A week or so ago, some kind gardener told us there were Prides of Barbados at Home Depot. So I picked up 3. Two are doing just fine, but this one’s yellowing. I don’t want to lose him!
More water?
Compost?
More mulch?
All of the above?
by eogreen
7 Comments
I see it’s got a drip line already, and mulch. I wonder if it’s getting too much water? I planted mine just this spring and it needs no supplemental water at all at this point. Seems to love the summer heat.
Is that irrigation? Pride of barbados is one of the only plants that blooms when its super hot and dry like this (with esperanza and lantana). Stop watering it and let it do its thing
A little liquid organic fertilizer to help it get established. It’s trying to grow and stressed
Only water these by hand when it gets bone dry. That leaf drop is usually a sign of too much water. They love the heat and get a lot of moisture from the humidity. Plus these plant really take a couple years to look their best. This year is all about getting that tap root DEEP. Let it dry out.
Move that drip line away from the base and only water the outside perimeter of the root ball. Maybe give it a tiny bit towards the center once/wk. I’d just pull the drip away altogether for now so you can hand water to control the moisture. You might also consider some sulfur pellets around the perimeter once it is established.
I started a few from seed two years ago. Last year, I moved one from the raised bed “nursery” to a spot in the yard where I wanted one. It didn’t survive the transplant and summer heat – or so I thought. Guess what popped up this spring and is doing great? My point: if it looks like it doesn’t make it, even after you have tried everything folks are recommending in this thread, don’t give up and rip it out. Leave it in the ground until next spring and see if it comes back. You may be pleasantly surprised.
If you aren’t sure, aim for less water. When established, do not water them – like, at all. They don’t really need mulch either FWIW. They thrive in full sun, blistering heat, and DRY soil.
BTW you can grow these very easily from seed – just grab a handful of seed pods from a parking lot or wherever you see a mature plant.