Strelitzia
Strelitzia is often mistaken for a banana tree, but this plant is much more hardy and robust.
These plants can grow very tall, each new leaf will become bigger and higher than the previous one. The perfect statement plant!
These plants can grow very tall, each new leaf will become bigger and higher than the previous one. The perfect statement plant!
- LIGHT : Lots of light but avoid direct summer sun, this can burn the leaves. Place this plant within 2m of a West/East/South facing window.
- WATER : Water 1x per week in summer and in winter. In summer you can water more, in winter it's best to let the soil dry out first. Too much water at once will cause root rot (yellow/brown patches on the leaves). Spray the leaves 1x per week with water both in summer and in winter to prevent the plant from bugs or other diseases.
- CARE : This plant will grow very tall, new leaves will unfold from the inside of the stem. The leaves can rip, this is completely normal (in the jungle you will hardly find any leaf that isn’t ripped because of the wind). It can take several weeks until a new leaf unfolds. Be careful with watering as long as this plant is in a plastic pot, if the soil is too wet, this will attract fungus gnats.
- DISEASES : Sensitive to pests if the air is dry, regularly spray the leaves to prevent this from happening. Sensitive to fungus gnats, repot this plant in a terracotta pot with tray underneath to make sure the soil can dry out properly.
- CURIOSITIES : This plant is also called "bird of paradise", because when in bloom, they get tropical flowers that resemble the head of a bird. Strelitzia Reginae has small narrow leaves and will get orange/purple flowers every year, while Strelitzia Nicolai has bigger and wider leaves and will only get black flowers after 8 years.