Wonder what's suddenly gone wrong

[cbmnz]

I know it won't cost much to replace at this size but annoyed what has suddenly happened to the little Rhopalostylis Baueri I have been growing since last spring. It has been doing excellent but today I suddenly noticed the newest frond besides the emerging spear has shriveled up. The older two are still ok.

I have been watering it almost daily given the hot dry weather but have never watered when in full sun. It should be impossible to over water when growing in free draining container mix, I thought.

Any ideas? For now will assume just too much sun and dry heat. It's been getting two hours of direct sun only, about 3 to 5pm, all summer and that has not been a problem until now. It was still fine back on 6th Feb. This week has been very warm 29-32C highs each day and some cooler nights but some barely getting below 20C. The 32C yesterday was very dry.  But there were spells of similar weather in Jan too.  I did trim some tall boarder shrubs about 6th-10th Feb which let more light and a bit more direct sun into the area, maybe that just tipped it over the edge.

 

Nov 2019

 

February 6th 2020

 Today, Feb 21

 

I guess time will tell if it's just sunburn it will recover. If it's something more nasty then it will slowly die.

 

 

 

 

[Steve Mac]

Your line of reasoning and your conclusions all seem valid to me.

A similar thing has just happened to a recently moved Areca vestiaria of mine.

Not very recently though.

Latest big leaf fried, no indication of sunburn on older smaller leaves, even ones facing the sun directly.  Odd.

We shall wait and see.

[cbmnz]

Thanks for your thoughts on the matter. Have moved it to a shadier spot and hope it recovers. Hope your palm recovers too.

[cbmnz]

Update nearly 3 weeks later - the newest frond and the emerging spear are toasted crisp, but the other two still pretty much fine. So must have been just sunburn.

Hopefully it will survive then, but will need to push out the toasted spear first.

 

 

 

[Steve Mac]

Mine too, it was an Areca triandra not vestiaria as I said before, that appeares to have suffered the same fate as yours.

New green leaf coming though.

[Steve Mac]

Mark, how is your Rhopy Going? My Areca is fine.

Steve