Why does Strelitzia augusta have brown leaves?

Does the strelitzia augusta can it have brown leaves? Of course! Actually, any plant, however resistant it may be, can have them. And our protagonist, like any other, can end up like this for various reasons. But wich ones?

It is important that you know them, because although there are some that are not worrying, there are others that are. So It’s time to find out why strelitzia augusta it has brown leavesand what to do to prevent your situation from becoming more complicated.

The leaves are reaching the end of their life

As long as it is for natural reasons, the fact that the leaves turn brown because they have died is something that does not have to worry us. Why? because the strelitzia augustalike the rest of evergreen plants, They produce new leaves and let the older ones die, which are the lower ones.that is, the lowest.

To know for sure if this is the reason or another, we will have to see if it has any pest or discomfort, because if so, we will have to continue looking for the cause of that browning of the leaves. And it is that when these die naturally, the plant does not show any other symptoms; and it also looks healthy, with the rest of the green foliage.

brush against the wall

One of the things that should worry us the least is when the leaves rub against the wall, since it has a very easy solution: simply remove the plant from it; and if that is not possible, because we have her planted on the ground, we will not have to do anything since she herself, as she gains height, will come a time when she will not have this problem. In this case, some leaves may be damaged, but nothing happens.

Anyway let me tell you it is important that this is avoided; that is, it is better to put it beforehand at a certain distance from walls or walls so that all its leaves continue to look green. What distance is that? It depends on whether we have it in a pot or on the ground: if it is in a pot, it will be enough to separate it from the wall until we see that it no longer rubs; and if we are going to have it on the ground, we will plant it at least one meter from the wall.

Cold

The strelitzia augusta withstands heat very well (as long as it is not too extreme; that is, it will hold up to 40, maybe 45ºC if it has water, but not more), but the frosts do a lot of damage. From my own experience, I can say that it withstands 0 degrees, even some occasional frosts of up to -1,5ºC, but only if the thermometer then rises above 7-10ºC again.

But if we have it outside, without protection, in a place exposed to the most intense frosts, then we will see that the leaves turn brown and ‘burn’ from one day to the next. To do? Well, if she is in a pot, we will bring her home as soon as possible and we will cut off everything that is damaged; if it is outside, we will protect it with a anti-frost fabric (as this) without removing anything. And to wait.

Irrigation problems

It may be that it is being watered excessively, in which case the central leaves will be the first to turn brown, or on the contrary, it is being watered little. In the latter case, it will be the lower leaves, the lower ones, that look bad first. How can we get it back? We will do the following:

• Excess irrigation: we will stop watering for a while, and we will treat it with a polyvalent fungicide such as this just in case it had fungi, since these are microorganisms that usually appear when the humidity is very high. Also, if we have it in a pot with a plate underneath, it is best to remove it, or try to drain it after each watering.
• Lack of irrigation: we will water You have to pour water conscientiously, until the soil is well soaked.

From here, we will have to adjust the irrigation frequency so that it does not happen again, and for this it is best to check the humidity of the soil with a stick, following the advice that we offer you in this video:

The land is not the right one

When it is a very compact and very heavy soil (or substrate, if it is for a pot), the air cannot circulate well between the grains that make it up. In addition, the roots have trouble growing in conditions. And that’s not to mention that in this type of land it is difficult to control irrigation wellsince when they are wet, they retain that moisture for too long; and when they are dry, they have a hard time absorbing water. So of course, the strelitzia augusta It can end up with problems of lack or excess of irrigation due to an inadequate soil.

What can we do? Under these circumstances, The most advisable thing is to remove the plant from where we have planted it, and put a better soil on it.. This land can be a quality universal cultivation substrate such as this. We will make a large hole, about 50 x 50cm (or better if it is 1 x 1 meter), and we will fill it with this substrate; and if it is in a pot, we will put the universal substrate of a well-known brand, such as Flower for example.

If you follow these tips, your bird of paradise plant may be doing just fine soon.