u/ScarcityOrdinary6877

Hi everyone!

I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with my bird of paradise/Strelitzia…

I’ve had some yellowish mottling and lots of tiny dark specks on a few leaves. I checked the undersides with a flashlight and I don’t see anything moving. I also wiped the leaves with a damp microfiber cloth and the marks/specks stayed the same, so it doesn’t seem like surface dirt.

The plant is in a pot with drainage, inside a decorative outer pot. The nursery pot is pretty deep, around 50 cm. We’ve been watering it by giving it a proper soak in the shower roughly once a week, because the top 5 cm or so usually feels dry by then. But now I’m wondering if the lower part of the pot was still staying wet even though the top felt dry.

It sits near a southwest-facing window, so it gets pretty bright light and some sun. Soil looks fairly chunky with bark/perlite mixed in. The stems don’t feel mushy and I don’t notice any bad smell from the soil, but I’m still worried I may have been overwatering because the pot is so deep.

Some leaves also have splits and dry edges, but I know that can be normal for Strelitzia. The part I’m unsure about is the mottling and the tiny black dots.

Does this look more like:
- old pest damage, possibly thrips?
- overwatering/root stress?
- fungal issue?
- normal damage from the leaf unfurling and rubbing?

I’m planning to add blue sticky traps to check for thrips, but I don’t want to overreact with neem or pesticides if this is just old damage or watering stress.

Any advice would be really appreciated. ❤️

Hi everyone!

I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with my bird of paradise/Strelitzia…

I’ve had some yellowish mottling and lots of tiny dark specks on a few leaves. I checked the undersides with a flashlight and I don’t see anything moving. I also wiped the leaves with a damp microfiber cloth and the marks/specks stayed the same, so it doesn’t seem like surface dirt.

The plant is in a pot with drainage, inside a decorative outer pot. The nursery pot is pretty deep, around 50 cm. We’ve been watering it by giving it a proper soak in the shower roughly once a week, because the top 5 cm or so usually feels dry by then. But now I’m wondering if the lower part of the pot was still staying wet even though the top felt dry.

It sits near a southwest-facing window, so it gets pretty bright light and some sun. Soil looks fairly chunky with bark/perlite mixed in. The stems don’t feel mushy and I don’t notice any bad smell from the soil, but I’m still worried I may have been overwatering because the pot is so deep.

Some leaves also have splits and dry edges, but I know that can be normal for Strelitzia. The part I’m unsure about is the mottling and the tiny black dots.

Does this look more like:
- old pest damage, possibly thrips?
- overwatering/root stress?
- fungal issue?
- normal damage from the leaf unfurling and rubbing?

I’m planning to add blue sticky traps to check for thrips, but I don’t want to overreact with neem or pesticides if this is just old damage or watering stress.

Any advice would be really appreciated. ❤️

Hi! I have a Bird of Paradise and I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with one specific stem.

Only this one stem has leaves with lots of tiny brown/black spots and some yellowing. The other stems look mostly fine, and the plant has also pushed out a new pretty large shoot recently.

I don’t see anything moving on the leaves, and the spots don’t come off when I rinse or wipe them. The stem itself feels firm and stable, not soft or rotten. The leaf stems also look healthy.

During winter I watered about every two weeks. Now I’m trying to water about once a week, but I’m not sure if my timing has been consistent enough. When I water, I usually take the plant into the shower and give it a proper soak. The nursery pot has lots of drainage holes underneath, so the water can run out.

The plant is in Sweden, in a southwest-facing spot with sun/light from that direction.

Does this look like watering stress, old damage, mineral/water issues, or pests like thrips even though I can’t see anything moving?

Any advice would be appreciated

Hi! I have a Bird of Paradise and I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with one specific stem.

Only this one stem has leaves with lots of tiny brown/black spots and some yellowing. The other stems look mostly fine, and the plant has also pushed out a new pretty large shoot recently.

I don’t see anything moving on the leaves, and the spots don’t come off when I rinse or wipe them. The stem itself feels firm and stable, not soft or rotten. The leaf stems also look healthy.

During winter I watered about every two weeks. Now I’m trying to water about once a week, but I’m not sure if my timing has been consistent enough. When I water, I usually take the plant into the shower and give it a proper soak. The nursery pot has lots of drainage holes underneath, so the water can run out.

The plant is in Sweden, in a southwest-facing spot with sun/light from that direction.

Does this look like watering stress, old damage, mineral/water issues, or pests like thrips even though I can’t see anything moving?

Any advice would be appreciated

Hi everyone,

I have a Bird of Paradise with several separate stems/shoots in the same pot. Most of the plant looks healthy, but one specific stem seems off.

All the leaves on that one stem have become much lighter than the others, almost translucent in some areas, with lots of tiny dark brown/black specks that don’t wipe off. The stem itself is firm/hard, not mushy, and there’s new growth coming from it. The other stems look normal as far as I can tell.

The plant is placed by a window with south-west light. I live in Sweden, so we’re starting to get noticeably more sun now after the darker months. I’m wondering if the affected stem might be getting more direct light than the others, or if the plant wasn’t fully adjusted to the stronger sun yet.

I originally wondered if it could be from watering/showering it with bathroom water, but now I’m not sure. I don’t see obvious webbing or moving pests, and the spots don’t seem to be surface dirt.

Does this look more like thrips/spider mite damage, fungal leaf spot, or some kind of stress/sun damage affecting only that shoot? Would you treat the whole plant, cut off the affected leaves, or leave it alone and monitor the new leaf?

Any advice would be really appreciated. I’m trying not to overreact and chop off a healthy stem if it’s still salvageable.

Hi everyone,

I have a Bird of Paradise with several separate stems/shoots in the same pot. Most of the plant looks healthy, but one specific stem seems off.

All the leaves on that one stem have become much lighter than the others, almost translucent in some areas, with lots of tiny dark brown/black specks that don’t wipe off. The stem itself is firm/hard, not mushy, and there’s new growth coming from it. The other stems look normal as far as I can tell.

The plant is placed by a window with south-west light. I live in Sweden, so we’re starting to get noticeably more sun now after the darker months. I’m wondering if the affected stem might be getting more direct light than the others, or if the plant wasn’t fully adjusted to the stronger sun yet.

I originally wondered if it could be from watering/showering it with bathroom water, but now I’m not sure. I don’t see obvious webbing or moving pests, and the spots don’t seem to be surface dirt.

Does this look more like thrips/spider mite damage, fungal leaf spot, or some kind of stress/sun damage affecting only that shoot? Would you treat the whole plant, cut off the affected leaves, or leave it alone and monitor the new leaf?

Any advice would be really appreciated. I’m trying not to overreact and chop off a healthy stem if it’s still salvageable.