4th waggie death. should i stop?

[Stevetoad]

so ive now killed 4 trachy waggies. the look great when i buy them. i plant them and they stall and slowly die. ive tried them in dry soil, wet soil and in between. they always do the same thing. stall then look to get sun burn then defoliate and spear pull then die. i got 2 for my father in law who lives up the street for me and the same thing. no overhead watering all drip. should i stop the slaughter and give up on this palm?

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Maybe you should try to plant one late in the year around November when it's cooler and give it a chance to get established over the cooler Winter months. Then just make sure to mulch the roots heavily in the Spring so that the soil remains on the cool side. That should get one going for you.

[DoomsDave]

Hmm.

Sorry to hear! Waggies are a cool palm, no doubt about it. Slow when small.

Steve, I've never had trouble getting them to grow, though they are definitely more tempermental than Iron-Clad Fortuneis. They don't like being dug from the ground and potted.

While the sample size is small (you and Rocky, on one hand, me on the other) it might be a soil or climate issue. I have brick type clay well amended.

I don't think your inland climate is a problem, either. I've seen big ones in Sherman Oaks, which is in-inland, in the SF Valley.

That said, Axel's idea is also a good one.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

sounds like it's too hot steve . They are impossible to kill down here in our cool climate no matter what mistreatment they are given .

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Have you ever been in Tokyo in the Summer? These things came from Japan, and Japan in the Summer is quite a bit worse than Santee, but it is heat with very high humidity. I suspect they need cool shaded soil to thrive, and if Steve does some serious mulching, he should be able to grow one no problem.

[_Keith]

Well, you know the old gardeners rule, 3 strikes and you're out. But take them all for sure. I have had quite a few successes on the 3rd try.

[Stevetoad]

This last one was planted last November. My mulch is a solid 3-6 inches thick too. When I dug it out today the roots were healthy. No rot at all. The crown on the other hand is totally rotted out. Looks like rot I would expect from overhead watering but that's not the case. Quick walk up to my father in laws and a light tug and the spear fell out. I would be surprised if it's the heat. I do get hot but I've seen these huge in fallbrook and they get plenty of heat too. I should clarify to. When I plant these it takes over a year for them to die. They will put out leaves for a few months then stall and die. I've got trachy latisectus,nova and fortune and they all do fine. The waggies hate me.

[OB Burt]

If you are going to try again, and it seems to be crown rot is the problem, you might try periodic hydrogen peroxide treatments.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

This one really has me stomped. How can a palm that is so robust and easy to grow get crown rot?

[Stevetoad]

If I knew this thread would never exist. I'm totally puzzled.

[JasonD]

Have you tried them in the shade? We've switched to growing ours under queens in Rainbow Valley (Fallbrook-adjacent), where they won't scorch during dry heat waves. The only ones we lose to crown rot are multis overplanted in the container.

[DoomsDave]

If I knew this thread would never exist. I'm totally puzzled.

I am too.

As mentioned before, they rock the San Fernando Valley and that's a tough palm climate, especially in the northern sections.

Steve, the next time you get some, keep at least a couple in pots for a year or more. I've had some plants that go gangbusters in pots, then rot and die when I planted them in the ground. Ceroxylon quinudense is one, Ravenea sambiranensis is another, and good old Dypsis decaryi is yet another. I've killed between 5 and 10 of each.

Most palms aren't that fussy about soil, but there are a few exceptions, and I suspect that my list contains some exceptions.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Steve, I am sending a little palm care package to Sabal Steve this week, I can throw in a waggie in there for you if you like, you would just need to go to North Park to pick it up.

[Stevetoad]

thanks for the offer Axel. i replaced it with a nova. not sure if im going to try another waggie or not yet.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Is that the nova you got from Len? I got its sibling last year, it's growing nicely here, planted it a year ago.

[Stevetoad]

It is. i had it in a big cement pot and now its getting to big for it so im going to set it free.

[Moose]

Steve, I am sending a little palm care package to Sabal Steve this week, I can throw in a waggie in there for you if you like, you would just need to go to North Park to pick it up.

The 5th time is a charm

[tank]

Like JasonD recommended, if you haven't tried one in the shade, do it. Most trachys in the full sun here in north Florida have a hard time during the summer, especially if not supplied with quite a bit of water. Keep them moist during the summer if possible and try to avoid exposure to the afternoon sun. I have 10 here in my yard and at the old house and they truck along pretty well with the oldest in the ground for about 7 years.

[_Keith]

I lost my first waggie due to excess ground water. This one is high and in full shade. Just a seedling but made it through years one in the ground just fine.