Help with Bauhinia variegata

[Than]

What is the issue with her? I water every 3 days or so. Sun until noon. Fertiliser once a month...

 

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 9/4/2024 at 5:03 PM, Than said:

What is the issue with her? I water every 3 days or so. Sun until noon. Fertilizer once a month...

 

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 Things come to mind:  Burn from water that is high in salts,  esp. if fertilized too often w/ a synthetic ...which are often derived of salts..

Should only be applying Fert. 3X's between May and October..

Heat can do this also..

 Majority of these look like this after 3+ months of 100F here, even in yards that are irrigated 1 or 2X's a week.. High salt / mineral content of our water doesn't help.

 

[Than]

I thought that Bauhinias can take heat, being from India.. plus the last two weeks have been much cooler. 

I fertilized last time 25 days ago.

Should I change the medium with something lighter?

[Zroota]

Bauhinias generally grow into trees. Is your one in a container? Perhaps now it's underpotted and rootbound, hence its sickness. If that's the case try a bigger pot, or just plant it in the ground (it will flourish, as my shrubs generally do - they usually prefer the ground after doing badly in containers). 

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 9/5/2024 at 5:54 AM, Than said:

I thought that Bauhinias can take heat, being from India.. plus the last two weeks have been much cooler. 

I fertilized last time 25 days ago.

Should I change the medium with something lighter?

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They can " take " heat, but, if it is extreme, and / or prolonged,  tender growth will burn -no matter what-  That said, as long as there isn't another extended period of extreme heat after they have done so, they will also produce another flush of healthy, un-burned growth once temperatures are within a more comfortable -for -growth range..

Water quality and / or soil preferences can dictate damage from those factors as well..  Plants that didn't evolve to tolerate highly Alkaline soils for instance can still experience burn when planted into such soils.. Reverse would be true for stuff that laughs at highly Alkaline soils but suffers similar burn when planted in very Acidic soils..

Generally speaking, areas w/ highly alkaline soils ..and water quality -depending on how it is processed-,  would be drier areas of the world. 
Areas with better water quality ..and /or  less Alkaline soil conditions would occur where more frequent annual precip is able to wash salt and various " alkaline " minerals  out of the soil on a reasonably consistent basis..  That would include many areas where both Bauhinia variegata ..and B. purpurata originate in S.E. Asia / India, ...as well as any Bauhinia species  that originate in high- rainfall areas of both the Americas, and Africa..


...Is one reason the non native Bauhinia sps planted here can suffer burn all year, as a pose to experiencing damage just during the worst of the heat during the summer, even in well irrigated landscape settings.

Native / near - native sps ..and any originating from areas of the globe that which are pretty dry,  may not suffer the same damage.

Obviously, in pots,  the water quality aspect would be amp-ed up since a 5gal pot does not give much space for roots to spread out / allows for a higher concentration of salts / minerals from water applied to accumulate around the root ball in the pot..

A looser, chunkier, less dense soil mix that allows good air movement / drainage may help to limit the amount of excess dissolved salts and minerals like Calcium that could build up better, but it may not completely eliminate hard water - caused burn..

Getting it planted, asap,  as suggested by Zroota would be the best option if possible.

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 9/5/2024 at 6:56 AM, Zroota said:

Bauhinias generally grow into trees. Is your one in a container? Perhaps now it's underpotted and rootbound, hence its sickness. If that's the case try a bigger pot, or just plant it in the ground (it will flourish, as my shrubs generally do - they usually prefer the ground after doing badly in containers). 

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The genus actually contains everything from larger trees to Vines / Lianas,  and some scruffy looking  shrubs that can hug the ground..  Something like 193 species as of 2023..

Widely cultivated species ( B. variegata, purpurata, X Hong Kong,  tomentosa,  monandra,  galpinii, divaricata, acuminata, and forficata ) represent something like only 1 % of all that could be grown in the Hort. / Nursery trade..

A lot of really neat species out there..

[Zroota]

  On 9/5/2024 at 8:29 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

The genus actually contains everything from larger trees to Vines / Lianas,  and some scruffy looking  shrubs that can hug the ground..  Something like 193 species as of 2023..

Widely cultivated species ( B. variegata, purpurata, X Hong Kong,  tomentosa,  monandra,  galpinii, divaricata, acuminata, and forficata ) represent something like only 1 % of all that could be grown in the Hort. / Nursery trade..

A lot of really neat species out there..

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Correct, but Bauhinia variegata grows into a large shrub or tree. Hence why I thought that the OP should plant it in a bigger container or in ground to see how it goes. 

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 9/6/2024 at 5:50 AM, Zroota said:

Correct, but Bauhinia variegata grows into a large shrub or tree. Hence why I thought that the OP should plant it in a bigger container or in ground to see how it goes. 

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Totally agree..  Have a neighbor that has specimens of both B. variegata forms kept no taller than 12ft tall. Some others in a different part of town that are about 25ft in height. 

As i'd mentioned to him, would get it into the ground sooner than later if possible so it can get going ...and lessen any issues it may be having atm growing in the pot.