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Sylvester crown


Ck32250

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I planted this palm about 2 years ago. It immeadiatly lost 80% of its fronds. It has been unchanged ever since- not a single new frond. I recently stuck a camera in there and it looks like the new growth is stuck somehow. Should I try to dig it out? Any advice on getting this to grow new fronds again? Thanks. 

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5 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

Does seem like chronic and severe boron deficiency. Unless you take counter measures, yer gonna miss the palm.

Agree. The whole crown of the palm is stunted. Did it look like that two years ago? Did you ever fertilize it in the past two years?

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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I would email photos of your sylvestris to Dr. Tim Broschat. He can best advise you. He will most likely tell you to broadcast some 20 Mule Team Borax laundry detergent booster around our palm and water it in. That's what he told me to do many years ago to one of my palms that exhibited boron deficiency.  https://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/faculty/timothybroschat/

 

 

Mad about palms

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Here's a paper Broschat wrote about Boron deficiency:

http://www.palms.org/palmsjournal/2007/v51n3p115-126.pdf

And a UFL paper by Caldwell detailing some deficiencies and Broschat's suggested treatment of 2-4oz per medium-large palm in 5 gallons of water. 

http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/collierco/files/2018/03/Boron-DeficiencyOct05.pdf

There's a chance that something else is going on there, since the "new" frond attempts also look really, really yellow.  It may be more than just a boron deficiency, maybe a combination of Boron and Manganese:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/EP/EP26700.pdf

 

Edited by Merlyn2220
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Thank you for the replies.

I have just been putting fish emoulsion and very little amounts of "palm" fertilizer (I think from Southern Ag). I read something some time ago about adding fertilizer too quickly after transplanting potentially causing more problems. Yes, the tree was absolutely beautiful and full when transplanted 2 years ago. 

I will read about the boron deficiency- thanks. 

 

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2 minutes ago, Ck32250 said:

I read something some time ago about adding fertilizer too quickly after transplanting potentially causing more problems.

I've read this too, but I generally add fertilizer 6-9 months after transplanting depending on the time of year.  Two years in sandy Florida soil is too long to wait to begin fertilizing. 

Jon

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Jon Sunder

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I'm really hoping this boron does the trick. I have another palm nearby that has always had curly leaves and really slow growth. 

Many of my palms were "rescue" palms from a nursery that closed down years ago. 

Thanks again for the advice. 

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Southern Ag has a product called "Essential Minor Elements" in granular form. It has all the minors, i.e., boron, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc and more. You probably have multiple deficiencies and this product focuses on all of them. I also agree about the Borax 20 Mule Team. Also, in FL soils are woefully deficient in the major element potassium. So, find a fertilizer that has generous potassium.

Welcome to PalmTalk

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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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Thank you- coincidentally I ordered both "southern ag essential minor elements" and "20 mule" from Amazon a few mins ago. 

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Chris I'd agree with Walt about emailing to Tim Broschat as well.  He might have more insight into how to "fix" your palm's growing cluster.  I had a banana that had gotten stomped on by a neighbor's dog, and the new leaves got "stuck" and were growing up and forcing the trunk to twist around.  I performed minor surgery to open up the center, and within a day or two it was growing straight up again.  Cutting away the cluster of horribly distorted fronds might be necessary to allow the palm to grow a normal spear again.  I just don't want to suggest it as your course of action, because I have never dealt with something that twisted up.

Meg I didn't know they had a granular form, thanks!

 

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  • 7 months later...

Well... about 9 months later, this poor Sylvester hasn’t grown a single frond. Looks like a few are trying, but too curled up to make it out. I’ve put about a half a box on borax out over the last 9 months- a little at a time. I’ve fertilized with many lbs of all types palm food. 

In preparation of this palms death, I planted a 12’ queen palm about 11 feet away. Within weeks, every frond turned brown and fell off. Seems I may have a soil issue. Is it possible bugs are eating the roots? I don’t get it. When I purchased this queen I bought one of the oldest palm they had, it’s small root ball had been bagged for months. I figured that if this queen survived in the small bag it must be hearty. 

I have about 30 other palms of various species all over the yard in other areas. Just this corner that I’m not working. It’s near the pool deck. Plenty of sun. I have an agave and hibiscus nearby. 

Thanks for any suggestions. 

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Did you email photos to Timothy Broschat?  What did he say? 

The other dying queen palm makes me wonder if there was a chemical spill in that area, like a bottle of chlorine, or pool surface cleaning chemicals, or something similar.  There have been several cases of suddenly dying palms and trees right after a pool was pressure washed.  Just washing them with high pressure water is no big deal, but some companies use harsh chemicals to keep stains from coming back.

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I did not get a response from my email to Dr   Broschat. 

Good thought- could be a chemical spill from years past. I also thought maybe the pool could be leaking in that area but I have no other symptoms of that. I pressure wash with only water. 

Attached is a photo of the queen. 

I only cut the dead fronds off because Dorian shredded and snapped them- they were fully brown- almost a copper color. Made me think the palm was diseased but the trunk is green and healthy looking. The soil is well draining. 

Thanks for your reply. 

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