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| Courtesy
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California
Palm
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| Courtesy
photo |
Date
Palm
(Click picture for full size image) |
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Dear
Craig,
My palm trees look sick. I spent a small fortune last year
purchasing large Queen palms, some Pigmy date palms and
Mediterranean fan palms. The Mediterranean fan palms look
great, but the Queen palms and the Pigmy date palms have
turned yellow and have brown tips. What can I do to protect
my investment and make them look healthy again?
Anthony in N. Phoenix
Dear
Anthony,
Palms and palm like plants are often planted here in the
Southwest. But many varieties, especially non native palms,
suffer from problems with our soil, a lack of mineral absorption,
or under watering. Desert natives, such as the California
fan palm and the Robusta palm that originate from the canyons
of Mexico and southern California, adapt well to our soil
types.
Palms, in general, are not low water users. Typically, the
Queens and Pigmy date palms grow naturally in warm areas
where they receive large amounts of rainfall.
In the Southwest they require much more water than your
Mediterranean fan palm. Your soil
composition dictates how often you should be watering. In
well drained, sandy soil, palms should receive two to five
gallons of water per day during our warmer seasons. Larger
specimens will demand even more.
If you have maintained a good daily watering regimen and
the foliage is still having problems, the answer is probably
in the absorption or lack of nutrients. Palms require trace
elements and a good dose of nitrogen to maintain a dark
green, healthy appearance.
Let's face it, the soils here in the Southwest are alkaline
and probably not well suited for palm growth. The best thing
you can do when planting any palm is to introduce a beneficial
micorrhizal fungi type of bacteria to the root system during
fertilization. These symbiotic enzymes attach themselves
to the plant's roots. Although the enzymes do use a small
amount of sugar and carbohydrates from the palm, they actually
extend the plant's roots by up to 500 percent and allow
very important minerals such as manganese, magnesium, potassium,
iron and copper sulphates to be more readily absorbed into
the trunk and foliage, allowing for a much healthier plant.
Your palm's
fronds will let you know if there is something lacking in
the soil. Here are some primary symptoms that appear in fronds
deficient of nutrients:
- Potassium deficiency causes the fronds to be yellow to orange
or have brown flecks and necrotic margins.
- Manganese deficiency (usually the primary suspect) causes
the fronds to yellow with necrosis between the veins and may
cause a reduction in size.
- Magnesium deficiency usually affects older fronds, causing
them to have yellow edges with a green center.
- Iron deficiency will cause fronds to become yellow to a
pale green. |
