The Strelitzia Nicolai has many different names such as Wild Banana, Crane Plant, Strelitzia and White Birds of Paradise. Whatever you want to call this amazing Strelitzia, it is sure to bring the jungle to your home! With its glossy, verdant large leaves stretching upwards, this White Bird of Paradise really brings the tropical rainforest to your living rooms. The Bird of Paradise lush looks and fresh feel make you think of hot, humid days and nights in exotic locations.

 
The Strelitzia Nicolai stems can reach amazing heights of around 20 feet tall! Although this is amazing to imagine, it is unlikely that a Bird of Paradise will reach these heights indoors or in a human space, however, they can still reach pretty tall. Anywhere between 3 and 8 feet seems more accurate. The amazing White Bird of Paradise is ranking as one of the most popular houseplants on the market as they look super trendy, amazing inspiration ideas on socials like TikTok, making it a favourite for houseplants lovers or those trying to get into the indoor plant game.

Where to Place a Bird of Paradise

It can be extremely exciting when getting a new houseplant especially a beautiful Strelitzia Nicolai with beautiful foliage. However, to keep these White Bird of Paradise looking at their best, positioning your indoor plant is super important to make them a Happy Houseplant! Strelitzia Nicolai will prefer bright, direct sunlight as they are native to Southern Africa where there is little shade. We strongly suggest putting your Strelitzia within 2 feet of a window in your living room area. Make sure the window you place it next to will give your indoor plant at least 6 hours of full sun everyday so it can thrive. A south-facing window is most appropriate. Like all plants, ensure your Bird of Paradise is not air vents and draughts as they can alter temperatures around the Strelitzia. 

Humidity for Strelitzia Nicolai

Strelitzias are native to South Africa. In this location, there tends to be relatively high humidity. Thus, ensuring we supply enough humidity to our Strelitzia Nicolai is just as important as placing them to receive enough light. Mist the Strelitzia leaves every other day, group other houseplants close by or use a humidifier to increase the humidity in the room. This is the most effective way as you can control the exact humidity levels in the room. The recommended humidity needs to be around 60%, quite high! Brown, crispy edges ay be a sign that your Bird of Paradise needs more humidity, often misjudges as underwatered, so try increasing humidity before increasing the watering frequency.

Soil for Bird of Paradise

The Strelitzia Nicolai has large roots that need to be catered to with a good, premium soil mix. This can contain coconut coir, vermiculite, pumice, perlite and activated charcoal. These ingredients are chosen due to their abilities to promote drainage, so your houseplant does not sit in water leading to problems down the line. Crane plants also like feeding which we will get into a bit later but, adding some worm castings into the soil mix will act as a natural fertiliser which will slowly be broken down by your Strelitzia roots.

Best Temperature for Strelitzia Nicolai

We have identified that Bird of Paradise are native to southern Africa. This means that our beloved houseplants enjoy warmer temperatures of around 18-27°C which is about 60-80°F. It is highly advised to place your Anthurium away from heating sources such as radiators, draughts, or air conditioning units. As mentioned before, it is best to find a spot where there will be full sun of at least 6 hours a day, with nothing to vary the temperature.

Fertilising Your White Bird of Paradise

We all love the amazing blooms that these gorgeous houseplants can grow, making our living spaces turn into something both tropical and colourful. Fertilising these plants can help us encourage growth of these spathes and attractive colours. Like most houseplants, it is key to fertilise during their growing season as they utilise the nutrients in the fertiliser when growing. Their growing season like most plants is during spring and summer.

Using our proven Vegan Plant Food, fertilise your Strelitzia Nicolai every 16th day during the growing season of spring (March). You will find no chemical supplements in this 100% cruelty-free vegan product. Seaweed, harvested sustainably, is its secret sauce with a delicate blend of growth hormones and micronutrients that is perfect for houseplants. If you have been searching for alternatives to blood, bone, and other so-called “organic” fertilisers then our Organic Vegan Plant food is for you and is sold exclusively through our website here.