Question
Hi

I live in Boulder Colorado and have a foothills home with a living room that faces east, has large windows, lots of light (mostly indirect), and cathedral ceilings. You can grow almost anything in my living!

Last year I purchased a healthy Strelitzia from a local plant store that was about 4 feet tall with a fair amount of growth and placed it in the north east corner of the living room which gets about 1 hour of bright morning sun (the roof has a slight overhang to block sun at a certain point) and then lots of beautiful light all day long. When I brought the plant home it was very tight in the pot so I did re-pot it into a 15" round by 14" high planter and broke up the strong roots as best I could. Now the plant spans the 15" and has tons of leaves - but for the past 9 months or so - some of the larger leaves are twisted at the ends - looking as though they are having a hard time opening. Additionally some of the lower older leaves are cracking a bit. The plant is beautiful with these few exceptions.

Sine our climate is dry and we have two ceiling fans in the room - we water it about 2 times per week in the summer - and feed it every other week with Foxfarm "grow big" and on occasion "big bloom". I water once a week in the winter. The two large ceiling fans in the room run constantly during the warmer months in addition to our air conditioning. The winter months are cooler and there is no direct vent blowing on the plant.

Additionally, the plant has gown so large that there really is not another location in my home that it could live - so I hope to make it work where it is. For the most part is is thriving and I would love to send photos so you can see exactly what I am talking about.

Thanks so much for your ideas!

Answer
Hi Stacey,

I don抰 ordinarily recommend repotting a new plant because many things can go wrong if it is not done properly and if it is moved to a pot that is too large. A 14?pot is a bit large for a 4-foot Strelitzia, but yours seems to be doing okay. Although loosening outer roots of the rootball is warranted, breaking up strong roots is not a good idea. If you used a pot that does not have drainage holes but added drainage material instead, then you will need to remedy this and it would be best if you contacted me if that is the case.

The damage to the roots may be the partial cause of the unfurled leaf tips being distorted. Nothing you can do about that, although the roots should eventually heal and future new leaves should be okay.

Leaf splitting is common with Strelitzia. It is nature抯 way of protecting the plant from toppling when there are strong winds. One remedy is to spray the unfurled leaves with warm water and then gently rub the red leaf edge to help it release. It may take a little practice to get this right. In any case, the split  leaves are not a sign of disease or improper care. Splitting of older leaves is a normal part of aging, although the root damage may have contributed to this.

If you added soil to the surface of the original rootball when you repotted, then remove it. Then, allow the top inch of soil to dry in between waterings. You may find this drying occurs more frequently in winter when the dry heated air increases evaporation. Air circulation will also increase evaporation, but is otherwise good for the plant.

Go easy with any fertilizing. Use it at half recommended strength and no more than once per month.

To keep your plant from getting a lot bigger, forego any future repotting and move it to lower light and stop fertilizing.

Photos are often helpful in identifying unmentioned possible problems. Feel free to email your photos to me at [email protected].

I have written an article on proper repotting that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who sends a request to me at [email protected].

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to HorticulturalHelp.com