How To Plant Bird Of Paradise Flower Seeds

Crowded plants produce more blooms so don t rush to.

How to plant bird of paradise flower seeds. Locate newly planted seeds somewhere hot at least 85 f. You ll need to keep the soil moist by watering your bird of paradise at least once a week. Don t let the soil dry completely to the bottom or the plant will start wilting. Store the seeds in a dry cool place until you re ready to plant them.

Always scratch or nick a seed on the side opposite its hilum the mark or indentation indicating where the seed was formerly attached to its seed stalk inside the pod. Hold the bird of paradise seed pod over a paper plate. When the plant starts blooming let it become fully dry even extra dry before you water and it will flower more. Sow bird of paradise seeds fill a planting tray with moist potting soil.

It can take 8 weeks or longer. Repeat this process until the plant starts flowering. Put the paper plate in a cool dry well ventilated room for one to two weeks or until the bird of paradise seeds are completely dry. Before planting soak the seeds for 24 hours.

Bird of paradise is a rapidly growing plant that needs to reach a certain size before it will bloom. Plant the seeds 1 2 to 1 inch deep and several inches apart. Plant the seeds in march or april but first remove their orange hairy tufts called arils and refrigerate the seeds at 40 to 45 degrees fahrenheit for two weeks inside a plastic bag with one handful of damp seed starting mix. If you will plant purchased seeds or harvested seeds that have hard shells then pretreat them to speed their sprouting or germination.

Then only water when the soil is dry. Cover the pot with plastic to retain humidity and keep the soil moist. Place the dry bird of paradise seeds in a paper envelope and label the envelope. To encourage a plant to bloom start fertilizing.

If you can t find a cutting you can also grow bird of paradise from seeds but keep in mind that this takes much longer. Don t fertilize the fourth week. To nick it instead use needle nosed pliers to hold the seed still on top of a cutting board and chip a tiny piece out of its rounded edge with the tip of a utility knife. Cover the pot with a pane of glass and move it into a warm.

Sometimes overwatering can prevent a bird of paradise from flowering. A bird of paradise that is 3 to 4 feet tall grows well in a 10 inch pot. A newly planted bird of paradise often doesn t blossom for a few years. Seeds should be planted 1 inch 2 5 cm deep in moistened high quality potting mix.

Remove the orange tuft and scratch the outside of the seed coat with a sharp knife. Repot it every spring into a somewhat larger pot. Be sure to water the plant well an hour before you fertilize. Try reducing your watering schedule during the growing season and let the soil dry out on the surface.

During the growing season. To grow bird of paradise start by buying a plant cutting from a gardening store and filling a large clay pot with rich potting soil. Apply liquid fertilizer once a week for three weeks. If possible sow fresh seeds immediately before their black outer shells harden.

Let the soil dry about halfway down the pot. Then plant the cutting and position your pot in a location either inside or outside that gets 5 hours of sun per day. A 5 to 6 foot plant usually thrives in a 14 inch pot.