Sick Pigafetta elata

[Peter Pacific]

Hi everybody,

I have this Pigafetta seedling that's not doing well at all and I need some help.

Here's the palm. It grows really fast but the leaves turn brown just as fast.

In this picture you can see the new green leaf but at the base of the leaflets it's brown and necrotic.

In this shot, three leaves ago, the leaf was grotesquely undersized.

I live on the beach so that may be a problem, but this little guy is behind the house far from the surf. The sandy soil is amended with black dirt and cow manure. I have not fertilized in many months thinking this may have been a problem.

Please help...all suggestions are welcome. Thanks, Peter

[epicure3]

Has cow manure always been a benefit to your newly planted palms? I'm wondering if the nitrogen content of cm might be too high. Especially if it is new cow manure that hasn't had time to break down. Just a thought.

[palmislandRandy]

Non composted cow manure is pretty potent stuff. That may be your problem. Randy

[Peter Pacific]

Hello epicure, well, yes, the cow manure has been really great. The manure itself is dry when we mix it with the soil, so it's really not that fresh. This Pigafetta has been planted at least 8 months so I thought it should be stable enough to handle a little organic nitrogen. Peter

[Peter Pacific]

Randy, thanks, that's what epicure said too. But I had this problem before adding the cow manure. I put down the amended manure thinking it would help my problem. Peter

[peachy]

Peter little Piggy elatas love water and plenty of it, preferably every day. They also love the hot sun even when they are tiny. I have lost a few due to lack of sun and lack of water can kill them overnight. Don't know if any of this helps you

Peachy

[Peter Pacific]

  On 4/27/2010 at 4:27 PM, peachy said:

Peter little Piggy elatas love water and plenty of it, preferably every day. They also love the hot sun even when they are tiny. I have lost a few due to lack of sun and lack of water can kill them overnight. Don't know if any of this helps you

Peachy

Thanks peachy! This little piggy is in full sun all day and everyday gets a long soak either by manually hosing or overhead sprinklers. That's why I so perplexed. Maybe it just doesn't like the climate here or perhaps it needs some kind of trace elements like zinc or boron?? I'm stumped. Peter

[fiji jim]

The other requirement for pigies is drainage.

They love water and sun but demand drainage.

So do not water daily. A couple of good soakings per week is best.

Our best P.filaris is on a steep slope with 3/4 of the day full sun and it is far larger than its siblings in other locations.

Good luck with getting this fantastic species growing well.

Jim

[Peter Pacific]

  On 4/27/2010 at 8:05 PM, fiji jim said:

The other requirement for pigies is drainage.

They love water and sun but demand drainage.

So do not water daily. A couple of good soakings per week is best.

Our best P.filaris is on a steep slope with 3/4 of the day full sun and it is far larger than its siblings in other locations.

Good luck with getting this fantastic species growing well.

Jim

Jim, the Pigafettas are beautiful palms and I have it in a location that one day will be the center of attention. I will try giving it less water. Thanks for commenting. Peter

[amazon exotics]

  On 4/27/2010 at 2:42 PM, Peter Pacific said:

Hello epicure, well, yes, the cow manure has been really great. The manure itself is dry when we mix it with the soil, so it's really not that fresh. This Pigafetta has been planted at least 8 months so I thought it should be stable enough to handle a little organic nitrogen. Peter

Maybe something to do with the salt, but not sure. It looks to me that it's got fungus or your soil is not draining good. What ever the problem is I would say that it has had it from the time you planted it because in eight months it should be like 8 foot tall or bigger. Mine grew to 13 foot in one year planted from a 1 gallon being 1.5 foot tall when planted. It's dead now from our nasty winter. Good Luck

[Peter Pacific]

Maybe you're right Derek, but the soil here is pretty sandy and seems to drain quicky and with the hot sun the ground dries out pretty quickly too. Peter

[ariscott]

Has it been grown in the shade before you planted it? Sometimes, I found that some palms suffer for the first year, unless you acclimatise them properly before you plant them in the sun. The first sign is the smaller leaves, and then the browning... Most of them will pull through after a year, but unfortunately some won't. I will just put some seasol on it and leave it. Make sure you have good drainage though...

Regards, Ari

[Peter Pacific]

Thanks for your suggestion Ari, I hope it works. Peter

[Daryl]

Pigafettas have very shallow roots that spread out quite far from the trunk. If that soil is really hot, it would possibly cook some of the roots. I would put mulch on top to keep the moisture in and stop the soil from getting too hot. As for moisture in the soil, my largest Pigafetta elata gets output from my treatment plant 24 x 7 so is permanently waterlogged, even in winter in my cooler climate. It never misses a beat in normal weather conditions.

regards,

Daryl