How do you care for a bird of paradise indoors so it blooms? Master these key tips

If you really love tropical flowers and want to add some tropical flair to your home, you can grow some banana-type plants, and the bird of paradise is a great choice.

The bird of paradise, also called the crane flower (Strelitzia reginae), is a tropical flowering plant that especially loves water and sunlight, so if you want to encourage your bird of paradise to bloom, you must give it a suitable environment.

To care for a bird of paradise, the first thing is to choose a suitable environment, ideally a spot with more than eight hours of direct light each day. It should not be planted somewhere prone to waterlogging or where the soil easily cakes; choose a loose, airy, well-draining humus soil or sandy soil for growing it.

During the growing period you need to water regularly. In spring and summer, keep the soil moist. If the soil stays dry for a long time, the leaves will easily wither.

Of course, when caring for a bird of paradise you cannot let the soil become overly wet, nor let water stand for long periods, otherwise the roots will easily rot. Also note that once the weather turns cold in autumn you should reduce watering, and in winter you should control watering appropriately.

You also need to pay attention to the care temperature. The bird of paradise is a tropical flower and is very afraid of cold; the minimum care temperature should stay above seven degrees. If the temperature is too low, the bird of paradise is easily frostbitten.

To encourage blooming, you also need to regularly supplement with some slow-release organic liquid fertilizer. In spring and summer, you can add organic liquid fertilizer or potassium dihydrogen phosphate 2 to 3 times a month.

If your bird of paradise is grown indoors, you should still maintain relatively high air humidity. If the air is dry, its leaves will easily develop dry tips or wither. You can regularly mist water around it to keep the humidity high. You can also place an air humidifier nearby, or put some small pebbles in a tray at the bottom, add some clean water, and set the potted bird of paradise on top, which can continuously increase humidity.

A potted bird of paradise that has been grown for a while does not need frequent repotting; generally it can be repotted only once every three years or more. If you repot it often, it will also affect blooming.