Bird of paradise leaves curling or browning at the edges?
These are big leaves that lose a lot of water. Curling is almost always about supply: not enough water reaching the leaf. Brown, crisp edges are a different message, and that one is usually about what is in the water.
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Is it your water?
The leaf edges are brown and crisp while the center of the leaf is healthy.
There is a white crust on the soil surface or the pot rim.
You water deeply from a city tap and fertilize through the summer.
Two of three and it is worth changing the water:
Curling versus browning
Curling inward means the leaf is conserving water. The soil has dried too far, the air is very dry, or the plant is in strong sun and heat. Water deeply and it opens again.
Brown edges are burn. A bird of paradise drinks a lot, so whatever is dissolved in the water — fluoride, salts, softener sodium — accumulates faster than in a small pot. It ends up at the leaf margins.
Splits along the leaf are normal. They are how the plant lets wind through.
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Three steps to clean new leaves
Water deeply when the top two inches are dry.
Flush the pot with filtered water, then keep using it. A large plant moves a lot of water, so the quality matters more.
Trim brown edges along the curve of the leaf.
Watering Can With Filter and Remineralizer for House Plants
Filters chlorine, chloramine, fluoride and lead as you pour, then adds back 20+ minerals
$69 · Free shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
plus sales tax where applicable
Less than a season of distilled water jugs, and nothing to carry.
When it is not the water
If the pot is light and the soil is dry, it is thirst, and that is the most common cause of curling. Check that first.
The Tap Water Plant Guide
Which 12 houseplants react to tap water, how to tell water damage from overwatering, and four ways to fix it — including the free ones.
Frequently asked questions.
Better water, tonight's watering.
- $69 · Free shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free shipping
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Replaceable filter packs