QuestionQUESTION: With this winter's unusual no. of freezes, my white bird of paradise has suffered damage. It was approx. 12 ft. high with multiple large stalks?(not sure what to call these).I cut a no. of these stalks where the leaves had died/brown, but left the stalks. Only one stalk did I cut back to the height of the 6' fence as it was pushing against the fence. The stalks were still green. That was about 2+ weeks ago. I did notice some small green leaves coming forth from the ground level. I'm not sure whether to wait and see what happens or to cut back the big stalks, leaving the base only and the new leaves. Please help as this was a birthday gift yrs ago and the plant was 5 yrs. old nursery grown. It is located in the corner of my yard where it is sheltered from the North Wind by a fence and a two story building. It has weathered a no. of freezes throughout the past 5 yrs. until now. I have so enjoyed this specimen. I am a novice, so please use layman's language to assist if you can help. God Bless and appreciate any advice you may have.
ANSWER: Hi Barbara, first of all...thank you for the blessing! I can use all the help I can get , lol...now to your problem , Birds send up their new growth from the ground, it develops from an underground root system known as a Rhizome, which is like a large potato; the stalks that you partially cut back will wither on their own, and when they do , just sever them at ground level, the Bird will be fine, so don't worry, but it is going to take time to replenish its crown, so be patient and water it properly and once a month give it a dose of Miracle- Grow, (this will hasten its recovery..). This winter did a lot of damage to the above ground growth of many plants, palms and trees, but luckily the ground didn't freeze and most will recover from the roots. Nick
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QUESTION: Many thanks for the quick response Nick. One further question: Cut all stalks to ground level now or Wait????? Would it be better for the plant to go ahead and cut all the stalks to ground level now to allow new growth more room to develop, or would it be best to wait to cut the stalks to the ground after they've withered on their own? There are some new leaves appearing just above ground level. The plant has multiple stalks. BTW, Laughter is good medicine for the soul and my plants need all the help they can get because it "hurts me" everytime I have to prune them, ouch, ouch.....plus I don't have a green thumb, bo do have green gloves, does this count!!! LOL Have a super blessed day,
ANSWER: keep asking me questions Barbara and I'll have enough blessings to get a direct route to the man above...LOL..wait until they wither on their own, the new growth will eventually replace them whether they are cut now or not, plus as long as there is any green showing , even in the stems, it is assisting the health of the plant in whole. So for now, put away the green gloves and pick up the hose and just make certain that they get proper irrigation, plus give it that assist with an initial gallon of Miracle-grow....and "you" have a blessed day also!...Nick
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QUESTION: Nick, I gave you a 10+ rating. Thank you so very much for your timely responses and the reassuring advice you gave me. The info was clear and concise, as I am a novice, with green-gloves, no green thumb. My plant is doing well, with new shoots - green coming through. I will be using Miracle Grow as suggested. Rather than spraying, thought it might be ok to use the time-release fertilizer sticks from Miracle Grow, as I have some already on hand. Does it matter which I use, if so, please let me know and I'll purchase some that you spray. I quit using a lot of spray products because the last time my husband sprayed for bagworms, a no. of birds died. Apparently, he inadvertently did something different than I normally do, because I hadn't had a problem spraying before. Orthene, a systemic product, hasn't been used since. I am an avian friend and haven't wish to take a chance on this happening again.
As to the direct route to the man above, I'll pray that if you haven't discovered this already, that you find the path real soon. Until then, I pray our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to hold you close to His heart, immerse you in His love and forgiveness, pour forth His mercy and grace in abundance along with every physical and spiritual blessing from above upon you and yours. May you come to know Him in a very personal and intimate way and may you come to know the depth and breadth of His love for you. He's been my Emmaus friend for some time, through some really difficult times and through the journey I have come to know Him in a way perhaps I never would have if the difficult days had not occurred. This is what you're picking up through my post, my spiritual muscles are getting stronger day by day and I do have a direct pipeline to this throne room. Now if I can just get my physical muscles in shape, then my gardening will become easier. Put this last comment in so you don't think I'm toooo holy, just someone like you, finding my way. God Bless and have a beautiful sun shiny day.
AnswerHi Barb, and thank you for the kind thaughts, they were very nice! as was your rating, for now just keep it properly watered, the fertilizing will be more important later on when it starts to show vigorous growth, and I know it will . When new growth begins to show and everything looks good, get back to me, and we will move it into phase II.......Nick:))
