Palm Tree Q&A

I get a lot of emails from people who are experiencing problems with palm trees. I read all of them and try to respond as soon as possible, because I feel your pain and I know what it feels like to watch your favorite palm tree turning into a dry yellowish-brown monster. My goal is to help as many palm tree enthusiasts as I can.

Here is few palm tree problems that I was able to solve successfully.

King Palm Tree is turning brown

QUESTION: Leaves of my King Palm are turning brown! It is few months old. I got it 3 weeks ago. I am following the instructions, planted it in full sun and watering it every other day. What is wrong with my palm tree? Why is my King Palm turning brown?

ANSWER: Is it new or the old fronds are turning brown? If it’s new fronds then your tree might be in big trouble. Let’s assume it is older fronds that are turning brown. I don’t know where you live and what kind of soil you used, but from what you telling me it sounds like a combination of problems. You need to water a new planted palm every day for the first week and than every other day for the second. See if the soil is moist enough. Second, your tree is way to young to sit on the full sun in the middle of the summer. You probably burned all the leaves.

Create a cover. Take 4 sticks and put a plastic cover on top. Make few holes in the plastic every 2 weeks to allow more sun to get through. It will help to adjust your palm to a higher light levels. Keep in mind, your palm tree might be experiencing a “transplant shock”. It takes few month for the palm to establish. Hope that helped.

Drought is killing my Palm Tree

QUESTION: Hi Susan. My palm tree is dying! I transplanted a double stem mature pygmy date palm, about 6ft tall into the earth in front of my home. Currently, we are having a drought and I realized that the leaves on one of the stems started the wilt and droop very baldly. I cut away all of the drooping leaves and ensure that it is getting an adequate supply of water daily. It doesn’t have much leaves left!!! I also added some fertilizer spikes to the soil. I don’t want to loose it, but I am concern if it will survive. HELP!x

ANSWER: Cutting all the drooping leaves was a huge mistake. You palm didn’t like it. Drooping leaves usually means not enough water. It is very easy to find out by checking the moist level of your soil. Palm trees need to be deep watered, meaning that you need to water them for a longer period of time providing very little water. Instead of watering it fast with a large amount of water. That way, you give your soil enough time to absorb all the water.

Also, since you have a drought, it’s is a good idea to add few inches of mulch to help the soil to stay moist. For more information read my article on watering palm trees.

I am guessing your palm tree is getting full sun. Poor palm is not used to full sun since it’s been growing indoors all this time. You need to cover it with a screen or a plastic to decrease the light levels. Stop fertilizing it. Let me know how it’s doing.

Majesty Palm Tree is dying

QUESTION: Hi! Last year i bought a MAJESTY PALM. It’s a regular indoor palm. After a few months of living, the leaves of the plant started becoming brown and dying off. I did that root pruning but the plant hasn’t become better. It started as a very bushy plant and now has only 2 branches left. How can I salvage this palm?

ANSWER: Majesty Palm is not the best choice for the indoor plant. Kentia Palm grows much better indoors. Majesty Palm cannot live in the pot for too long. Max few years. After that, it starts slowly declining. How old is your palm? I don’t think that your palm liked the root pruning. If you damage palm roots it might weaken the palm and give a great opportunity for the insects to attack.

Majesty Palm needs well drained soil. If you live in the warm climate you Majesty palm might do much better outside. But if you damaged root system too much transplanting it outside not going to help. Don’t let it sit in the water. Read my articles on how to plant and take care of palm trees.

If you need help with a dying palm tree or you have palm tree care question let me know and I’ll do my best to help you.

Also, check out my new article Top 10 Palm Care Mistakes. In this article I list most common mistakes that palm tree owners make and tell you how to avoid them.

Susan Brian