Palm disaster

[Palm crazy]

Some sad news on my feather palms. Two months ago I started fertilizing four of my feather palms with blood meal. They show no sign of anything wrong, until this month when the weather finally got warm they started dying. (March & April well below average.) One of them the whole center died out, that was my only BxJ. All the rest have either solid center with total leaf gone on trunk and the others have center partly dying with good looking older leaves. I’m not sure what to think about this… my problem was fertilizing to early and then we never really got warm till early May. I’m not going to fertilize any other feather palms till early June. I think I’ve learn my lesson, LOL! 

[Sanips]

What a pity. Maybe If you share some pics about the problem other members could tell you if it's caused by fertilization or not.

[Chris Chance]

Sorry to hear that. What a bummer. 

[smithgn]

Man I'm sorry to hear this. I never knew there was such a thing as fertilizing too early. I know one of the posters on here in Louisiana fertilizes through late fall and winter to get the plant to "power" through the cold months.

[Palm crazy]

Thanks guys will take some pics this evening. We never had one day above 68F in April compared to last year 88F it was very cool during the day and the low this winter was only 21F and no days below 32F. My other feather palms (six of them) that receive no fertilizer Don’t have any damage at all. Will have to see this summer if the damaged one recover or not. 

Edited May 9, 2017 by Palm crazy

[Palm crazy]

Here are picture of the damage feather palms some are worst than others. 

Butia catarinensis  Only adult leaves totally damage all ready removed.

 

 

Edited May 9, 2017 by Palm crazy

[Palm crazy]

 BxJ  total spear pull and some adult ones in the center pulled out also. 

Edited May 9, 2017 by Palm crazy

[Palm crazy]

Butia x Queen center is really bad should make it I think.

[Palm crazy]

Here is the last one with two photos… Butia blue leaf lower branches burnt to crisp. Thats all the damage ones… will post the rest later that have no damage. 

 

Edited May 9, 2017 by Palm crazy

[GregVirginia7]

Perhaps more to do with the March/April cold and wet? I use copper fungicide pretty regularly in my Northern Virginia winters...our winter, by the way, was great for the palms in my back yard...hope they pull through.

[Palm crazy]

1 hour ago, GregVirginia7 said:

Perhaps more to do with the March/April cold and wet? I use copper fungicide pretty regularly in my Northern Virginia winters...our winter, by the way, was great for the palms in my back yard...hope they pull through.

That is exactly right! To cold this March/April.  

[Palm crazy]

Here are my other feather palms that did mostly good to excellent without early Fertilizing. 

My biggest JxB F2 and smallest one. 

[Palm crazy]

Butia and butia catarinensis. 

 

 

 

[Palm crazy]

Butia ‘blue leaf'. 

Edited May 10, 2017 by Palm crazy

[Palm crazy]

Two butia in some shade but growing taller. Check out the second ones new spear coming out super tall. 

Edited May 10, 2017 by Palm crazy

[Palm crazy]

Last Butia is my green trunk one. Thanks for Looking! 

Edited May 10, 2017 by Palm crazy

[Jungle Jas.]

Very interesting, how did you apply the blood meal.

[Palm crazy]

24 minutes ago, Jungle Jas. said:

Very interesting, how did you apply the blood meal.

I sprinkled it around the base and root system. I really think it was the cooler than normal weather and blood meal that damaged the palms. We had a lot of 57F-62F and rain pretty much for all of April just never really warmed up. 

[Palm crazy]

If theres any good news I will do an update come September. 

[Jimhardy]

I made a post a while back about fertilizer and cold hardiness....

 

The blood-meal is basically all Nitrogen which would

cause week spindly growth which is also much

less hardy than and unfertilized plant that can

harden off with slower growth.....

 

I noticed after summer before last that all my

palms were much more cold tolerant going into a winter

where they were not fertilized during the summer,the one caveat

is that compost(if you want to compare to fertilizer) will not cause this.

[Palm crazy]

Thanks Jim that is a good point, in colder area like mine fertilizing after july is not a good idea. To much tender growth in the fall only means it’s going to get zap during winter. The new growth never has a chance to harden off and that make it really tender going into winter. I’ve had the same thing happen on cycad with late fall growth.