Are my coconut palms OK?

[bbates123]

These palms have been in the ground since June 2015.  Overall they seem to be doing fine but I've been noticing the edges of the fronds turning brown, even newer growth.  This also happened last winter.  Is this just a normal thing that happens during the colder winter months when they get less light during the day?  Using a cheap moisture meter the gauge reads plenty of moisture in the ground.  They get hit with soaker hoses twice a week.  They also get in ground fertilizer injections 3 times a year from a professional service.  Do I need to worry about lethal yellowing?

[Zeeth]

The browning that you're noticing is just due to the cooler winter weather, and isn't really anything to worry about. 

LY isn't as present in Florida as it was in the 70's, so I wouldn't worry too much. Your palms are Malayan dwarves, which were once said to be LY resistant (but new research is disputing this). The only variety that's shown to be completely resistant in Florida has been the Fiji dwarf, which is relatively difficult to source, but is available if you know where to look. 

[QWERTY]

My coconut (no idea what kind as I bought it at Home Depot) looks worse than that each winter but perks back up every spring.

[Palmaceae]

Yep, cooler weather and typical potassium deficiency that happens this time of year, they will quickly recover when it gets warmer and after a good spring fertilizing. 

[bbates123]

OK thanks for the feedback everyone, that is a relief.  I read that there is some sort of antibiotic that you can inject into the palms as a preventative measure to protect against LY.  Worth doing or no?

[Zeeth]

51 minutes ago, bbates123 said:

OK thanks for the feedback everyone, that is a relief.  I read that there is some sort of antibiotic that you can inject into the palms as a preventative measure to protect against LY.  Worth doing or no?

Not really. Tetracycline injections will help prevent LY infection, but it scars the trunk and it has to be done consistently to make a difference. It may be worth it in the more LY susceptible areas with Jamaican talls, but it's not really worth it for you.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

Hey Bill,

They look a lot better than our freeze injured coconut palms here in Corpus Christi, Texas.  They even look better than ours do here in a normal non freezing winter.  In cooler winter climates (cooler than the tropics), coconut palms look pretty battered and develop a Potassium deficiency in the winter, that I try to counteract with a good December fertilization of my all organic MicroLife 8-4-6 Ultimate that has over 70 minerals and micronutrients (and then 3 other times throughout the year), and I supplement this with all organic MicroLife 4-2-3 Ocean Harvest as a foliar spray, which the leaves absorb more quickly than the slow release granular fertilizer.  Yours should look fine by April.  Welcome to the forum, by the way.

John

Edited February 6, 2017 by Mr. Coconut Palm