Chamaerops Humulis (var cerifera??) not looking great.

[ActualTrachycarpus 21]

So I got this chamaerops back in late December and he looked healthy at first but since hes not been able to get adequate sunlight (Chicago winter) he is starting to not look so good. Definitely for summer Ill put him in my sunniest spot but for right now any tips to make him look better? (And Ive been putting him next to a window I just moved him to take pictures)

Edited March 9, 2019 by ActualTrachycarpus

[ActualTrachycarpus 21]

[ActualTrachycarpus 21]

Heres the palm when I first got it

[Allen 1,272]

Possibly a low humidity not watered enough situation?  Or something more serious.  It looks really bad and will have a tough time recovering.  Get away from all air vents or cover them.  If you have a garage with a window put it out there if temps stay above freeing as the air will have higher humidity.  Or put in bathroom if possible.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Allen

[PalmatierMeg 7,332]

On  the surface it looks like it is drying out from low humidity. But I also suspect it has root rot issues from too much water. Is it still in its original pot? What is it planted in? Looks like black muck. How often do you water it? Does the pot have drainage holes? Or does it sit in a tray of water? Chamaerops can be quite drought tolerant but if you overwater it in your dark, chilly, dry Chicago house you may be suffocating the roots in wet muck. If the roots die, the rest of the palm soon follows and yours looks close to terminal.

I can't tell you if it is worth trying to save but if you want to try: 1) Remove the palm from its pot, discard pot and soil;  2) Rinse soil off of roots and examine them - healthy roots are white, dead/dying roots are dark brown or black; 3) Trim away dead/dying roots; 4) Get new pot about the same size with adequate drainage holes and a very well draining soil amended with perlite, pumice or similar additives. Don't use cheap dollar store black potting soil;  5) Repot the palm. Trim off dead/dying fronds to reduce transpiration through compromised roots; 6) Place pot in good light but away from direct sun. Cut way back on watering so potting mix is just damp, not soggy. Better too little water than too much. Never let pot sit in a tray of water.

Note: After you've rinsed and trimmed the roots, soak them for an hour in 3% hydrogen peroxide before potting. H2O2 will sanitize dead/dying tissue while leaving healthy tissue alone.

[ActualTrachycarpus 21]

25 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

On  the surface it looks like it is drying out from low humidity. But I also suspect it has root rot issues from too much water. Is it still in its original pot? What is it planted in? Looks like black muck. How often do you water it? Does the pot have drainage holes? Or does it sit in a tray of water? Chamaerops can be quite drought tolerant but if you overwater it in your dark, chilly, dry Chicago house you may be suffocating the roots in wet muck. If the roots die, the rest of the palm soon follows and yours looks close to terminal.

I can't tell you if it is worth trying to save but if you want to try: 1) Remove the palm from its pot, discard pot and soil;  2) Rinse soil off of roots and examine them - healthy roots are white, dead/dying roots are dark brown or black; 3) Trim away dead/dying roots; 4) Get new pot about the same size with adequate drainage holes and a very well draining soil amended with perlite, pumice or similar additives. Don't use cheap dollar store black potting soil;  5) Repot the palm. Trim off dead/dying fronds to reduce transpiration through compromised roots; 6) Place pot in good light but away from direct sun. Cut way back on watering so potting mix is just damp, not soggy. Better too little water than too much. Never let pot sit in a tray of water.

 Note: After you've rinsed and trimmed the roots, soak them for an hour in 3% hydrogen peroxide before potting. H2O2 will sanitize dead/dying tissue while leaving healthy tissue alone.

I have sprayed the fronds with water and only watered it twice in the past three months because I knew the soil was crappy and I thought they were better with dry conditions.  I have some other palms in the same conditions doing fine (I spray with a lot more water on them) I have palm/cactus soil and extra sand lying around that I could use but I know they definitely don't have the nutrients I need. I want to try this method but it might be a lost cause.

[ActualTrachycarpus 21]

And yes the soil is kind of muck but I watered it as little as possible so it didn't sit in water.

[Allen 1,272]

Sounds like you killed it being too dry to me.  Indoor air is super dry and it will need water.   Mix some soil and repot it in same/different pot to check roots/soil.  Use miracle grow cactus/palm soil at Lowes and mix in some perlite, etc if you can if you want easy soil or mix your own is the better route.  It will take a year to recover.  Buy another if you can't wait that long.  When the fronds start folding up you know something is wrong next time and you can catch this earlier.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Allen

[Rickybobby 1,230]

I’m the king at doing this. Usually is root rot. Indoor temps not warm enough and the soil stays too wet too long and cold and this happens

[ActualTrachycarpus 21]

Probably root rot.  Keeping palms alive indoors in pots is not an easy task. I don't know what I will do at this point, I have the right soil but I need to go buy perlite. And I am also very limited to where I can put it in my house because my pesky cat will chew up the fronds. Thanks for the advice everyone.

[Rickybobby 1,230]

14 hours ago, ActualTrachycarpus said:

Probably root rot.  Keeping palms alive indoors in pots is not an easy task. I don't know what I will do at this point, I have the right soil but I need to go buy perlite. And I am also very limited to where I can put it in my house because my pesky cat will chew up the fronds. Thanks for the advice everyone.

See if it will lift out cleanly and do a root inspection 

[ActualTrachycarpus 21]

3 hours ago, Rickybobby said:

See if it will lift out cleanly and do a root inspection 

Yeah I will do it later today I have had a busy weekend.

[Cikas 442]

That was normal European green form of Chamaerops. And it looks dead. it is in very bad condition.

Edited March 10, 2019 by Cikas