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Seedling drying out, or drowning maybe?


Nakheel1412

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Hi,

About 20 days ago, I received and repoted Dypsis decaryi, Brahea armata and Sabal (etonia?) seedlings, but they don't seem to do very well ;

Most of them survived the journey (via mail), but they look like they are drying out ;

The potting soil is silt like (very fine grained soil), and even though I watered just twice (the day I repoted, and about a week ago), it doesn't seem to dry, even after 20 days spent inside (average temperature : 18 to 21ºC (65 to 70 F)) ;

It is wet, not damp (I can't squeeze water out of it);

The last surviving Sabal seedling seems like it's about to die, and the triangle seedlings seem to dry out slowly ;
37505327704_7078cdde1e_o.jpg
38184424462_cd5223ab54_o.jpg

What would you advise me to do?

Take them outside? (max : 22ºC, min : 11ºC ; 72/65 F)

Heat up the bag?

 

Thanks in advance for you help !

Edited by Nakheel1412
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Soil looks like muck with no drainage and roots are suffocating. Your potting mix should be light with coarse bits like perlite, pine bark, fine grit, something that allows it to drain well. Pots look like they are too big for those little seedlings. Never let pots sit in trays of water. Do some research on palm soil requirements and check what is available in stores. You may have to make your own mix.

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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Thanks a lot !
I removed the Sabal from its bag, covered the roots on a paper tissue and moistened it, and placed it inside my heated indoor greenhouse (a small one, for seed germination) ;
Tomorrow morning, I'll take the other seedlings outside, wind and sun should help dessicate the soil !

We'll see if that saves these poor seedlings ! :lol:

Edited by Nakheel1412
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I'll go buy some potting compost and mix it with my garden soil, and repot the seedlings ;
The bags are that large because I needed deep bags for the long roots, and the only bags with proper height came with that width :unsure: (couldn't find any tall pot)

Thanks again for you help, much appreciated ! =D

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17 hours ago, Nakheel1412 said:

I'll go buy some potting compost and mix it with my garden soil, and repot the seedlings ;
The bags are that large because I needed deep bags for the long roots, and the only bags with proper height came with that width :unsure: (couldn't find any tall pot)

Thanks again for you help, much appreciated ! =D

Please also see if you can find a product like perlite or pumice. That will be important. :greenthumb:

  • Upvote 1

Naples (inland), FL - technically 10a but more like 9b in the winter :hmm:

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30 minutes ago, Missi said:

Please also see if you can find a product like perlite or pumice. That will be important. :greenthumb:

Unfortunately, that kind of material is unavailable here :unsure:
For better drainage, I went for the following mix : ~45% garden soil + ~50% potting compost + ~5% fine gravel ;
For now, I'll keep everything outside to make sure nothing dies on me in case this mix is still problematic (wind and sun help the soil dry quicker) ; I covered the seedlings with plastic bottles to provide some artificial shade, in order for them not to fry ;

When temperatures will get too low, I'll bring everything back inside ;

Again, thanks a lot everybody, you've probably saved my poor little Sabal and the triangles ! =D

 

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May I make a suggestion? Although every palm has its unique soil requirements; @Pal Meir has a recipe that has been tested by many and is fantastic. You can water daily and not worry about rot. Use the appropriate mix based on size of the pots. 

IMG_1053.PNG

IMG_1054.PNG

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On 07/11/2017 à, Nakheel1412 said:

Unfortunately, that kind of material is unavailable here :unsure:
For better drainage, I went for the following mix : ~45% garden soil + ~50% potting compost + ~5% fine gravel ;
For now, I'll keep everything outside to make sure nothing dies on me in case this mix is still problematic (wind and sun help the soil dry quicker) ; I covered the seedlings with plastic bottles to provide some artificial shade, in order for them not to fry ;

When temperatures will get too low, I'll bring everything back inside ;

Again, thanks a lot everybody, you've probably saved my poor little Sabal and the triangles ! =D

 

Hi Nakheel, 

If you go to Bricoma Store they do have a nice poting mix called 'Terreau' with perlite already mixed, you can add some sand for better drainage I sugest you to use that with smaller pot/bags since it's kind of expensive in morocco. And you can keep them in the green house during the winter. 
When they get bigger you can transplant them into bigger pots with garden soil or directly in the ground.

What city do you live in?

Good luck.

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On 11/7/2017, 6:36:34, Stethoscope said:

May I make a suggestion? Although every palm has its unique soil requirements; @Pal Meir has a recipe that has been tested by many and is fantastic. You can water daily and not worry about rot. Use the appropriate mix based on size of the pots.

 

Thanks a lot for the recap, @Stethoscope, excellent stuff here !
 

2 hours ago, dwimss said:

Hi Nakheel, 

If you go to Bricoma Store they do have a nice poting mix called 'Terreau' with perlite already mixed, you can add some sand for better drainage I sugest you to use that with smaller pot/bags since it's kind of expensive in morocco. And you can keep them in the green house during the winter. 
When they get bigger you can transplant them into bigger pots with garden soil or directly in the ground.

What city do you live in?

Good luck.



Hi @dwimss !

Thanks a lot ! I've been looking for this, but couldn't find any !
We both live in the exact same city, how cool is that ! =D
(Very nice to meet you ! Look at your inbox, I've sent you a pm ;) )

Last year, I bought some terreau from Bricoma (the one on Hassan II Avenue), but it didn't include perlite ; Bricoma renews its offer year round, I probably missed this particular formula ;
A few days ago, I bought a 70L sphagnum moss bag from a different store (Gepronet, in Takkaddoum), and a bag of fine gravel (what we call here "grains de riz") from another shop, and used this to make my mix ;

Alas, my mother refuses that I install a greenhouse in the garden (she doesn't want me to transform the garden into a "landfill" lol), therefore I have to take the sensitive stuff inside :lol:

I found smaller bags, but the roots were touching or about to touch the bottom of the bag, and I didn't want them to form a "bun" ("chignon" in French) ;

I couldn't find any heated greenhouse in the market, so I made one from scratch with light bulbs and other materials, but it's too small for pots, I only use this for seed germination ; I therefore keep the bags in a big "jardinière" inside the house, in front of multiple windows ;

I see that you have a greenhouse, that's really cool ! =D
What kind of temperatures do you get with it during the winter?

Edited by Nakheel1412
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  • 4 months later...

I would mix any kind of rocky substance to air out the soil. Pearl-lite is good if that is not available try driveway cleaner or cat litter which are often used in Bonsai soil to air out the roots. That soil looks to mucky even some sand would help.

 

 

Ed Mijares

Whittier, Ca

Psyco Palm Collector Wheeler Dealer

Zone 10a?

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