Help:My Bamboo is turning yellow instead of green

Hi,

I bought a 5 gallon Bambusa multiplex 'Golden Goddess' last fall and planted it in my backyard last fall. It seemed to be doing ok the last few months, but over the last week I noticed that most of its leaves are turning yellow. It had a little yellow when I got it in fall, but now most of the leaves are turning yellow.
No hard freezes this winter in TX, and the temperature had stayed over 25 F all winter.
The last couple of weeks the temperature is warming up in TX, and everything thing is coming out of dormancy. I would expect the bamboo to turn greener, but it seems to be doing exactly the opposite.
What is going on? I love this bamboo clump, and want to do all I can.
Is this normal for bamboo? Do the leaves turn yellow and drop in spring?
The stalks(culms?) are all green and healthy, only the leaves are yellowish brown.

thanks,
xman

Considering there's no frost damage, the first thing that comes to mind is that bamboo will quickly dump leaves in drought conditions. Make sure the bamboo is gatting enough water. If you're irrigating and are sure the water is penetrating the soil (not running off), check that the area is not actually becoming TOO wet. This is less common than under-watering but I've seen bamboo planted in a recess or in a boggy area and the roots/rhizome will begin to rot. This would also cause what you're describing. Bamboo loves water often but needs to breathe.
Finally, your species would benefit greatly if fertilized quarterly with a palm fertilizer. You can also augment with an iron supplement ( like Ironite http://www.ironite.com ).

tropicalbamboo,

Thanks for your reply. I will check the water conditions. I am sure it is not under watering.
if it is not under or over watering, Do you think that it is getting ready to drop its leaves for spring?
How do they lose older leaves?

thanks,
xman

'Golden Goddess' is typically a little yellow lokking to begin w/. I do have a 'Fern Leaf" thats doing about the same, I guess were pushing the zones here.

I have six pots and I think I lost one for sure. Maybe I forgot to water. Anyway, there are all straw looking right now, but some are getting some green color. Good advice on the plam fertililzer, thanks.

tropicalbamboo,

Why the palm fertilizer? I have a lot of miracle gro granular fertilizer that I stocked up on last year, can I use that instead?

thanks,
xman

Palms have specific requirements for their mineral uptake. Palm fertilizer has soil acidifiers that will help the iron to be absorped. It also has the complete secondary and micronutrients. Best kind is a slow-release nitrogen.
If you want to use miracle grow, dilute it and spray the foliage. Do look on the label to see if it has all the micronutrients.
I used to can 20 quarts of Golden groove bamboo shoots picked in the mts. of North Carolina. The bamboo was planted in a wildlife preserve and deemed an invasive plant. You could literally snap off a 4 ft shoot, peel the culm sheaths off and eat it raw. It tasted just like baby green corn.

where can I buy palm fertilizer? Is it labelled as palm fertilizer or does it have another name?

thanks,
xman