Garden Pests and Diseases: What is decimating inside of Desert-Bird-of-Paradise branch?, 1 by 2QandLearn

2QandLearn wrote:
What is (eating?) the inside out of my Desert Bird of Paradise branch . . . ?
Some of the bark has apparently dried up & 'disappeared'.

The only thing I can think of is the bug that usually kills the sunflower bushes around here, which enters the stem, and at the hole you see 'sawdust' as it proceeds to consume the center of its stems. But . . . I also wonder if it could be some king of fungus infection, or perhaps something else. . . .

The damaged area is extensive on this plant, as it seems to have eaten out the very center of the branch, as well as the layer between the bark & the core!

A few years back, I saw the same --or similar-- symptoms on an older specimen nearby, which eventually made their way through that entire plant! (If I recall correctly, the owner tried cutting off infected parts, to no avail.)

I'd sure like to know --for sure-- *what* is causing this problem, and, *how* to stop it from happening to other plants. (For now the top continues looking pretty normal, somehow.)

Also, what *all* should I do to this plant to *save* it, if that is plausible. It is only about 5-6 years old, and was a *teensy-tiny* transplant that had come up in another part of the yard.

(I now just use *fresh* seeds & *keep* them moist,
which sprout within 3 days in the heat of summer.)

Thanks to any & all who can shed some light on what I am dealing with, here. I have a row of these plants just inside my back wood fence, and enjoy looking out at them from my desk. (:

Regarding the photos, the directly-affected area is about 7-8 inches long, about 4-5 inches up from the crotch, & about 1-1.5 inches wide.

Thanks Again! (:

This message was edited Oct 17, 2012 2:41 PM