Bird of paradise is a tropical plant and it loves humidity. Due to not maintaining their proper environment and nutrition, we often see the bird of paradise leaves turning brown or many brown spots on the leaves. In this article, I will help you identify the reason and how to treat brown leaves on a bird of paradise plant.
Note: On GardenVive, I love to provide remedies or treatments based on the symptoms. All the brown spots are not the same. Sometimes we may witness brown edges or sometimes inside the leaves or sometimes bottom side of the leaves may have brown spots.
Lower and older leaves will turn yellow and brown. This is absolutely fine and no need to worry about this. Just cut the affected leaves from the ground level with clean scissors.
You will find all types of brown spots in this same article. ( You will find pictures in each of them )
- Brown spots due to lack of humidity
- Due to underwatering
- Sudden cold
- Too much direct sunlight
- Brown spots due to over fertilization
Let me explain each of them.
Brown spots on bird of paradise leaves due to lack of humidity
I have already mentioned, the bird of paradise is a tropical plant and most tropical plants love humidity.
The brown spots will start with small dots and they will increase in size day by day. Cut the affected leaves and increase the humidity using a spray bottle.
No need to buy a humidifier. You can use a spray bottle to create a water mist.
Due to the lack of humidity some of the leaves may turn brown. Spray water on the leaves twice or at least once a day. It will maintain the humidity.
Under-watered Bird of Paradise
Keep the soil moist enough and water regularly, especially on warm days. You need to use well-draining soil for your BoP plant.
Due to lack of water, the leaves may turn brown and yellow at the same time. You may notice brown edges with yellow borders inside.
If you notice leaves are wilting check: Wilting leaves on bird of paradise
Take a look at the below image to understand what an underwater bird of paradise plant's leaf looks like:
Treatment: Water thoroughly and keep the soil moist. Make sure the soil is good at water draining. For potted plants, bottom holes are very important.
Brown spots due to sudden cold
You can consider this as an environmental stress. These tropical plants do not like heavy colds.
Due to the sudden cold, you may witness brown spots or patches on the healthy BoP leaves.
Here is a picture of a Bird of Paradise leaf with brown spots in winter:
If you are growing your BoP indoors, keep it in a warm space and do not place it near the window on cold nights.
For outdoor plants, cover them with cotton bed sheets during cold nights.
Too much direct sunlight - BoP Leaf tips turning brown
Sunlight is good for this tropical plant. But nothing is good for a plant if that is given extremely.
This is what it looks like:
The brown leaf tip of the bird of paradise leaf is a sign of too much direct sunlight.
What to do to treat this?
If your plant is potted, rotate the pot. Do not expose the same part to the sunlight always.
You can also place it in a partial shade for a couple of days.
Note: Do not feed your plant when it is already under stress.
Brown spots due to over-fertilization
They are heavy feeders. But again excessive amounts can be harmful.
I usually feed organic composts only and that is enough for them. If you want chemical fertilizers then only go for balanced fertilizers in smaller quantities.
This is also known as chemical damage. If foliar spray that is not suitable for your BoP plant falls on the leaves, a similar sign may appear.
Treatment: Do not fertilize for the next 15 days and water thoroughly to wash off any fertilizer remaining from the soil. The chemicals and salts will go deeper into the soil (out of the reach of the roots).
Due to external damage, the affected area may also turn brown just like this:
In this case, you do not have to worry. DO NOTHING!
To stop spreading it, many gardeners recommend cutting the affected leaves completely. I am not against that, but I do not put extra stress on my plants doing that.
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You can also check: how to grow bird of paradise from seeds.
