Bird of paradise leaves browning and splitting - Ask Extension
Hi, I got this bird of paradise about 2 months ago. It sits in a window in my office, which gets a good amount of sun in the afternoon. It seems to re...
Knowledgebase
Bird of paradise leaves browning and splitting #933837
Asked June 02, 2026, 7:10 AM EDT
Hi, I got this bird of paradise about 2 months ago. It sits in a window in my office, which gets a good amount of sun in the afternoon. It seems to require more water than the instructions recommend because the soil gets very dry about 3 days after I water. I started noticing about a month ago that the tips of the leaves were starting to brown, and now, some of the leaves are splitting and breaking. Please help!
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Some tattering and leaf edge drying on older foliage is normal for a variety of houseplants, especially since indoor humidity tends to be not as high as they would prefer. How quickly potting soil dries out depends on many factors, so whenever you find that the mix is getting dry to the touch a couple inches deep, water thoroughly and make sure the saucer is emptied after watering so the pot doesn't sit in the extra water.
The images are too dark for us to see enough detail, but you can inspect the leaves for pests like thrips, mealybug, and spider mites. You can find out what to look for and, if found, how to manage them on the linked pages. They are not necessarily the cause of the pictured leaf damage, but since they can be associated with stressed plants or contribute to leaves drying out as the tissue is injured, it's worth ruling-out a pest being present.
Over the long term, Bird-of-Paradise plants are best grown outside in the summer, and they get much too large to be a houseplant unless you have a greenhouse or a high-ceiling space next to large windows. They require bright light, ample humidity, good airflow, and moderate temperatures (not near a cold, drafty window in winter, for example). If you have outdoor space, you may want to acclimate the plant to being grown outdoors (put it in the shade in that case so it doesn't get sunburned) so it can build up enough stored energy to withstand less-than-ideal conditions inside during the period from mid-autumn until next spring when it will have to be inside.
Miri
The images are too dark for us to see enough detail, but you can inspect the leaves for pests like thrips, mealybug, and spider mites. You can find out what to look for and, if found, how to manage them on the linked pages. They are not necessarily the cause of the pictured leaf damage, but since they can be associated with stressed plants or contribute to leaves drying out as the tissue is injured, it's worth ruling-out a pest being present.
Over the long term, Bird-of-Paradise plants are best grown outside in the summer, and they get much too large to be a houseplant unless you have a greenhouse or a high-ceiling space next to large windows. They require bright light, ample humidity, good airflow, and moderate temperatures (not near a cold, drafty window in winter, for example). If you have outdoor space, you may want to acclimate the plant to being grown outdoors (put it in the shade in that case so it doesn't get sunburned) so it can build up enough stored energy to withstand less-than-ideal conditions inside during the period from mid-autumn until next spring when it will have to be inside.
Miri
