In transit, one of the stalks and one of the big leaves of my "white bird of paradise" (indoor) got bent. Tried to prop up the stalk, but it's too bent. The big leaf is bent in half- but otherwise ok. Both are still green. Should I leave on the plant or should I trim/prune them? If so, where? Also, what "organic fertilizer" do you recommend for? Thanks for your help!

You could try splinting, that might keep the leaf alive. You can use things like wooden chop sticks, tongue depressors or popsicle sticks, tape them around the stem to hold it straight, and you could do the same on the leaf. Since the leaf is still green you have a chance to save it.

If you can't get it to stay straight, the leaf will most likely brown and die. You could wait to see if that happens but it's pretty unsightly as it is, so if you don't want to try splinting, just cut the leaf off at the base with a sharp serrated knife.

I took my White Bird of Paradise outside to let it get full sunlight for a few hours. The wind must have picked up enough to bend the stem of one of the large leafs. I thought the leaf was lost to me but I tried splinting it with a small bamboo stick attached with long twist ties in acouple of spots above and below the break. The next day the large leaf had folded in on itself and I thought it was a goner but overnight it has started to open up. So far, so good, it is still green and the stem seems to be stiffening up. I will keep my fingers crossed.

dyzzypyxxy said:You could try splinting, that might keep the leaf alive. You can use things like wooden chop sticks, tongue depressors or popsicle sticks, tape them around the stem to hold it straight, and you could do the same on the leaf. Since the leaf is still green you have a chance to save it.

If you can't get it to stay straight, the leaf will most likely brown and die. You could wait to see if that happens but it's pretty unsightly as it is, so if you don't want to try splinting, just cut the leaf off at the base with a sharp serrated knife.

I agree, I did this method on my bop and the bend leaf thrived. Don't cut it off

Please note, this is a thread from 2016.

thanks for keeping old problems on ...
Put my BoP outside to get more sun and natural humidity , living in FL panhandle, we have lots of both But we also have sea breezes, that played havoc on my poor lady. Have two new leaves that I've been spraying to encourage to open. One opened, but then the breezes bent one. Oh my! Looked up help and found comments made here. So now she has a splint on till branch gets stronger and have staked the other up to help. But all the comments helped. I don't feel as bad now. At least it's a start. Hope she makes it. Thanks to all