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Is my Washingtonia filifera in trouble?


lthanlon

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Two weeks ago, I received a 2-foot tall Washingtonia filifera. The nursery took great care to protect it from cold during shipment to me in Chicago; a heat pack had been placed at the base of the palm. The fronds were wrapped in paper and undamaged. I placed the palm in a southern-exposure window where it receives direct sunlight all day. I've tried to match the daytime and evening temperatures to that of Twentynine Palms, California, and have been mostly successful. Daytime is about 70F; nighttime around 65F.

I also have a low-wattage seed-germination pad under the pot. The temperature is set to 65F and maintained through a sensor placed in the soil mix.

These pictures show the palm upon arrival. The first frond to turn brown looks to be one of the plant's early leaves. In the past couple of days, the browning has started at the tips of what appears to be the next-oldest frond.

I gave the palm a good drink of distilled water; I haven't done any additional watering since.

Is this just the result of stress from shipping? Or do I need to do something else at this point?

 

 

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palm1 copy.jpg

palm2 copy.jpg

Edited by lthanlon
Edited for clarity and to add binomial name.
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Your palm is in good shape, don't worry about the tips getting yellow, even adult washingtonias do that all the time ; The oldest frond is probably drying out in accordance with the normal growth cycle ;

And if the lowest temperature inside your appartment is 65F, you don't need that heating pad, it will make the soil dry quicker;

The only thing you need to do is make sure the soil doesn't stay dry for too long, especially with such temperatures and exposure : unlike Phoenixes, Washingtonias are super fast growers, and absorb the soil's wetness much faster when in pots (they tend to die very quickly when exposed to sunlight + heat while in need for water) ;

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It looks pretty good to me, too. Filifera is a desert palm that I can't grow in FL so I have no personal experience with it. But overwatering kills more palms than underwatering so resist the urge to give it a "daily drink" just because you think it might be thirsty. Let the top 1" of mix dry before grabbing the watering can. And never let the pot sit in water for more than an hour. If forced air heat makes your apt. super dry, your palm might appreciate a weekly tepid shower in the bathtub to wash off dust and air pollution. Also, keep an eye out for spider mites. They thrive in dry homes. I hope that window lets in lots of light because the palm needs it and Chicago winter days are woefully short. Nice view. Welcome to PalmTalk and keep us posted.

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 for the responses, Nakheel1412 and PalmatierMeg.

Yes, the window gets a great deal of light. It has a southern exposure and on sunny days the temperature in this little room can reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit while the rest of the apartment stays at 68.

I also took a closer look at the palm today and noticed little white oval flecks. I tried rubbing them off with a Q-tip dipped in water, but the flecks appear to be part of the plant. Either that or it's a total infestation of something. Is this normal?

 

 

w_filifera_cu.png

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Those are just normal markings.

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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  • 1 month later...

I can't figure out what's wrong with my Washingtonia filifera. Its leaves continue to brown and die — first the older ones, and now the newer growth. This palm enjoys a southern exposure, light all day, temperatures ranging from 78 during the day to 65 at night, and I've been taking care to avoid overwatering. I had considered repotting, but after the shock of shipping, wanted to avoid that for now.

 

Any ideas?

 

Leigh

 

Ord_Washy.jpg

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Mark the spear and see if it is growing.  It is pulling energy from the older fronds while it is recuperating from transit.  

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  • 4 months later...

UPDATE

My Washingtonia filifera is growing fairly fast; it always has a nice spear shooting up. However, it's not displaying the foliage I'd hoped for.

  • At best, it looks like the seedlings you see squatting in Los Angeles parking lots and sidewalk cracks.
  • My palm is in a south-facing window and receives strong light all day. I fertilized it with a slow-release fertilizer provided by the grower. It's growing in a mixture of soil marketed for palm trees to which I've added a few cups of bonsai pebble substrate.
  • I used reagent strips to determine our tap water in 7.2 pH.
  • I give it a thorough dousing of water when the soil feels dry. This is about once a week.

Am I missing some crucial step?

L

 

 

 

 

w_filifera copy.jpg

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When you water it, make sure you flush it completely out. When the soil dries out at least one inch from the surface, I'd recommend bringing it to the sink and soak out the whole pot until it's pouring water out of the drainage holes. This will insure that all of the major roots on the bottom are getting water and not just 1/2 of pot is constantly left soggy and wet. Flush it out completely and reduce the frequent waterings. That's the only way you should water the plant while growing it indoors. Wait until it's pretty dry, follow the above and never water it any other way. Keeping only partial parts soggy is the greatest way to get all sorts of rotting that will spread quick and is very likely to kill the palm. Never ever let any water settle in the drainage tray, this will cause the same problems. Soak it completely, let it drain, let it dry out, repeat. 

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Thanks for the advice, ExoticPalms. This afternoon, I placed the palm in the bathtub and drenched it with lukewarm water from the Shower Massage until water flowed out the bottom. I let all of the water drain out, then returned the palm to its window. I'll keep you posted!

 

 

WF_in_Tub.jpg

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