Please help...no idea what's wrong with my plant!!!

[greenlady]

I got a white bird of paradise a few months back and I'm not sure what's wrong with it. Some of the leaves are starting to turn a bit yellow/brownish with white spots forming in the middle of the leaves. Also, some of them are browning on the edges - see pictures. However, the new leaf looks completely healthy. It's only the ones that were already grown.

I water it about once a week - I have this thing that tells me when to water and it always tells me that it's wet. Could it be that the soil is moist but the plant needs more water? I give it sunlight everyday (not direct). I don't know what's wrong with it...can someone please help???

[terrestrial_man]

I can see why you are concerned but it may be a natural process of the old leaves dying back as new ones appear.
The only question I can see is just how deep is the pot that the plant is growing in. The plant may not like to be pot bound. It looks as though you could raise the plant up to where the surface of the soil is just below the pot's lip, adding soil below and around the side of the plant.
Here is a link to general in-ground cultivation that might help:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG106

[Chester]

I'm stumped as to what is wrong with the plant, but what I would do is cut away all of the affected leaves, as if it is a disease problem, that will help it from spreading. Bird of Paradise do like to be potbound, but at some point even they need to be repotted/topdressed. Check for this.

I have also found that they need a lot of light, and even some direct sunlight if it is early in the am or late in the pm. Water throroughly and then allow it to approach dryness before watering again. If you are fertilizing, and it is the season to do so, make sure the soil is damp before fertilizing and better to go half or quarter strength to avoid fertilizer burn.

That covers disease, sun, watering and fertilizing, all things that can cause leaf issues. Hope this helps :)