Dying Washingtonias

[Reynevan]

Hi there,

I sow about 20 seeds of Washingtonia palms ( don't know whether it was Robusta or Filifera) in October.  Everything was just fine for a first month. Now its January and they are dying. They still have one slender leaf, comparing to Date Palms sow in July, they are maybe 1/5  leaf size. Also they have brownish wither leaf ends. I dig a hole in the soil today and i found out that Washingtonia seeds were eaten by these flying pests. Date palms still have attached seeds, but they seems to be empty. Washingtonias has a hole in them, like it was eaten, and they are totally empty, it's just the outer shell that left. Does that affect they growth ?  I know that they are not coconuts which are feeding the seedling for years, but still maybe thats the issue.
I grow them in 60% coco coir and 40% perlite - didn't want to make soil organic so i could get rid of pests :))  Failed to prevent that anyway :((

[nitsua0895]

I've had the same problem with a few of my palm seedlings but only when I tried to germinate them outside during the summer. I'm not sure what could be causing such a problem indoors. Spider mites are mentioned a lot on here so that could be a possibility but I haven't had a problem with them so far. 

How much sunlight are your palms getting each day on average? 

[Reynevan]

Very few hours. I have windows only on northwest side, also i'm located in Poland which is rather cold.

[jreich85]

Your palms may not be getting enough sun, especially since they are now relying on photosynthesis for growth instead of the nutrients in the seed. This is just a wild guess only based on what I can see from your picture, but you may not be watering them enough either. Your soil appears kind of dry. If you are watering them regularly, disregard that comment.

[maxum2610]

I agree, not enough sun and probably not enough water. Not sure if your soil mix is good for Washingtonias. I grow a lot of these and I know these need a lot of water and good light. You need a high container because these palm produce deep roots. More than 20cm is good. I fill the bottom 1/3 with expanded clay balls (which you can buy in any garden store), and 2/3 with soil mix: 1/3 perlite, 1/3 good quality compost rich soil, 1/3 pumice or fine sanitized pine bark (like Reptibark or similar). I generally mix in some activated charcoal (the aquarium filter kind). This setup allows you to leave them standing in a few cm of water without them getting root rot. You should see the roots shooting through the bottom in no time if all goes well.

[Reynevan]

On ‎21‎.‎01‎.‎2017‎ ‎09‎:‎52‎:‎46, maxum2610 said:

I agree, not enough sun and probably not enough water. Not sure if your soil mix is good for Washingtonias. I grow a lot of these and I know these need a lot of water and good light. You need a high container because these palm produce deep roots. More than 20cm is good. I fill the bottom 1/3 with expanded clay balls (which you can buy in any garden store), and 2/3 with soil mix: 1/3 perlite, 1/3 good quality compost rich soil, 1/3 pumice or fine sanitized pine bark (like Reptibark or similar). I generally mix in some activated charcoal (the aquarium filter kind). This setup allows you to leave them standing in a few cm of water without them getting root rot. You should see the roots shooting through the bottom in no time if all goes well.

Do palms need organic soil ? wanted to prevent them for coming in the soil, hence i used coco and perlite. Roots were ok, i probably found the issue. I fertilized those seedlings with Guinea Pig Manure tea. Maybe it burned them. How to prevent pests when using standard organic soil along with coco and perlite ? Also what is best soil composition for this kind of palms ? Any help will be appreciated  MY pots have 19cm depth.

Edited January 23, 2017 by Reynevan
grammar

[Pando]

4 hours ago, Reynevan said:

Do palms need organic soil ? Also what is best soil composition for this kind of palms ?

Every palm has different requirements. Please note that in its native environment (here in California), Washingtonia grows in asphalt cracks and in gravel and dirt on the side of the road, going many months in a blazing sun and heat without any water, and no one is fertilizing them. They want dry heat (100F+) and direct sun for most of the day, not an easy thing to provide in Poland indoors unless you're willing to put them under some halogens and dedicate a room for them.

If you're using a rich organic soil, water too much, fertilize too much, and not have enough light and heat, they won't do very well, and often times they will simply rot. Those that do grow will outgrow their environment rather quickly.

Since you're not going to ever plant any palms outside anyway in Poland, why not try some palm species that can be successfully grown indoors, such as Chamaedorea, Rhapis, etc., or even some Lytocaryums?

Edited January 23, 2017 by Pando

[Reynevan]

51 minutes ago, Pando said:

Every palm has different requirements. Please note that in its native environment (here in California), Washingtonia grows in asphalt cracks and in gravel and dirt on the side of the road, going many months in a blazing sun and heat without any water, and no one is fertilizing them. They want dry heat (100F+) and direct sun for most of the day, not an easy thing to provide in Poland indoors unless you're willing to put them under some halogens and dedicate a room for them.

If you're using a rich organic soil, water too much, fertilize too much, and not have enough light and heat, they won't do very well, and often times they will simply rot. Those that do grow will outgrow their environment rather quickly.

Since you're not going to ever plant any palms outside anyway in Poland, why not try some palm species that can be successfully grown indoors, such as Chamaedorea, Rhapis, etc., or even some Lytocaryums?

I'll try them   They are just a little harder to obtain than dates or washies.