Reasons for Bird of Paradise Broken Stalk (Ways to Fix it)

What the hell happened? How did my bird of paradise break off its stalk? I feel disappointed after working hard and still getting bad results. Despite providing every basic requirement for its health, seeing a broken stalk is disheartening. Upon investigation, I discovered it was due to strong winds at night.

Yes, a bird of paradise can suffer from a broken stalk, often caused by heavy storms not only this there are many common reasons. Below, I’ll discuss common reasons for this issue and provide solutions for fixing them. Let’s continue reading to learn more.

Quick takeaway:

• Growing a bird of paradise in the house gives an architectural and decorative shape.
• You need to be careful and attentive because birds of paradise have broken stalks that lose their stunning and vibrant color.
• The board of Paradise’s broken stalk is mainly caused either because of weakness or the bending of the plant.
• The reasons that can lead to broken stalks are stem rot, inadequate water and nutrition, lack of light, shock, and, lastly, rapid vegetative growth.

Below you will get the reason behind Bird of Paradise’s broken stalks with the solution, which will help you to fix the plant stem as soon as possible.

Reason for Bird of Paradise Broken Stalk:

Here are some reasons behind Birds of Paradise’s broken stalk:

Stem Rot:

• The stem of the plant breaks off because of fungal infection, which causes both roots and stems to rot.
• For example, fungus pythium is the fungi that thrives best in wet conditions, which is the major reason behind the stems getting rot.
• The soil’s damp condition will also cause the stem to rot because this time it will become water-soaked, mushy, and soft at the stem base.
• The stem after getting soaked breaks and falls off with rotting of the roots at the plant base will make the stem break because the road is the only part that makes the plant hold the stem.

Tips:

1. When you notice any of the symbols, you need to take action immediately.
2. Must remove any affected part of the plant and make sure the area all around the plant provides good air circulation.
3. Avoid over watering the plant and ensure before watering the plant. The soil is dry with good drainage.
4. While potting the plant, you can dip the plant root into a Fungicide, which will prevent the growth of fungal infections like hydrogen peroxide and baking soda are good examples.

Shock:

• In the case of recently moving the plant from one environment to another by purchasing, repotting, or transporting it it will give the plant shock.
• Of course, it’s a shock for the plant to adapt to a new habitat and adjust the root system to the environment.
• The plant suffering from shock will result in bending and breaking the stalk of the plant for that you need to take care of the plant when they are going with changing the environment, which will help in preventing the stalk from breaking off.

Lack of Sunlight:

• Talking about the light requirement, growing the bird of Paradise in a solarium or using artificial lights will make them grow happy, but without it, the plant will receive inadequate light or totally no light.
• Yes, light is a very important requirement for plant growth and development because light is used in the process of food. In short, when the stems and other parts of the plant don’t get a good amount of light, the plant will not get any food.
• The shortage of light will force the plant to grow by stretching itself towards the light source due to which the stalk will become elongated resulting it getting weak, and after some time it will break.

Tips:

1. In the case of underpants, you need to be careful of providing them plenty of light by placing them near a window.
2. In case you are not able to provide the plant with a good amount of sunlight, I suggest you provide the plant with growing lights that mimic the sun’s UV rays and will help the plant to receive the light that is needed for the photosynthesis process.

Rapid Vegetative Growth:

• When the bird of paradise is growing faster than the normal growth. It is all because of axis nitrogen availability, which will result in to growth of weak stalks. 
• The axis nitrogen content will make stalks brittle and weak which is fragile and vulnerable to break.
• When you see the stem breaking off, it may signify it’s time to prune the plant. 
• The birds of Paradise don’t grow excess leaves. Instead, the plant loves to keep the leaves, large and heavy.
• In the case of having a larger amount of leaves, it will force the plant stalk to bend because it can’t withstand the weight of leaves, and bending of stalks will cause breaking of stalks due to being overweight.

Lack of Nutrition:

• providing the plant with nutrients such as potassium and nitrogen is important for the plant to grow strong. 
• Ensure the plant gets more nutrients which help the stalk to grow stronger.
• in case the plant lacks or doesn’t receive enough nutrients, which will result in the growth of stems, roots, or leaves, thick and weak.
• When the time passes out, you will notice this time and are not able to hold the leaves, which results in breaking off stalks. 
• To prevent a lack of nutrients, ensure the plant gets adequate nutrients. 
• Must provide the plant with a balanced fertilizer that contains an equal proportion of potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen, or you can add organic manure, which will result in healthy and strong growth of the bird of Paradise.

Tips:

1. You can fertilize the plant regularly such as every few weeks during the growing season.
2. In the case of the plant growing outdoors, provide them with chicken manure because the organic manure will improve the plant’s health and protect them against weakness and breakage.
3. If you have reached the potting stage, it is really important to choose a quality potting mix, which is nutrient-rich and drains well.

Lack of Water:

• Water is considered a very important component for growing a healthy and happy plant and is best preferred for the board of Paradise.
• The plant not having water will cause the stalk to wilt and grow thinner due to which it will break off.
• Avoid this time growing fake by watering the plant appropriately, but don’t overwater the word of Paradise, it will cause root Rot.

Tips:

1. A good type of potting mix is slightly acidic ranging from 5.7 to 7.0. Which will help in enhancing water availability.
2. Make sure to water the plant every 2 to 3 days.
3. I will suggest you use a moisture meter, which will help you determine the water content and avoid the situation of being underwater.

Physical Contacts:

• The direct physical contact with the bird of Paradise will lead to breaking off stalks. 
• When you water the plant or remove the weed, which is to grow all around the plant it is possible to not handle the plant carefully.
• In the case of having children in the home, who play near the plant without having any knowledge will result in the breaking of plant stalks.

Repotting and improper handling:

• In the case of moving a bird of paradise to another location, that is large and heavy, if you don’t handle them carefully, you can damage the stalk.
• Breaking off stalks is also possible during repotting the plant.

Tips:

1. In the repotting process, remember to handle the plant gently.
2. During the repotting process, make sure to have sufficient workspace, which will help in minimizing and damage to the leaves and flowers.
3. Make sure the plant is spotted in a big container, which will help to promote the healthy growth of roots.

Wind and storms:

• In the case of a growing bird of paradise outdoors, it will be more prone to getting damaged by inclement weather.
• The large leaves of the plant can bend and break during strong winds and stormy conditions.

Tips:

1. You can keep the plant in a sheltered area where there will be minimal chances of getting damaged by high winds.
2. Keep the plant against a wall, which will have stability or you can keep them around the other plant for support.
3. If you know you are living in high winds or frequent storms, I suggest you keep the plant indoors only.

So let’s now learn about methods for fixing a broken bird of Paradise stalk.

How to Fix a Broken Bird of Paradise Stalk

For fixing the broken stem of the bird of paradise, the most preferable methods are the stem method and the tape method. It will ensure the plant has complete healing.

Before choosing any step, you need to know the extent of breaking the stalk and next, you can follow the below steps if you are using a tape method to fix the stalk.

• After considering the extent of damage to the stalk, take the approximate tape size of 10 cm and use a larger size if the stem is bigger.
• The next episode is the broken stem to the plant tightly.
• Use the tape all around the stem ensuring that you have covered all the stem, including the original base with tape.
• To be successful in the end, you must make sure the stem and its base are tightly packed because the tightness of the stem and base will ensure a faster and more successful healing process.
• The plant will take the time to heal for 2 to 4 weeks.
• Keep an eye, to check for the healing process of the plant. 
• After the healing process is completed, remove the tape gently without harming the stem of the plant again, and while opening the tape, if you see, the stem is yet to heal, you can repeat the whole process until the plant stem is totally healed.

You need to take proper care of the Bird of Paradise plant in order to grow strong and healthy plants. After providing all the favorable conditions, this time will grow strong and free of breakage.

Final Thoughts:

Yes, it is possible to experience the breaking of a stalk if you have a bird of paradise, but there is a possibility of repairing many of the breaks.  Above, I have provided some important tips that will help you to protect the plant and prevent future breakage of stalk birds of paradise. Dealing with little care and attention will make sure the plant does grow, strong and healthy.