Newbie desperate to save Livistona Rotundifolia

[MrBiggles]

Hello All;

I'm not only new to Palm Talk, but new to be a fan of these lovely and quite special trees. I'm a fan of fearns too, and several other species of plant/tree but I'm not equipped with "green fingers" or any such skill. I wish I was, likely many would have survived if I was so talented.

Which leads to me my query; I have acquired a young and splendid livistona rotundifolia. It was a happy chappy for all of 2 weeks, before things went south quickly, particularly its leaves. The leaves are drooping, shrivelled and in general it looks very unhappy.

I live in the UK, in London, it's been a fairly mild couple of weeks well above freezing and a fair amount of sunshine. I've kept it by a window, which faces South West and I have an additional "daylight" bulb on a timer that extends its exposure until 10pm, as the daylight is still rather short here this time of year. I have only watered it lightly (half a cup) in the 2.5 weeks I've had it. The room it's in is warm, but not stifling. And doesn't reach below freezing at night.

I will eventually, when settled later in the year, place it outside. In the meantime I'm hoping one or more of you kind folks will take pity on me and my poor Palm and lend some much needed advice!

I've attached some photos, which will do a better job of describing its condition. Apologies if it's too unsightly for some, I don't blame you! Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

Edited March 6, 2015 by MrBiggles

[John Case]

This palm probably requires more heat and water than you are giving it. It is more of a pure tropical palm than most Livistonas...in fact, it has been reclassified to Saribus rotundifolia...I hope this helps...the Aussie contingent will be more helpful I'm sure....

[Jim in Los Altos]

Oh no, half a cup of water in two and a half weeks is kind of brutal sounding. Whenever watering a plant, you want to water thoroughly until water is flowing out the drain holes of the pot, then you can let several days go by and feel the soil and if it's becoming dry, water the same way. Your inside air is probably drier than where it was grown too, putting more stress on your Saribus (formerly Livistona) By the way, welcome to the forum!

[richnorm]

Yikes! I think lack of water and humidity have taken a toll. Could have been shocked during the supply chain from the hot house too. I would suggest Livistona chinensis as a much better species for you in London. You might pick one up at the Kew shop or the Palm Centre in Ham. Good luck.

[MrBiggles]

Oh no! There I was thinking I was being kind by not overwatering the fella!

Both Jim & Richnorm - THANK YOU!

I'll update, if there's any significant change to its health in either direction. I'm sincerely hopeful it will be okay with some TLC.

Great suggestion on species, thanks Richnorm! I'll take a look at the suppliers and see if they have any, quite excited by these trees. Weird!

And Jim, thank you too! I obviously hadn't realised there was a name change, I don't suppose you'd know why? Just curious. and thanks kindly for the warm welcome!

Looking forward to more Palms, they're great.

I'll update ASAP. Thanks!

[MrBiggles]

Sorry bepah, I must have missed your reply, apologies. Viewing on a mobile device is my only excuse, not a great one admittedly.

Your advice is equally helpful, thanks so much. Water it is! I don't suppose you know why the name change? Presumably becauseof it's origins and "nature" for lack of a better term. Interesting stuff.

Thanks guys!

[Alicehunter2000]

I would have probably made the same mistake as you (and i've been at it for a few years). Always thought it was better to water very sparingly inside. ..... probably why half my stuff looks dried out inside this winter.

Welcome to Palmtalk

[MrBiggles]

Alicehunter2000 awww, good to know I'm not the only one who has deployed this logic! Thankfully, as y'all have come to my rescue, more like my handsome palm's rescue, it should be okay.

I've watered and have it wrapped up warm in the sun (unusual for England!).

Thanks for all the warm welcomes, I'm pleased I found this place. Great info, support and pleasantries. I hope I can offer something back in kind. Maybe when this fella gets better!

Updates will still come, of course. Cheers guys and dolls.

[John Case]

Sorry bepah, I must have missed your reply, apologies. Viewing on a mobile device is my only excuse, not a great one admittedly.

Your advice is equally helpful, thanks so much. Water it is! I don't suppose you know why the name change? Presumably becauseof it's origins and "nature" for lack of a better term. Interesting stuff.

Thanks guys!

My expertise doesn't extend to taxonomy,.....I wish it did....however, those who know much more than I made the change and I tend to go where they lead rather than go my own way unless experience guides me.....

good luck with saving your S. rotundifolia...

and welcome to Palmtalk!

[PalmatierMeg]

I suggest you not just water it but put it in your bathroom shower and give it a good watering/rinse off with tepid water to re-hydrate it. Continue to shower it several times per week. If your humidity is low, mist the foliage several times a day. This Livistona needs heat and if your indoor temp runs under 20C during the day, you may need to give it more heat. A tropical darling, this one. Good luck.

[Phoenikakias]

I think this palm is already dead! It was not only frequency of watering but also the substrate. Imo it is peat which has dried out and can not hold the least moisture anymore, no matter how frequently you water it.

[MrBiggles]

Bepah, feeling very welcomed, thanks kindly. and thanks for the luck, I fear I may need it!

palmatiermeg, I took your advice too. I soaked it all over, in the shower. Then let it sit for about 30mins in very shallow water. The soil was soaked straight through.

I haven't noticed any great changes over night, I must admit.

phoenikakias as much as I appreciate your insight and forthrightness, I hope you're mistaken! But as aforementioned, there hasn't been much change.

Should I change the medium/soil, and repot? If it's a peat issue. I don't want to traumatise it more than it already is.

I'm surprised how quickly it turned bad, a sharp decline of health in this "darling" of the Palm world! Fingers and toes crossed he makes it through, I'd be gutted if he didn't.

[Jim in Los Altos]

D. Jones (sorry, I don't know your first name) you won't likely see improvement in the existing foliage but you would in the emerging leaf. The leaves are severely dehydrated and will likely die or partially die off. Your greatest hope would be the newest leaf growing out since it looks alive in the pictures. It will be a slow recovery but, now that you know what thae palm needs to survive, you may have a pretty palm again eventually. Keep an eye on that newest emerging leaf and even measure it occasionally and it will tell you if the palm is going to survive.

[Phoenikakias]

I mean this palm is likely not to be saved inside a home (and not a conservatory) and in this kind of substrate (if my assumption of peat is correct). It needs intense pumpering which inside a residence can not be given. I wish however my prediction proves false!

[MrBiggles]

Well, my new found friends, I'm afraid it may not make it after all. He's looking super sad, and my cat has now taken a shinning to it, I think she may take pity on it.

I haven't seen even a millimetre of growth, I took your advice and measured it & have been keeping track over the past few days. The soil is still slightly damp, in a warm and sunny room I found that concerning.

I'm so disappointed, but, not diswayed! I shall keep my peepers peeled on it and on the look out for a more suitable variety to grow my palm empire!

I don't know about any of you, but I don't like losing plants. It's the circle of life, of course.

Right now, listening to Moyà by Godspeed you black emperor, whilst figuring out which species of Palm to attempt to not kill!

Thanks all for the helpful advice, and warm welcomes as always.

[MrBiggles]

I should add, I'm eternally hopeful! And Jim, you've given me a good bit of encouragement, so I won't be shoving it off to the compost heap just yet! It's still receiving much care. Fingers & toes crossed!

[Phoenikakias]

Ever thought of creating inside home a special and individual biosphere for this palm simulating as much as possible its natural enviroment?

[MrBiggles]

phoenikakias, I must admit, it's not occurred to me, no. I foolishly presumed what I could provide would be adequate. However, I wasn't intimately familiar with palms until I found myself with one. Normally I would do my research beforehand. But as aforementioned, I'm by no means a gifted grower! :|

Your suggestion is superb, I'll do my bestest to see what could be feasible. I'd much rather grow them outdoors, but this isn't an option atm.

Any quick step suggestions to get me started?

[Phoenikakias]

A 'dome' enclosing both pot and aerial part and some insulation around pot's walls. Roots in the ground are not exposed to air temps, are they?

[MrBiggles]

A dome? That sounds awesome! Sorry, I'm obviously still mentally a teenager! So like a terrarium, only upside down?

Yes the roots are exposed to room temperature. They're obviously in the soil and pot but most certainly exposed to room temp.

Also I found white mould now on the base of one of the leaves, the leaf came straight out the trunk. I gently move the plant to check how it was doing and this particular leaf almost fell out. The soil is still damp, I doubt there's much life left in it.

But for future endeavours, a dome sounds pretty great. I'm going to look around on here for anyone who might supply some more suitable species of Palm for the UK. I'm hooked!

[MrBiggles]

I've reported my palm. It looks a lot healthier, so far, and have decided to move it to an area of the house where temps are controlled to be above 20 degrees Celsius.