Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Boron deficiency


Insomniac411

Recommended Posts

I'm having an incredibly hard time treating boron deficiency in queen palms. I've read literature online but nothing's worked so far. I acquired two trees about 4 years ago. One came with its leaves crinkled. I didnt suspect anything at the time. As new foliage arose it all bloomed the same. When I diagnosed it as boron deficiency,  I began treating it with 20 mule borax. (Maybe this is not the boron compound needed?) I've been unsuccessful in correcting it and now its apparently spread to to other tree which was otherwise healthy the last 3 years. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

20200224_114353.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At our last Southern California palm tree society meeting we had a great presentation by Don Hodel who is the author of many palm tree books  and his belief  was that if your soil  is healthy  that most of these nutritional deficiencies  will not be apparent  but sometimes correcting the problem  has to be done by adding the missing nutrients I have seen people use the borax mule soap with great success not sure if you are using a balanced fertilizer or not but some of these fertilizers do not contain Boron some do like Palm Gain . In my own experience I have seen the Palm gain turn the Boron deficiency around it does take some time not sure if this helps but good luck and have a great day

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That does look like a typical Boron deficiency on queens.  The condition of that leaf tells you about the boron levels of the palm about 4-5 months ago, when that frond was forming.  So it's always a "lagging indicator" of the palm health. 

One possibility is that your soil may be very sandy or very alkaline.  Really sandy soils (without a decent amount of organics below the topsoil layer) could mean that any boron you put on the ground is washed away in the first good rainfall.  Being in Ponte Vedra you *might* be growing on top of essentially old shells.  That would end up being alkaline, since sea shells are mostly Calcium Carbonate.  If you are in coarse sea shell sand then that could be your problem.  I'm not familiar with trying to correct fertilizer problems in super-sandy soil, hopefully someone else can chime in here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That makes perfect sense merilyn thanks for your input I on the other hand am trying to amend rock hard clay soil on the opposite Coast totally different  ballgame .cheers 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you fertilize regularly with a time release fertilizer with all the minor elements? Queens in FL are Class II invasives that hate our mostly alkaline soil, which I have in spades. I lost all mine 4-5 years ago to wilt and that was traumatic at the time but now I'm glad they're gone and wouldn't take one if you offered it to me. They are water and fertilizer hogs.

Fertilize them generously come March. And in case you have more than just a boron deficiency (some minerals like potassium & magnesium have a yin/yang relationship and need to be balanced), I suggest you find "Essential Minor Elements in granular form" by Southern Ag. You might have to search beyond the orange or blue Big Boxes for it. A 40 lb bag costs about $40 but you can find it in smaller quantities. It includes everything from boron to zinc. An extra shot of minor elements may help.

  • Like 2

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys. I do fertilize usually 2 times a year. I dont have the bag I used last, something from home depot, but I went to walmart and found a palm fertilizer which contained boron so I just dosed it with that. I'll be keeping a close eye to see if anything changes. I was just really curious if me using 20 Mule was a waste of time and I if i was in need of some agricultural grade boron (which doesnt seem easy to come by)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 Mule Team should be cheaper.

  • Upvote 1

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Boron deficiency occurs due to excessively wet or dry soil, a fertilizer imbalance, lack of organic matter in the soil, or a combination of the aforementioned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

20 Mule Team should be cheaper.

That’s what I do when it happens. Give it a shot of actual boron

Edited by enigma99
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, enigma99 said:

That’s what I do when it happens. Give it a shot of actual boron

What kind of results did you get?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here in very rainy east Hawaii Island growing palms in rocky, clayey volcanic soil that was used for growing sugar cane for 100 years, I have had numerous problems with boron deficiency. I fertilize as needed with a Nutricote mix in order to prevent quick leaching of applied nutrients. This mix contains minors, including boron. This is the commonly recommended treatment here. A local nursery supply store sells bags of boron crystals, but it is easy to apply too much, which can be toxic to the palms. I have done this judiciously. Most of my palms with this problem do eventually recover after many months, even including some that I have not treated. Perhaps they find boron as they spread their root systems.

Mike Merritt

Big Island of Hawaii, windward, rainy side, 740 feet (225 meters) elevation

165 inches (4,200 mm) of rain per year, 66 to 83 deg F (20 to 28 deg C) in summer, 62 to 80 deg F (16.7 to 26.7 Deg C) in winter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been following along and am wondering how folks are preparing and applying a "dose" of the 20 Mule team and then how often?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used Solubor for many years.  7 grams mixed with four gallons of water gives a solution of 96 ppm.  This can be used to treat two twelve foot palms or one fifteen footer.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a few individual palms that periodically show boron deficiency while their neighboring palms do not appear to be affected. We use Solubor (2 - 4 oz / 5 gallon) as a drench whenever a problem starts. Very effective treatment.

The attached about Boron deficiency in palms in HI and in FL may be of interest.

Boron Def in Palms HI.pdf

Boron Deficiency Palms.pdf

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...