9 Reasons for Bird Of Paradise Leaves Curling (And How To Fix It)

The large leaves and bird-like orange flowers of Strelitzia are stunning, making it more popular each year. But growing issues remain common—here’s one you should know about.

QUICK ANSWER: The Bird of Paradise flourishes with a few hours of direct sunlight daily. Excessive sunlight can cause its leaves to curl and become brown and crispy. Conversely, insufficient light will lead to the leaves wilting and curling inward.

Underwatering

One of the main reasons why the leaves of the Bird of Paradise curl is dehydration. Because this plant has huge leaves, it evaporates a significant amount of moisture daily. If you don’t give it enough water, it will curl inward.

In this way, all plants reduce their leaf area and thus reduce the amount of moisture they evaporate. Other symptoms can be dry leaves at the leaf tips and edges.

Solution

1. Water the Bird of Paradise correctly. If the soil in the pot is more than half dry, it’s time to water.
2. Water the plant with plenty of water until the soil in the pot is completely moist.
3. Use pots with drainage holes. When watering, the excess water should flow out through the drainage holes.
4. Do not leave any dripping water in the saucer underneath the pot as this can harm the health of the plant.
5. Water Bird of Paradise with water that has been settled for a few days.

Low humidity

Dry air can cause Bird Of Paradise leaves to curl. Lack of humidity can be due to heating in the winter or from being close to an air conditioner. Other symptoms can be large dry spots on the leaves.

Solution

1. Keep Bird of Paradise away from heaters and other devices that produce heat or intense air movement.
2. Install a container with stones and fill it halfway with water. In this case, the water will slowly evaporate, creating the right microclimate around the plant.
3. Or you can install a humidifier near the plant for this very purpose.

Too much sun

Too much light can also cause Bird of Paradise leaves to curl. In general, this plant needs several hours of direct sunlight a day. But if it has always grown in the diffuse sun, then a sudden change in sun exposure can cause burns and curling.

Solution

1. Move the plant to an east or west window and gradually increase the amount of sunlight it receives. This way you will know exactly how much sunlight your Bird of Paradise can handle.
2. Also, a slight increase in the amount of water during watering can make it easier for the plant to recover.

Temperature stress

Bird of Paradise is not a hardy plant, so in most cases it is grown as an indoor plant. But during the summer, owners often take Bird of Paradise outdoors for improved growth. Often in the summer, there are nighttime cold spells that can cause the leaves to curl and even turn red.

Solution

1. Move Bird of Paradise to a warmer location and shade it from the scorching afternoon sun.
2. Increase the watering a little.

Small root system

Sometimes, Bird of Paradise owners don’t repot it into larger pots for several years. As a result, the above-ground part of the plant grows to a large size while the underground part remains small.

The small root system is not able to cover the water and nutrient needs of the plant. This leads to curling of the leaves, as well as symptoms such as dryness and yellowing of the leaves.

Solution

1. Transplant the Bird of Paradise into a larger container. The size of the new container should be such that the roots will not become entangled for 1-2 years.
2. The next transplanting should be done after 2 years.
3. Place the plant in the shade for a while and water it a little more frequently.

Soil

The next problem is the poor quality of the soil. Often the soil is not sufficiently nutritious or poorly drained. This can cause the leaves to curl.

The second problem is that the soil is very alkaline. In such soil it is difficult for the plants to get all the necessary microelements and, as a result, chlorosis develops. The symptoms of chlorosis are a yellowing of the leaves with green veins and inward curling of the leaves.

Solution

1. Plant Bird of Paradise in a loose substrate with plenty of compost. The compost will not only increase the fertility of the soil but will also acidify it slightly. In slightly acidic soil, the possibility of chlorosis is greatly reduced.
2. Fertilize your Bird of Paradise once a year.
3. Use a slow-release fertilizer for this purpose.

This way, you will provide your plant with everything it needs for the whole growing season.

Too much water

One of the mistakes of growing Bird of Paradise is to water it very often. If the roots are left in the water for a long time, they will begin to rot. The leaves will curl outward and turn yellow. Eventually, the leaves will fall off and the plant may die.

Solution

1. Take the Bird of Paradise out of the pot and inspect the roots. If rot is present, clean the roots from the soil and wash them.
2. Use a sterile tool to remove all dead tissue and spray the wounds with fungicide.
3. Plant the Bird of Paradise in a pot with drainage holes. The soil should be well-drained and free of pathogens.
4. Water the plant only when the soil is half dry.

Pests and Diseases

Some types of pests can cause leaves to curl. First of all, it is the spider mite, a very small reddish-brown bug. Its way of feeding is by sucking the sap from the plant. A clear sign of the presence of the mite is the cobwebs on the plant.

As for diseases, they can also cause twisted leaves. Also, small brown spots can appear on the leaves.

Solution

1. Wash the Bird of Paradise under running water. Since mites do not like moisture, very often a shower is enough to get rid of them.
2. If the mites don’t go away, then you need to spray the plant with an acaricide.
3. Also, some insects can cause the leaves to curl. In this case, you need to use horticultural oil or pesticide.
4. Use multipurpose fungicides against diseases.

Transplant shock

Earlier in this article, I already partially mentioned the transplant shock. Transplanting puts stress on the plant and, if the growing conditions change, it can result in curling and wilting of the leaves.

Solution

1. To avoid transplanting shock, try to transplant Bird of Paradise when it is not in a state of growth (Spring or Autumn).
2. After transplanting, shade the plant for a few weeks and slightly increase the frequency of watering.

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