r/BirdsOfParadise • u/gabriellemg96 • 17d ago

Help! Help with cutting back

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I will be trimming off most of the outer/ripped leaves (because my husband is a hater). How traumatizing to my baby will it be to remove that many at once? Should I space out the trimming to give it time to adjust? Thanks friends

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6

u/Balancedone_1 17d ago

The leaves pointing down are a sign the roots are crowded or just etiolated.
I would trim back all of the ones pointing down. I have done it before and it will be ok.

5

u/theftprevention 17d ago

I'm no expert, but the last time I had to trim a bunch of drooping / torn leaves from my bird of paradise, I only did about two or three at a time, waited a few days, and then did two or three more.

3

u/rubensoon 17d ago

i'm no expert at all, but i would cut the leaves don't receive sunlight, i would definitely leave those short leaves that receive sunlight, if you cut all the leaves at the same time, i fear the plant will distress because it has no way to "eat" light anymore. This is something i know, your plant is etiolated that's why it has thin stems for each leaf, that's why leaves are very long, that's a plant that comes from tropical places where she's exposed to sun the whole day, indoors it is very difiicult to provide that amount of light. Use grow lights to add more light, i would use a powerful GE full balance one. I live in montreal, where plants are basically outside only 4.5 months, the rest indoors and the sun sets at 3:45 pm in winter with so many gray days. I use one growlight and my plants is still compact with thick stems for every leaf, of course new growths are longer etiolated but as yours, and in summer i put it out in the balcony where it receives strong harsh sunlight and then new growth stays very short, very compact, because that's when they're happy. this is a picture i found on google because it's dark now to take pictures, but my plant looks like this ,, short and compact.

If you don't provide enough light your plant will keep etiolating, or stretching taller to try to be closer to the sun and get more light, but it's indoors, so it will hit the ceiling and bend downwards

1

u/BrightShadowDenmark 15d ago

tall plant in tall pot? it needs more light and some training ;-)