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Arizona Gardening

Mexican Bird of Paradise turning yellow

11 years ago

I planted four Mexican Birds of Paradise about 2 months ago and since planting they have done very well and shown new growth. Just today I noticed that they are starting to turn yellow. Is that because of the season or should I be worried? Could they be getting too much water? They get a good bit of spray from the yard sprinkler system.

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Comments (4)

nickw252
Original Author
11 years ago
Another picture
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ChasingCenturies (Arizona 9b)
11 years ago
They are deciduous here in the VOTS, and this is the time of year they start running down, though they often remain substantially foliated through December. Looks perfectly normal to me. As an aside, it probably isn't best for them to see water more than once per week at this point.
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My suggestion would be to repost your request on a forum more appropiate for the subject, eg gardening in the Southwest. I think most folks in the Midwest, like me, might not have an idea. That said my brother has a ton of them, but he lives in a very hot place and waters them every day. He also puts his fair share of fertilizer on them to make them flower. Frankly without the very hot sun you might be in trouble.
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I looked up BOP on line so that I knew what plant it is (I'm a newbie) and I'm really happy now because this is one of those bitty plants I keep mowing over in my back yard. I may just dig them up next time I go to mow so I have something to bring to the next plant swap (now that I know it's something people want to grow!). BTW after looking it up on the net it says that propagation is from seed but who knows, maybe someone has done it from a cutting.
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Comments (7)
Where I live in Arizona doesn't get severe winter weather but we do get a few good hard freezes. We always wait until after the freeze hits to trim back our plants. This way the outside growth protects the inner part of the plant. Bird of Paradise likes to be in the ground, speaking from my experience, and we use a drip on it daily. They do need to be trimmed back to where new growth is starting after the freeze then they will grow quickly, once the plant is mature, and start blooming a couple months after the last frost. In our area they are still blooming, but my larger ones are getting seed pods and slowing down. I just trim the bare minimum off now and remove all pods and any dead bloom spike sticks. Leaving the bulk of the plant. They do need full sun.
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If you mean Caesalpinia gilliesii, it will certainly grow again. it is a fast grower generally and is easy to grow from seed, so another thing that you could do is to either dig up some seedlings (each of mine generally produces a few) or just take some ripe seed and germinate it, and start again. Depends on the look you are willing to live with during the 'awkward' phase. Also, make sure that the identification of the problem is correct; I've never heard of termites in live wood, but I gather that desert conditions are different - your local county extension agent would be the place to start.
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Juttah
11 years ago
I agree, they're fine - all my pinnate-leaf plants (Guajillo, Kidneywood, Santa Rita acacias, etc.) have looked like that for several weeks now. They're turning yellow and shedding from the inside out and from the bottom up, just like yours. Nothing to worry about!
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grant_in_arizona
11 years ago
I'll just add my voice to the chorus, they're going dormant or partially dormant for winter, and definitely not something to worry about. Great pics, thanks for posting them. Keep us posted on these and the rest of your garden too. Happy gardening!
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