Keri
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Giant Bird of paradise needs help
Well it's really me that needs the help. Our birds have gotten so big they are taking over our planter and they have grown so tall they are blocking
the view to some of our rooms. Does anyone know how to thin these things with out butchering them and is there a way to transplant some of them? Help
please,k
[Edited on 7-21-2008 by Keri]
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bajajudy
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Keri
Take a sterile sharp knife and cut them apart at the base. I have found that you have to leave at least 3 together for them to be happy. Try not to
disturb the roots too much. If they are really thick you may have to uproot the entire plant, cut them apart and replant them.
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DianaT
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajajudy
Keri
Take a sterile sharp knife and cut them apart at the base. I have found that you have to leave at least 3 together for them to be happy. Try not to
disturb the roots too much. If they are really thick you may have to uproot the entire plant, cut them apart and replant them.
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Good advice, it has worked for me in the past, but a sterile knife? I find that interesting. My outside knifes are always very dirty. 
Oh, if they are that big, they would be worth a small fortune in the US. 
Diane
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danaeb
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Keri - check U2U
Dana
Experience enables you to recognize a mistake every time you repeat it.
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bajajudy
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Dana
If this isnt good advice, please share your experience.
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wilderone
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I've tried to thin, remove, separate, kill these things. Hacked at one for an hour to remove it and I finally just left a stub of root out of
exhaustion. It's 4 ft. tall now. don't worry about disturbing the roots - seems to me that's what spurs them to grow twice as fast out of spite. I
don't even water them.
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Bob H
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I tried to transplant one once.... didn't get enough roots and it died. Sounds like wilderone's idea of leaving the stump will most likely work -
starting all over again from the same root ball.
Good luck.
Bob H
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woody with a view
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i've got a 18 footer that is up against the house and it's demise is currently in the planning stages. was thinking of cutting the main trunk down to
the ground and letting the shoots have a go. it seems they are indestructible as everytime i cut the side branches they eventually sprout a new leaf
and continue to spread.
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danaeb
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Judy - My info is about the same, I just get long-winded sometimes and didn't want to bore everyone with the details:
"I also have a very mature (20 yrs) giant bird. About every two-three years I have it thinned. The gardener just saws out the unwanted stalks at the
base. You'll probably want to be there when it happens so you can step back and view the whole clump and take out a little at a time. I think you
would probably not be able to handle the weight of the stalks yourself, especially if it's a large plant - it can take two guys to do it.
You can transplant the the small pups as long as you can dig out enough of a root ball to get them started."
Experience enables you to recognize a mistake every time you repeat it.
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Lindalou
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Can anyone post a picture of this plant?
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danaeb
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Here's a link to the birds of paradise. The giant is Strelitzia nicolai:
http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/Features/flowers/str...
Experience enables you to recognize a mistake every time you repeat it.
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Taco de Baja
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In San Juan Capistrano I had several that were planted by friends of my grandparents in 1942. When our family had to sell the property in 2003
several were over 35-40 feet tall. I could just barely trim the tallest ones while standing on the roof and using a 15 foot pruning saw. They've since
been bull-dozed away 
You can prune them to look a little like a palm tree. I searched the web and could only find one fairly good picture (on the right):
You just have to be careful you don’t cut in too deep, generally though you can just peel it away after cutting in a certain distance. Cut the frond
off just above where it attaches to the trunk; then make a circular cut all around just above the ridge where the frond attaches to the trunk, deeper
on the side with the frond stem, and peel away.
Peeling off and cutting the fronds works better when they are still green. However, wear gloves and old clothes; it can be a sticky job.
Truth generally lies in the coordination of antagonistic opinions
-Herbert Spencer
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Lindalou
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Thank you guys for going to the trouble of finding pictures for me. I have seen this plant before just didn't know the name.
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