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Boron Deficiency


NickJames

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The HOA figured out what was killing all the Sylvester palms on HOA property:

“Yes we did another meeting with Chuck just a few weeks ago and all palms are free of Lethal Bronzing.  What he is seeing is a boron    deficiency which we have been supplementing them with but at a slow rate.  If to much Boron is applied at a single time it can    actually kill the palm,  the Boron deficiency comes from years of not being done prior to transplant which the palm has a tendency  not to show for a year or more after being planted.”  
 

As many of you know, I also have a builder installed Sylvester. I have fertilized since last July with PalmGain which contains boron. Will this be sufficient? Or do I need to take additional steps if we have a severe known deficiency in this area?

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I’m no expert but what I believe is that since Boron is a required micronutrient, it should only be given in small amounts. The best practice would be to apply a quality palm specific fertilizer with all micronutrients in the proper amounts and wait. It is true that too much Boron (or any other) would be worse and could kill it.
 

I truly believe that micronutrient deficiency is what facilitates the demise of a lot of large palms. Most of the general public do not even fertilize and so the palm is left to get what it needs from the soil. Sandy Florida soils don’t hold much but many people have a yard service like Tru Green or Massey or similar. Some of that is used by the palms but those fertilizers typically are Nitrogen based without much else. The palm is able to use that Nitrogen to grow and could look good for a while but eventually the deficiencies start to show. By that time, the palm needs some TLC and is unlikely to get what it needs from the average homeowner. The palm eventually succumbs to the deficiency or is weakened and killed by insects or disease.

 

The very first thing you should do is to get a soil analysis done. The local county extension office should be able to help with that. Your ph can play a big part in how well the plant is able or not able to take up the nutrients. 

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3 hours ago, NickJames said:

What he is seeing is a boron    deficiency which we have been supplementing them with but at a slow rate.

Read this extension service bulletin and be more educated about nutrient deficiencies, testing etc. and then hit the HOA board & Chuck with questions about how the Boron deficiency was determined. I'd suspect they don't have any actual test results or they would have mentioned testing, in which case you can point them in the right direction to get proper testing done.      http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/PP/PP16600.pdf

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7 minutes ago, NOT A TA said:

Read this extension service bulletin and be more educated about nutrient deficiencies, testing etc. and then hit the HOA board & Chuck with questions about how the Boron deficiency was determined. I'd suspect they don't have any actual test results or they would have mentioned testing, in which case you can point them in the right direction to get proper testing done.      http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/PP/PP16600.pdf

Hear hear!

5 year high 42.2C/108F (07/06/2018)--5 year low 4.6C/40.3F (1/19/2023)--Lowest recent/current winter: 4.6C/40.3F (1/19/2023)

 

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It could be boron, but my take on that new subdivision is that the soil is so compacted and the water has no where to go. Sylvesters need good drainage to thrive. 

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