Freeze shocked bird of paradise - Ask Extension
Hi! I have attached a picture of my bird of paradise. I took it outside for a couple seconds to bring it to my car and with the cold I’m worried tha...
Knowledgebase
Freeze shocked bird of paradise #817744
Asked December 24, 2022, 12:28 PM EST
Hi! I have attached a picture of my bird of paradise. I took it outside for a couple seconds to bring it to my car and with the cold I’m worried that I’ve completely shocked it. Are there any leaves that I should cut away? Any advice on how to revive it?
St. Louis County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hi, I can't tell accurately from the photo, but it looks like most of the stems and trunk of the plant are still green? That would be a good sign that it will be able to recover with some TLC and no cold exposure over the next year. I would wait to prune off the leaves until the plant has had a chance to settle- once any of the leaves withers and blackens, you can gradually prune them off. In the meantime, they can still help support the plant. Good luck!
Whoops I forgot to attach this picture to the last email! 
On Tue, Jan 10, 2023 at 8:10 PM Taite Stanko <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Hi! I have an update on the plant. I have attached photos to this email. What should I do? If I need to prune, could you give me a resource on how to prune and how much please? Thank you!
Hi! I have an update on the plant. I have attached photos to this email. What should I do? If I need to prune, could you give me a resource on how to prune and how much please? Thank you!
Hi there, give this a read-through: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/bop/bird-paradise-plant-freeze.htm
I would prune the withered leaves off at the point where the stem meets the trunk without damaging the trunk. Use sharp pruners to get as clean of a cut as possible.
A few other notes on care:
- Make sure not to over saturate the soil and use filtered water (without salt content) if possible
- It can get pretty dry in the wintertime, make sure you're still exposing the plant to some humidity (either with a humidifier in the room or through misting)
- Make sure it's getting enough sun (~6 hours) if not through natural light, artificial light/grow light works as well
Hope it pulls through!
I would prune the withered leaves off at the point where the stem meets the trunk without damaging the trunk. Use sharp pruners to get as clean of a cut as possible.
A few other notes on care:
- Make sure not to over saturate the soil and use filtered water (without salt content) if possible
- It can get pretty dry in the wintertime, make sure you're still exposing the plant to some humidity (either with a humidifier in the room or through misting)
- Make sure it's getting enough sun (~6 hours) if not through natural light, artificial light/grow light works as well
Hope it pulls through!
