http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG106 http://www.clemson.edu/charleston/local/bird/brdpards.htm http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/MG/MG10600.pdf ( I just came back from San Diego. BOPs, and GBOPS with many feet of trunk, were everywhere, almost like weeds, and flowering, along with the Bougainvillea. )

" but since we are in a drought here, we only water for 2 or 3 minutes every few days." This type of watering routine will keep barely anything other than the most drought tolerant species alive! With an automatic sprinkler system, you are losing a good portion of the water emitted to evaporation, as much as 50%......and it really doesn't matter what time of day the system turns on. And with a big, leafy plant like the Strelitzia, you can bet 90% of the of water NOT lost to evaporation is not hitting the root system - water just on the leaves is not a viable substitute for that. In short, your watering routine is likely not delivering anything of value to the plant in terms of needed moisture. Reprogram your sprinkler system so that the water comes on less frequently but for a longer duration. Can't tell you exactly how long - you will have to do some testing to determine a correct interval, but you want any irrigation water to penetrate as deeply into the soil profile as possible, at least 6-8", more if possible. Or use the hose on a slow trickle left in place at the base of the plant. Again, the length of time will be determined by how well and how fast the water percolates through the soil. And once a week should be more than adequate for any plant well established in the landscape, perhaps less often for very drought tolerant species.. For a state that is suffering from an extended drought situation, I am amazed at how inefficient and wasteful most CA watering practices are! I am not an irrigation contractor but I am a landscape designer and certified horticulturist and DO know how plants should be watered and I could make a fortune redesigning CA irrigation systems to deliver water more efficiently and with less waste. Pop-up sprinkler systems are fine for lawns (provided they are programmed correctly.......and few are) but they are a waste of time, money and a valuable and precious natural resource when used for regular landscape plantings. Investigate converting your system to a drip or low emission system for all the landscape plantings. And remember that low and slow or less frequent but longer watering periods will provide much better results.

Please provide an image of the entire plant and its pot, and another image of the damage, along with some background information re how you care for the plant. Al

any idea when the patio was installed.. or the wall.. any new construction.. which is hard for a new owner to answer.. but often neighbors can tell you .. ALL plants shed old leaves.. its annual.. and cyclical.. often increasing in bad years.. and the oldest are always the lowest ... so it doesnt surprise anyone you had lost at least a few ... also....usually happens in fall or winter.. as the declination of the sun increases.. its going into winter.. even in San diego ... dying tissue.. like on old leaves the tree is shedding.. do weird thing.s. and they basically compost in mid air.. until you prune them off.. there should be no reason to 'treat' such.. you just prune ... do yo have a lot of experience with these plants... are your observations learned??... or freaking out .. lol ... i know nothing about these as backyard plants.. but as for trees.. i would rarely think bark or trunk issues are a problem that needs to be solved.. and with leaves that huge.. i would expect at least a few of them to be marred or scarred ... in other words.. to my eye.. your plant look magnificent.. and im hoping you arent just on the edge of loving it to death by apply too much love ... i may be entirely wrong.. and i will defer if someone comes along and says otherwise.. if no one comes along.. you do have a COUNTY extension office.. and you can contact them for local advice ... like they might tell you that the current drought is making them all look like this .. we would never know about that ... ken