Being a tropical plant, The bird of paradise is found In south Africa, Hawai, Florida, and other hot places. It is also known as a crane flower. The bird of paradise is a beautiful flower that catches the attention of the viewer. Hence in this post, we are going to learn about “How to grow birds of paradise from seeds“.
Moreover, there are some very important things to know before you start to grow your own Bird of Paradise from seeds.
Bird of Paradise is an ornamental plant that is native to tropical rain forests of the Americas. It is an epiphytic plant that grows on trees and bushes. It has a long history of cultivation and is used as an ornamental plant. The flowers are white and fragrant. The plant is also known as “Kauwaha” in Hawaiian and “Maui” in Hawaiian.
I’m going to show you how to grow a bird of paradise from seeds. I’ll walk you through the process step by step, and show you how to take care of the plants once you have them.
The plant of bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is named so because the plant resembles the bird in flight. This plant has shiny and dark green leaves similar to banana leaves. Its shiny leaves encircle the tiny flowers which come out from the bract.
Extract Birds of Paradise Seeds: How to Get Bird of paradise seeds?
For getting the seeds of a bird of paradise firstly, you need to select the mature flower. Take only those flowers which lose their color and turn pale or orange. Afterward cut open the flower and put it in a dry place.
Preparing the seeds involves removing any loose seed coats or stringy orange tufts from the seeds. Then, give each seed a light cut to expose the black endosperm inside.
The seeds bean will open once dried fully. This is the easiest method of getting bird of paradise seeds. Dry seeds are considered best for sowing processes.
But if you do not want to wait till the flower dries. Cut open the flower carefully. The seeds are present on the deep side of the flower. Be careful while cutting the bean for seed as a deep cut from a knife can damage the seeds.
Removing Seeds Shell
After the drying period, the shell of the seed becomes hard. So now we can grow the fresh seeds immediately after the collection and prepare them for germination.
Take the seed and remove the arils(orange hair). Clean the seed and put them in an air-tight plastic bag and keep them in the refrigerator. This will encourage the germination process.
After 2 weeks take out the seeds and soak them in lukewarm water for softening for about a day or two. After soaking for two days remove the hard covering with a knife. You can use any tool and method to remove the outer covering.
Plant the seeds of Bird Of Paradise
Once the seeds are ready for planting, put them 1/2 to 1 inch deep in potting soil in a container or pot. Ensure that there should be a drainage hole at the bottom of the container or pot. Sow some seeds in the soil. Keep 3 inches of gap between 2 seeds while sowing in a container or Pot.
And move them into a warm, sunny location that’s over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. After seeding, it’s important that you don’t disturb the plant’s roots until after the plants have germinated. Water the soil to keep it moist and cover the entire container with plastic wrap and cloche.
Water the seedlings regularly as the leaves emerge, and keep the soil moist. Watering is necessary for plants to thrive, but make sure the soil isn’t soaked.
As soon as the seeds have sprouted, transplant the seedlings into individual 6-inch pots filled with potting soil. Plant them out when they have two to three leaves.
You can’t keep the soil moist enough for planting seeds if you live in a hot climate. Instead, plant your seeds in a cool, dry location and water the soil only when the roots show signs of needing moisture. This helps your plants develop strong root systems that can better absorb the nutrients from the soil.
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Transplant Bird of Paradise Seedlings
A transplant needs to be maintained for a total of six months to establish the plant successfully. Water the plant frequently, while maintaining good soil conditions.
When the bird of paradise seedlings grow to about 6 to 8 inches tall, plant them in an outdoor location during the spring or fall.
Select a site with partial to full sun and well-drained, fertile soil. Dig planting holes the depth of the root balls but twice the width. Space them 3 to 5 feet apart since each plant can form a clump 3 to 5 feet wide.
Transplant the seedlings into a prepared bed at the same depth they grew in the containers. This is the time when you’ll start providing the plants with adequate water. Keep the soil slightly moist, but not soggy.
A lack of water can kill the plant. A good rule of thumb is that your plants should have between 6 and 10 inches of water during the hot season and about 4 to 6 inches of water in the spring and fall. This is important because plants need this extra moisture to help them grow.
Feed Bird of Paradise
When your seed starts germinating, give it regular water and other food like fertilizers. During the first month use 2-4-2 organic fertilizers. Mix 2 tbsp of fertilizer and after mixing it give it to the plant. As the plant increases in size and age, increase the amount of fertilizer given to them as well.
Best Tips For Growing Bird of Paradise
Bird of paradise is low maintenance care plant. Hence, they can be easily grown as houseplants or in gardens even by a beginner in gardening. Caring for this plant depends on the method of growing birds of paradise. If you are growing bird of paradise from seeds, it takes more time to grow as compared to growing from a seedling. They grow well in both cases but you should take care of some instructions to grow.
- Firstly choose the best quality seeds of the bird of paradise. Then prepare the seeds for germination.
- Always sow the seeds in high-quality potting mix soil having good drainage qualities.
- Add fertilizer to the plant at fixed intervals. With the increase in age, increase the amount of fertilizer as well. Keep the check on the quantity of fertilizer given to the plant. Too much fertilizer will harm the plant.
- This plan thrives in sunlight. Hence choose a location so that bird of paradise get maximum exposure to the sun.
- Bird of paradise plant cannot bear a high amount of water because too much water will damage the plant as the roots will start to rot. So give water only to the plant when the upper soil feels dry.
Thanks for Reading.