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Posted 1M ago by @FoliageFam

Is BOP top heavy?

My white birds of paradise is leaning to the side. Is she just top heavy or is something else up? Not sure if I should put in a larger pot or attach it to a stake for support. Not an experienced plant parent so any help is appreciated.
1ft to light, indirect
12โ€ pot with drainage
Last watered 1 week ago
Hi Shawanda ๐Ÿ‘‹ oh wow he's a big boy isn't he?! Mine are still relatively wee! So I've not had to face this issue yet ๐Ÿ’š but it's quite common

There are a few things that are probably contributing;

Phototropism - all plants "move" imperceptibly to us, but they do, in searching out a light source... Even with big plants like Hamilton it's I'm poo ortantnto turn his pot regularly (I spin mine every watering) to maintain even growth in a roughly vertical direction.

Etiolation - if you keep most plants in light that's just a bit short of what they need they tend to stretch out and go a bit leggy in looking for it. Because Strelitza have incredibly large leaves, compared to very long petioles, it's quite common for them to become a bit top heavy. You can stake the bending leaves with bamboo to help support them, but adding a grow light directly overhead for him would really help him teach UP rather than sideways.

Anchoring - Strelitza have quite a deep root structure, ABIT like aroids do, and need it on order to anchor their big, snowy leaves. You can help him by giving him a bigger, HEAVY, pot (terracotta would be ideal, or sit his new nursery pot snugly in a glazed ceramic planter maybe, but it would be best to be a good fit without too much space between nursery pot and planter, so it provides some steadiness for him).

He's beautiful! And I'm sure you can help him start too lean more upright rather than over ๐Ÿฅฐ xx
She could be leaning towards the light [see, phototropism]. Also, the pot looks SEVERELY undersized, repotting her into a pot like, 2 inches bigger?
Thanks for the comments so far. I've had Hamilton for about a year now so this is the growth over that time. I was thinking of getting a larger pot and placing it directly on the ground so thanks for that comment.

I was worried about putting the plants in another part of the house due to not enough indirect light.