Are we doing something wrong or is this normal transplant shock?

[floridanewbie]

Hi! First post on here  My husband purchased and planted this sylvester last week. If I recall correctly, when just bought, a couple of its fronds were brownish. Initially we planted it too deep but amended that (we have a small tractor so we've been able to do the work ourselves.) Now we're concerned that she's (i affectionately refer to her as "Greeny") not getting enough water/is planted incorrectly. Can anybody take a look and tell me what they think? I know transplant shock is common, but we really want to do the best we can to minimize it. Location is Central Florida, south of Orlando. Also, on the picture it may seem like the root ball is entirely underground, but we made sure it's at least 2 inches above ground (per our research, hopefully this is correct!) The rootball is irregular in shape so it's difficult to gauge accurately.  Here are the pictures: https://imgur.com/a/nsJK9

 

Thank you for any input!  

[kinzyjr]

Welcome to the forum!  How often do you water it?

[floridanewbie]

Thank you! We're watering it every day. We have a few micro sprayers and leave it on for about an hour or two but not sure if we're getting the right coverage. It's difficult to measure how much water exactly it's getting.  I try to go by feel and make sure the top of the root ball is not dry though. I wish i could be more accurate!

[kinzyjr]

I don't think water is the issue; might even be too much water for a phoenix.  The planting height should be fine as well, judging from the pictures.  Looks like some general transplant shock to me.  Try taking a few days off the water, especially now that we'll have 2 cool days in a row.  The big thing to watch is the spear.  If it is growing, then it should grow out of any kind of transplant shock it has/had.  If you're not sure, you can mark the spear with a magic marker and then mark another frond close by at the same level.  If the mark on the spear is moving up from where it was, the palm establish itself.

[floridanewbie]

Oh wow i would've never thought of that. We were told to water it at "open hose" for about 5 min every day for a week! Will try your suggestion out. Is there any signs i should be looking out for that indicate she's really not doing well? I feel so silly for getting so attached to a plant but we've never had anything nice like that before! Thank you  

[kinzyjr]

It's totally understandable to get attached.  On this forum, it is almost expected.

If the fronds continue to turn brown/grey, then you might have an issue with one of several diseases that are active along the I-4 corridor (Texas Phoenix Palm Decline, Fusarium Wilt), but let's stay positive and treat it as transplant shock.   I have a yard full of phoenix species (phoenix dactylifera, phoenix roebelenii, and phoenix theophrasti)  When I planted them originally, they I would soak the planting hole place the root ball in the hole either even or slightly lower, fill the hole in, and then water deeply.  After that, I'll confess that I rarely water them.  The most attention they get is their annual dose of magnesium in the form of epsom salts mixed with some watered down fertilizer to keep the older fronds from yellowing.  You can see some of them here: http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/52296-palms-and-others-of-interest/

[Scott Cohen]

I think shock as well