration.
6. Repotting: Generally, seedlings should be repotted once a year. After flowering, adult plants can be repotted once every 1 year. When repotting, dig up the entire clump of the bird of paradise from the soil (carry as many roots as possible), and after clearly distinguishing the roots and the gaps between buds, reasonably choose the cutting entry point according to the plant size on the premise of ensuring each small divided seedling has 2-3 buds.
Use a sharp knife to divide the mother plant into 2-3 clumps from the gaps in the rhizome. The cut should be dipped in plant ash and dried in a ventilated place for 3-5 hours. Overly long roots can be appropriately shortened, and then it can be planted.
Precautions
1. Summer shading: In the southern subtropical region, using shade nets to shade bird of paradise plants in summer can reduce strong sunlight and high temperature exposure and sunburn on plants and leaves, and keep the plants growing well.
Shading treatment for plants in summer will significantly reduce the first-grade flower rate of the cut flowers produced. Because flower prices in the summer market are low, only about 20% of the price in peak demand season, the summer cut flower yield should be controlled and the amount put on the market reduced to protect the plants through the summer smoothly, thereby increasing the yield and quality of cut flowers in the peak demand season of winter and spring. From the perspective of annual economic returns, the gains outweigh the losses.
2. Building sheds in winter: From December to March of the following year in winter and spring in the southern part of this province, the temperature is relatively low, and northern cold waves often invade. The cut flower yield of the bird of paradise is low, while at this stage market demand for cut flowers increases and prices rise.
Tests show that adopting the measure of building film arched sheds in the field can significantly promote an increase in cut flower yield, with small arched sheds having the best effect, increasing cut flower yield by 300% compared with open field cultivation. Moreover, simple film small arched sheds are easy to source materials for and cover, low in cost, and effective in keeping warm and promoting flowering, making them suitable for use by farmers in rural areas.
Is the bird of paradise poisonous?
The bird of paradise has large leaves and a beautiful posture, with peculiar flower shapes. Potted bird of paradise is suitable for decorating meeting rooms and halls, giving a fresh and elegant feeling. In the south, planting it in courtyards adds much natural charm, so it is not poisonous.
Can the bird of paradise be kept indoors?
The bird of paradise likes a warm and humid climate and is afraid of frost and snow; it likes light but avoids strong light. Under weak light it grows thin, sprouts little, and blooms abnormally or does not bloom. The suitable growing temperature is 18-24°C, and the indoor temperature in winter should not be lower than 5°C. Therefore, as long as the temperature is suitable, it can be kept indoors.
The flower language of the bird of paradise
1. No matter when or where, never forget that the person you love is waiting for you. This is probably because of the legend about the bird of paradise: after a boy and girl in love separated, the girl died while waiting for the boy, and when the boy returned home after overcoming all obstacles, all he received was the sad news of the girl's death. From then on, the boy gave the bird of paradise plants grown at home to passing travelers, telling them not to forget that the loved ones at home were always waiting for them.
2. A bird that can fly to paradise can bring all kinds of emotions and longing to paradise. This is probably because of the word paradise in the bird of paradise's alias, which led people to give it such meaning. With the word paradise and being a little bird that can fly, everyone hopes that the bird of paradise can bring people's longing to relatives who have already gone to paradise.
The greatest feature of the bird of paradise is the flowers it opens. Such beautiful flowers must also have their own unique flower language. After reading the introduction above, it is indeed so. Its flower language represents freedom, happiness, waiting, and friendship. No matter which meaning it is, it fits its image very well.