My Sylvester Palm doesn't look too good

[thundarr]

I have had it for about 8 months and it still looks bad. They cut off the dead branches and fertilized it but the new ones still turn brown and now the new growth appears to be dying as well. I watered it 2x day until about a months ago 1x day and now with all the rain I have stopped watering it. What should Ido?

[PalmatierMeg]

You watered it 2x per day? How long? Then 1x per day? How long? I freely admit I'm no Phoenix expert but I fear you are killing it by overwatering. That is a large palm, not a tiny seedling and it shouldn't require that kind of flooding. If it's been sitting in wet soil for weeks or even months, the roots may be rotting in suffocating muck. This species can grow in areas of alternating wet and dry seasons so they have some drought tolerance. But they are not swamp dwelling palms and you've been treating it as one.

I don't know enough to tell you if this palm can be saved or how. I hope someone with requisite Phoenix knowledge with chime in. Until then drop the hose and back away  from it.

[Merlyn]

I agree with Meg, that seems like a huge amount of watering.  My young Sylvesters (about 1-3' of clear trunk) got a good drenching when planted, and then I set up a dripper irrigation for them.  They each have two 1 gallon per hour drippers that run for about 40 minutes per day, every day during the summer.  That's a total of 1.33 gallons per plant, and the drippers are set up about 1-2 feet from the trunk.  In the winter I cut that back to only twice a week, which might be too much.

My watering is really only supplementary for times where it doesn't rain for a few days in the summer.  That supplemental just keeps the soil from totally drying out.  You could easily be putting several gallons of water on each watering time, multiple times per day is probably drowning it.  Only a few palms (Majesty, Royal, Nypa Fructans) can tolerate soggy soil.  One rule-of-thumb I read is that you can water again when the first inch of soil is dry, but that might be more applicable to indoor palms.

If the tips of the leaflets are browning and dying, it is frequently a sign of improper watering.  Too little water will do that, and the palm will "kill off" the older fronds to try and conserve water for newer fronds and new growth.  But (as Meg said) if you are drowning the palm then you can end up with root rot, and even though the palm has plenty of water in the ground, it doesn't have the ability to extract it...because you're drowning the roots.  In both cases you can see the same browned tips on the leaflets.

[redant]

Start shopping for a replacement and don't drown the next one. Just my opinion.

[SEPalm]

Looks like you have some green spears up there. I have seen these struggle after transplant and look real poor. Eventually they seem to suddenly snap out of it and resume normal growth if properly taken care of.

These palms like the water to drain off fairly quickly. You don’t want  the roots to stay wet. If it’s not in real sandy soil cut back the water a bit and be patient. All is not lost yet as long as you have some new green spears it is alive and kicking.

[Jeff985]

I agree with SEPalm. I had one with about seven feet of trunk planted and it had no new growth for about six months. I thought it was dead and was about to call the landscaper I bought it from and have it replaced. Before I actually got around to making the call it started pushing up spears at a fairly quick rate. Watering twice a day is way too much though. Definitely cut back on that. Twice a week is plenty. 

[thundarr]

The company came by and replaced the palm which had died. They instructed me to water in 2x/day for 1 hour. One a recent to trip to a Palm Nursery in St Augustine I asked the owner how much to water a new Palm. He is an expert and has been growing hybridized Palms for 20+ years. Anyway he said 2 or 3 times per week and to mulch it. I mulched it with 2-4 inches of pine nuggets and bought a Hygrometer to avoid overwatering the new one. I watered it once in 6 days. The Hygrometer went off the scale on wet so I won't water it again until it shows dry. Lucky i didn't follow their advice this time.

 

[redant]

Some palms would be very happy with the 2x a day plan, this isn't one of them.

[UK_Palms]

2 hours ago, redant said:

Some palms would be very happy with the 2x a day plan, this isn't one of them.

Sylvestris will grow fine in Florida without any supplemented irrigation whatsoever. The extra watering seems totally unnecessary and is no doubt the root of the problems.

Unless you are in a heatwave, or drought, I don't see why you should be watering it on a weekly basis even. The Florida water table is already high enough and you get 50-60 inches of rainfall a year. That is more than enough for Sylvestris. If anything, that is too much water, to the point that the OP better make sure his drainage is bang on point. Otherwise that might also be part of the issue.

Sylvestris grows well without any irrigation in SoCal and Canary Islands, places that receive 10 inches of rainfall a year. And they have no supplemental water! They get enough water from the ground (which is much drier than in Florida), and those places are naturally dry/arid Mediterranean climates. Unlike Florida which has high rainfall and a high water table. 

[redant]

15 minutes ago, UK_Palms said:

Sylvestris will grow fine in Florida without any supplemented irrigation whatsoever. The extra watering seems totally unnecessary and is no doubt the root of the problems.

Unless you are in a heatwave, or drought, I don't see why you should be watering it on a weekly basis even. The Florida water table is already high enough and you get 50-60 inches of rainfall a year. That is more than enough for Sylvestris. If anything, that is too much water, to the point that the OP better make sure his drainage is bang on point. Otherwise that might also be part of the issue.

Sylvestris grows well without any irrigation in SoCal and Canary Islands, places that receive 10 inches of rainfall a year. And they have no supplemental water! They get enough water from the ground (which is much drier than in Florida), and those places are naturally dry/arid Mediterranean climates. Unlike Florida which has high rainfall and a high water table. 

A transplant may need a little extra to start but you are correct, I grow them with zero irrigation as does my neighbor and they do fine.

 

[PalmTreeDude]

Yeah watering this palm two times a day an hour at a time will definitely kill it. I have killed palms in the Phoenix genus from over watering in the past and seemed to have just now learned. 

Edited January 18, 2019 by PalmTreeDude
Typos

[edric]

Water only if there is a long spell without rain, then use agricultural lime, to keep it dark green, Ed

[PalmatierMeg]

And find another palm seller next time. Your current guy doesn't know diddly about Phoenix palms (or any other?). Appalling ignorance.

Stay with us and soon you'll know more than that guy ever will. Welcome to PalmTalk

[Pal Meir]

Here a photo of the habitat of that Phoenix species; it is a quite dry environment:

[Jeff985]

While this is true of most Phoenix palms, everything I’ve read about Sylvestris says they are native to the wetter, costal regions of India. Areas prone to monsoons. 

[PalmatierMeg]

Jeff985, Phoenix sylvestris does quite well in hot, humid places like FL & Houston. They are being used as boulevard trees more and more in Cape Coral. This species is my favorite as the most beautiful and elegant Phoenix. Unfortunately, many people here in the humid east coast are hung up on CIDPs (a true desert palm) that grow poorly and look terrible here - and are prone to wilt. 

[Jeff985]

I agree. I have three Sylvesters all with about seven feet of trunk. They are doing great here in Houston. CIDPs and Dactylifera are far more popular and more expensive. Also, Sylvestris takes way less space making them better for small residential landscapes. 

[Pal Meir]

52 minutes ago, Jeff985 said:

While this is true of most Phoenix palms, everything I’ve read about Sylvestris says they are native to the wetter, costal regions of India. Areas prone to monsoons. 

»This palm is native to India and southern portions of Pakistan. In both countries, it occurs in areas where there is sparse vegetation mainly composed of scrub species and along flat lands where monsoons occur. «

 

[Strongrl1202]

On 1/17/2019 at 2:12 PM, thundarr said:

The company came by and replaced the palm which had died. They instructed me to water in 2x/day for 1 hour. One a recent to trip to a Palm Nursery in St Augustine I asked the owner how much to water a new Palm. He is an expert and has been growing hybridized Palms for 20+ years. Anyway he said 2 or 3 times per week and to mulch it. I mulched it with 2-4 inches of pine nuggets and bought a Hygrometer to avoid overwatering the new one. I watered it once in 6 days. The Hygrometer went off the scale on wet so I won't water it again until it shows dry. Lucky i didn't follow their advice this time.

 

Hello there, I have the same exact situation as you had originally.  Uncanny how your original photo could be of my tree!  Just checking back to see how your situation turned out and if you have any other advice.  I’m about 6 months in and have sparse grown and browning.  Thanks for your time. 
 

Rob

[Jenni d]

Should I put mulch around my Sylvester palm.I have a couple of dry leaves.I have had my 7 foot palm for a couple of weeks .My landscaper told me to water it twice a day.

 

[zeze]

On 1/19/2019 at 2:20 PM, Jeff985 said:

I agree. I have three Sylvesters all with about seven feet of trunk. They are doing great here in Houston. CIDPs and Dactylifera are far more popular and more expensive. Also, Sylvestris takes way less space making them better for small residential landscapes. 

I'd like to ask you couple questions if that's okay for you! I live in Houston as well and have five slyvester palm trees in my backyard. After the trgedy last week, I dont know how to take care of them! I'd appriciate if you can give me some advices.