Didn't you post these before? (Ã)

I still think it's a direct sun issue of some type, and it's damage that simply took a while to show up.

Mine has done the same thing, and I really think it's got much to do with the proximity of the leaf to the window.
It seems that mine has done this most often during the winter months, when the sun comes in my south window at a lower angle.

I simply cut those leaves off, as these plants (like most others) will lose an occasional leaf or two over time, anyway.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it as long as the new leaves don't appear to be experiencing the same symptoms.

The browning on the edges of that last leaf pictured, I feel is simply the plant's natural progression of losing an older leaf.....just my opinion, though.

I don't have a Bird of Paradise, but I do know it's a tropical plant. When thinking about tropical regions HUMIDITY comes to mind. LOTS of humidity. During the growing season (which is also the rainy season in the tropics) you should water weekly and mist daily. I see you have maybe an air purifier or something right by the plant? Maybe that's taking some humidity from your bird?

Here's some houseplant care for your bird:

http://houseplants-care.blogspot.com/2007/04/bird-of-paradise-care.html

Here's some care tips from the University of Florida:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG106

Hope they help you out!

Here is a link that might be useful: Great soil for container growing!

Thanks for your help. Yes I did post this question before, Nan,but since I now have more leaves affected, I'm hoping to nip it in the bud.

That is a fan beside the bird, and it doesn't blow on it. I only have turned it on a couple of times recently, as it's still early spring, so not hot yet.

I'll try misting it and see if it improves. Good news is I noticed a new leaf sprouting today. It's actively growing.

I have a smaller one, in another room, but with the same sun exposure and the leaves have never done this.

I the smaller one out on the balcony a couple of summers ago, and the edges of some leaves got wrinkled so I brought it in, and haven't put it out since.

Hi Bihai,
I haven't fertilized it at all since I bought it. As far as water, we drink filtered water, which is what I use for all the plants. It's a ceramic filter which removes a lot of stuff, including any smell of chlorine. I keep my water in jugs, and keep the cap off for a day or 2 so any chlorine can escape. The water is always at room temps.

Perhaps you are watering too much.
Have you put your fingers through the bottom holes of your pot to see if you have soggy soil at the very bottom that isn't drying out?
Strelitzia are from South Africa originally and are, in natural habitat, usually growing in pretty dry arid conditions. They are not, like, a tropical rainforest plant that need tons of water, just more 'tropical' in their heat requirements.

Even plants that are grown in full sun in nature can get sunburnt if they've become acclimated to lower light.

Anyway, the banana plant I bought last year (I guess the two things are sort of related. A little.) started doing something similar after awhile. Is your Strelitzia still putting out new growth? If it is, maybe this is just a natural shedding of old leaves. The reason I ask is that it only looks like the outermost leaves that are doing this, and not the innermost ones, which I assume are younger.

It it were a light issue I would think that the entire leaf would fade fairly quickly and it would be more than just the outermost leaves; it would quickly turn the color of the leaves yellow. If you feel it needs more light I would say, rather than needing stronger light, it would need longer days and to put it in the middle of that window so it would get more hours of light.

I really think that since the leaves are yellowing and quickly getting dry more toward the edge of the older leaves that it just needs more humidity. Plants transpire from the edges and along the veins of their leaves. Transpiration is the plant's process of letting off the CO2 & its waste water. Assuming you used heat this past winter the plant was warm and transpired regularly. If the roots cannot replace water to the plant as fast as it transpires then it starts killing the older leaves to save the new growth. From your closeups of the leaves it looks like this is what is happening. OR that you may not have leeched the soil and excess salt has burned your plant.

My reccommendation would be to put this baby in the tub and shower it under a SOFT shower for half an hour. Indirect might help so you're not just blasting the soil into the tub. It takes approximately half an hour for the roots to absorb the water and the xylem (the part of the vascular budle that carries water and nutrients up throughout the plant) to transport it throught the plant. By that time the soil is leeched well and the plant has optimum humidity. Let the soil drain well and have someone help you put it back. I'd drag it atop a plastic bag so you don't get drippings of that water on your carpet; that's what I do.

If you ever notice you have accidentally forgotten to water a plant on time and you want to fertilize it, water it well with *plain* water and wait half an hour. Then you can water it with the fertilizer and not burn the plant.

Check in again about a week after the shower if you choose to try it.

Good luck!

When I mentioned the 'sun issue'...I DID state:
"I really think it's got much to do with the proximity of the leaf to the window"

Leaf burn has been known to happen through windows, and if a leaf is, by chance *touching* a window, leaf burn is much more likely.

If you want to rule out that possibility, then I'm wondering about the possibility of a *cold* issue (again, dealing with the leaf's proximity to the window.)

jasdip...since you live in zone 5, I live in zone 4, perhaps that could be the cause?

I turn my plant occasionally, and I do note that the leaves that show those symptoms are the ones that were nearest the window.

Were any of your plants' leaves 'quite near' the window, jasdip?

Hi Nan,
None of the leaves touch the window, and the sheers cover the window. Now that no sun comes in, I tend to leave the sheers open, except where the BOP sits. (The curtains bunch where the plant sits).

I had it under the shower for a lengthy time yesterday. It got a thorough watering, as well as all the leaves.
Now that no sun comes in, I'll keep an eye on the plant and see if the leaves behave themselves.

Could you please expand on, "Now that no sun comes in..." please? What I'm getting from this is you've showered your plant and it's now not getting any natural sunlight. Am I correct or no? If so, that is a recipe for root rot.

Under those sheers is that a heater/AC vent? That could potentially be a problem for your BOP.

Nan, you have a good point. I didn't think about that "window factor."

Jasdip, about how far from the window was and is the nearest leaf of your BOP? On the other hand, my aunt has her plants very near the glass of her bay window and her plants always look absolutely fantastic with no burning.

My giant BOP pot sits right on top of the heater vent with no ill effects. MY leaves do not look like that although I do have a bit of brown edge where one touched the window when we were having winter. Mine sits in the S window usually- unless the Christmas tree is there- it prefers S to the E window as evidenced by increased growth there.

i wonder if your plant was damaged before you bought it. Perhaps came in in freezing weather or was hit with round up by accident at the nursery...
Overwatering comes to mind too. I let mine get really dry the first few inches down and then give a half gallon at a time with 1/16 tsp miracle gro fertilizer crystals. I don't do the fertilizer every watering. Water rarely runs out the bottom. Like I said I let it get rather dry.

I repotted mine last summer. I was amazed how tight the root growth was. I had to really hack it apart with a matchette. There is a lot more root in a pot then you'd think.

Hope it helps. I've had mine a yr at least. Also in zone 5a
Karen

I let mine dry before watering as well. I always stick my fingers in as far as I can, plus feel the soil at the holes.

Hort--I only get full sun in my apartment in the winter. The whole apartment is flooded with sunlight. Gorgeous. Now that spring is here, the apartment has just light...no direct sun.

I don't think the heat would be affecting it. All my plants are placed in front of the windows, with the register running along underneath. None have suffered any burns from the heat. This big guy actually sits farther back from the window and possible heat source, just because it's so large.

It was gorgeous when I bought it, which is why I couldn't resist.....

Well, it sounds to me like you're doing well by your BOP. Cheerpeople made a good point about possible overspray with roundup or another chemical getting on the BOP before you purchased it. In the picture, the new leaves look shiny which indicates the plant is happy. I'd wait it out a week or two and see if the next generation of leaves closest to the outtermost generation which is discoloring does anything. I bet you'll be pleased with the results. Plus, if there was anything left on the soil from the nursery/transportation/garden center it's been leeched out from the shower. Please keep us updated! BTW...how'd my cat get to your home to pose for the picture?

lol...twin cats, eh?

Like I'd stated in your previous post about this, jasdip, a few of the outer leaves of my plant are doing the same thing, but newer leaves are not, so I haven't worried about it, and when/if the leaves got 'bad enough', I simply cut them off.

With that in mind, I never really looked into the cause of this, mainly because life has been so darned hectic.
But....since we're trying to identify the cause of this phenomena in your plant's leaves, I'd like to know, too.
This thread is helping me, too! (Ã)

Something I forgot about is the fact that in my south window, I have a few orchid baskets of Tillandsias hanging near & above my plant that I mist occasionally.
The residual 'mist' often did, I'm sure, fall on the leaves of my BOP.

Considering it's sitting right in front of a large south window, and during the winter (kind of just like your apt.!) the sun seems to enter that window at a different angle, (so in effect 'more strongly')I'm wondering if the symptoms could be burn from the sunlight hitting the moisture droplets.

Did you ever mist your plant, or mist plants above/near it as I did?

Thanks guys,
You've been a tremendous help. I've decided not to let it stress me out anymore. But I will keep an eye on the new leaves to see if they get all yellow and ugly. Hoping Not.

Nan, I haven't misted my bop, nor the plants next to it, so luckily no wet droplets in the sun.

Hort, We both have gorgeous cats! Meet Bud, he's one of 3.
{{gwi:76625}}

like the christmas lights?

BTW cute kitty!

Here is a link that might be useful: mine at christmas

I do like the lights cheerpeople!

Hi Bud! You're aweful handsome! Looks like he has to be related to my Maggie; she displays the same cattitude!

Meet Maggie

{{gwi:76626}}

Here she is in a car seat when our oldest was new:

{{gwi:76628}}

Wouldn't Maggie and Bud make gorgeous kittens??

Hi Cheerpeople, I like your plant. It looks great. The lights are funky! LOL

Mine is putting out another new leaf, so it's certainly growing steadily.

I'm glad you've decided not to let it stress you.
I really think it will be OK...but I'm interested, so post again if the symptoms show up on new leaves?

I forgot to mention too...that my plant has never been sprayed by anything even remotely similar to roundup...but the point made by cheerpeople about the possibility of the vendor receiving the plant in cold weather (that indirectly relates to my plant's outer/large leaves possibly touching the window) is a good possibility, too.

You two..your cats look like one I used to have...his name was 'Melly'...a Mother's Day gift from my niece one year.
Sadly he escaped the house one day and was hit by a car:(
He was my favorite cat of all time, and I owned many cats over the years!
I still miss that cat!

They both have that sleepy "what?" look on their faces!

Maggie has that look all the time and it gets worse when she's irritated by someone. I call it "Cattitude." She also bats her eyes, meows sweetly and casually rolls around when she's "Being Pretty" for the last drops of ice cream in the bowl.

I bet Bud is the king of the jungle.

Jasdip, then you'd be a grandparent!! lol
How's your Bird doing? Better, worse, the same? Toni

I could definitely be a grandparent to animals Toni!!!
oooohhhhh I think another leaf is starting to turn. God I said it wouldn't get stressed, but I don't want it to keep spreading to the other leaves.

And it's a leaf that's facing the inside of the room. I checked, and none of the leaves touch the window, so they aren't shocked by the cold from this winter.

I wish I had my Melly back!
We haven't had a cat indoors for several years now, but I swear if I could find one like yours (and Melly!) I'd have another.

Only problem is, our last cat and our ONE (small)dog got into lots of trouble while we were gone to work...specifically...they tipped over MANY plants on MANY different occasions, I assume from playing/chasing each other around.

We still have the small dog, he's 11 now, so not so spunky as he was at that time, but we now have another, younger LARGE dog, who can be a bit 'spunky':)

jasdip....I do wonder, now, if your plant may have suffered some slight cold damage when the vendor received it. Considering it's a large plant, and the vendors aren't always the most conscientious when unloading....it could be.

That leads me to believe that my plant's leaves that were nearest the window (and not a newer energy-efficient one) were also cold-damage victims.

Jas, a grandparent, is a grandparent, despite 2 arms 2 legs, 4 paws or 2 claws..lol

Do you rotate your Bird? What do you mean another leaf is turning? Unfurling or color? Are they lower leaves?
If lower, Birds sometimes lose lower leaves..not to mention tear/rip. I believe ripping is their instinct. Are any of your leaves torn?
So how many leaves in all are discolored? Did you remove the bad leaf?

Nan, what type of large pup did you adopt? Oh he must be driving the 9-yr-old up the wall! lol..When we got Coco, (born 2008) he followed Sam, (born 2000) everywhere..he follows him around to this day..Sam trained Coco..he helped housebreak..This is a fact. I owe Sam so much for doing a job I would have had to do.

We miss having cats, too, but with the birds, that's impossible. Besides, Coco is the size of a cat, lol, and likes cuddling. Talk about spunk and plants..Coco has chewed sooo many plants it's not funny.
I made a cute succulent dish garden from cuttings. It matured, was healthy and compact..Week one with Coco, the dish garden was a trash garden. He chewed every single plant in his reach. I had a group of dish gardens on a lower shelf..notice I said, 'HAD.' They no longer exist.
Unlike cats who dislike Cayenne pepper, it makes no difference sprinkling pepper around pot rims..oh well.

Speaking of pepper, Jas, does your cats still bother your plants? Did you ever try the pepper?

Toni: Luke is just a 'mutt', as they say.
The best guess is part border collie and part blue-tick hound.

We adopted him about 3 years ago from the elderly neighbor lady. She'd been walking him and fell and was hurt. She asked us to just watch him for awhile, but my then 8 y.o. DD really fell for him, and we ended up keeping him (her adult kids advised her to give him up, and she obliged.)
It has worked out nicely, as she still gets to visit him, and occasionally he'll wander over there (we live in the country) and she'll have him spend the night....lol...funny!

He was probably at least 2-3 years old when we got him, so he'd be 5 or 6 now, but still has a lot of 'puppy' left in him.
He weighs about 75 pounds, so not exactly a 'lap dog'!
It has been made clear to Luke that he is NOT the alpha-dog...and we humans aren't the ones who clarified the point, if you know what I mean!
Harley (the 11 y.o. small dog)tries hard to keep up with Luke..it keeps him 'spry'!

Our dogs chew on grass outdoors, but they have never bothered any of the indoor plants in that way - Harley will occasionally bury a treat in a large potted plant (grr) but that's the only way they've ever really bothered my plants.
The cats chewed the ends of the leaves of my Beaucarnea but never any other plants.
Maybe the dogs just know better than to mess w/Mama's plants?!
(I like to think so)(Ã)

jasdip...I'm still thinking 'previous cold-damage', but just my opinion....keep us posted!

Toni, I pretty much got rid of the plants the cats ate!
My 2 dracaenas are on the very top of the bakers rack out of reach.

When I meant a new leaf turning, I see that the a spot at edge of another one is yellowing/browning. It's obviously going to be quite a bit leaner than when I bought it!

I haven't cut off the ugly leaves but I'm going to tonite, while I remember

Maggie used to rip through our appartment (when it was just her and I) and knock over plants all the time. A new day, a new mess. Finally, I resolved to moving the plants rather than getting upset with her. It saved me a lot of frustration. She really only ate my Dracenas so I grew her some wheat grass and she left those alone. I have been very fortunate that she's uninterested in my plants.

where did you buy the bird of paradise tree from?