Strelitzia nicolai

[edric]

Hi everyone, I'm donating some plants to a local marine biology science center, for their tropiscaping, I mean landscaping, among then are some very large Strelitzia nicolai, (Giant White Bird of Paridise) any tips or suggestions on removal, how much roots do I have to have left on it, for it to safely make it? Thanks, Ed

[The Silent Seed]

Hi,

That's very kind of you - but I've seen big ones and I would hate to do that job! But, I'm interested to know, too.

[David in Berkeley]

You should probably dig at least a 24" box size rootball, but the roots go much deeper/wider than that typically. I've seen dug up plants placed in 15 gallon size containers also, and they can adapt.

[edric]

Thanks guys, Ed

[Gonzer]

Birds take a LONG time to recover from transplanting.

[Pando]

But they DO recover, and quite well actually.

I had a large giant bird of paradise at my previous house (this was inland California, hot and dry). The whole plant was probably 10-12 feet high to the top of leaves with 2-3 feet of trunk at each stem. It had many trunks (close to 10), and the whole base on top of the root ball was probably 3-4 feet across. As it was getting too large, I attempted to trim it. Rather than just sawing off the trunks, I used a digging bar to chop off the trunks one by one at the edge of the root ball, literally cutting DEEP right into the root ball between the trunks and tearing the trunks off. I was about to throw the chopped off parts away, then I realized that most of the trunks still had some roots on them, and one had actually no roots at all. So I though what do I have to lose - I just stuck the torn off trunks into pots with some potting soil, kept them moist, and took them with me when I moved. I never believed they would survive. This was 5 years ago - ALL of the trunks survived and they are now beautiful, much bigger, specimens, and they are flowering.

Another example was when I had to re-pot one because the roots were coming out of the bottom. This was a juvenile plant, a few years old, probably 6 feet tall or so with trunk just starting to form. I had to tear the plant out of the existing pot, and I just chopped off half the rootball, quick and dirty. I didn't care about disturbing the root ball. The plant didn't even flinch. It loved a new soil in the pot and just kept going.

Strelitzia nicolai is a great plant - very easy to grow as long as you don't let it completely dry out or freeze it. Use a fertile soil, give it some fertilizer (I just sprinkled some 16-6-8 lawn fertilizer into the pot 2x a year), water regularly (they LOVE lots of water), and it will be just fine.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Pando

[Phoenikakias]

But they DO recover, and quite well actually.

I had a large giant bird of paradise at my previous house (this was inland California, hot and dry). The whole plant was probably 10-12 feet high to the top of leaves with 2-3 feet of trunk at each stem. It had many trunks (close to 10), and the whole base on top of the root ball was probably 3-4 feet across. As it was getting too large, I attempted to trim it. Rather than just sawing off the trunks, I used a digging bar to chop off the trunks one by one at the edge of the root ball, literally cutting DEEP right into the root ball between the trunks and tearing the trunks off. I was about to throw the chopped off parts away, then I realized that most of the trunks still had some roots on them, and one had actually no roots at all. So I though what do I have to lose - I just stuck the torn off trunks into pots with some potting soil, kept them moist, and took them with me when I moved. I never believed they would survive. This was 5 years ago - ALL of the trunks survived and they are now beautiful, much bigger, specimens, and they are flowering.

Another example was when I had to re-pot one because the roots were coming out of the bottom. This was a juvenile plant, a few years old, probably 6 feet tall or so with trunk just starting to form. I had to tear the plant out of the existing pot, and I just chopped off half the rootball, quick and dirty. I didn't care about disturbing the root ball. The plant didn't even flinch. It loved a new soil in the pot and just kept going.

Strelitzia nicolai is a great plant - very easy to grow as long as you don't let it completely dry out or freeze it. Use a fertile soil, give it some fertilizer (I just sprinkled some 16-6-8 lawn fertilizer into the pot 2x a year), water regularly (they LOVE lots of water), and it will be just fine.

Agree

[edric]

Thanks a bunch fellas, did some research and as it turns out my dozens of nearly 12 to 18 foot tall plants, are basically just like Bananas to propagate, they have rhizomes, says best to cut them off directly below the rhizomes, at the top of the roots, I planted these 20 years ago, time to thin them out on one side closer to the house, a two for with the donation, Ed