Leaning crown syndrome

[Patrick]

Hi guys.

I've got this queen palm shown below. Its just within the last couple of months developed this angle to it's trunk. My wife pointed out the article in the latest issue of Palms on this condition- leaning crown disorder- and now it's got me wondering if this is what we've got.

Logically,  I'm figuring the palm is just trying to grow away from another palm which is planted about 8 feet away. It's interesting, though because this particular palm is now tilting into another palm that I have planted on the opposite side. The emerging leaves and spear look healthy enough so I, of course, wouldn't suspect any sort of infection or disease right off the bat. But like I said, The article's got me wondering....

So I'm leaving it up to you guys, the specialists, and I'm hoping you can give me some insight. Thanks in advance

[Patrick]

reverse angle

[Palmy]

If you ask me it looks seriously stretched. How long ago did you get it? It should correct itself no problem, but just to be sure, I would tie it down for this summer. Make sure its growing upward.

Another idea that might be the cuase is that its growing towards the closest sunlight. In order to do it, it could be stretching towards the sunlight. Make sure it has some top sunlight too.

[Patrick]

Palmy!

It's been in the ground almost 2 years now and it's in full sun! Yikes!

I just thought of this- would (although I'm 90% sure I'm not) over-fertilizing cause a symptom like this??

Hmmmmmmmmmm...........

[Don Little]

My brother-in-law had the same thing happen to one of his queens.  Like yours it was in full sun and there seemed to be no reason that it should be leaning.  Other than the leaning crown the palm seemed otherwise healthy.  I wasn't on this board at this time and I didn't know what the problem was.  It was about 5 or 6 days shy of 1 year since the purchase date so I took it out and he took it back to HD to exchange it.  I still do not know what causes it, curious to know what others say too.

[Palmy]

I'm no expert, but I assume that this must have happen shortly after you put it in the ground. I honestly have no idea, my queens don't do that. The only thing that I can think of, which sounds ridiculous is that your sprinkler is on one side. Is it possible that only some of the roots are getting the necessary amount of water. Thats just one strange theory. It could be possible that the roots are going towards the water source.  Of course, remember, I'm no expert, and I could be just creating a bunch of theory crap. If it was the fertilizer that caused it, the only explanation that I can come up with is that the nutrients only went on one side because the water is only in one side. Perhaps, I'm wrong, maybe its getting enough water on all sides. Interesting to find out. It does look a bit stretched.

[Patrick]

bump

[chris.oz]

Patrick,

Here is a Howea with the early stages of LCS.  This palm,  in full sun beside another of the exact same size sucumbed.   It has since recovered.   The whole process took some 3 years from onset to now when it appeasr to be cleared.

[Phil]

Patrick,

My suspicion is that the leaning crown disease in Howeas in a different problem than what you have here.  It occurs usually in older Howeas and is quite distinctive.  When a crown leans with a Queen in full sun, I typically think of an overstretched weak palm that had this condition from the time of purchase, even if unnoticed.  Sometimes, commercially grown Queens from FL are too tall for their girth.  They are top heavy with leaves way up because of being grown close together.  I've seen them in depot stores almost collapsing over because of their own crown weight while they are still in the store.  I'd be most suspicious that this is the case with yours, and that it's just showing up now.  In terms of what to do, I think all you can do is give it good culture and wait.  It will probable grow through it with a little kink in the trunk.

Phil

[PalmGuyWC]

Back in the 70's when we had some cold winters, one of my Queens larger than the one pictured took a turn in the trunk.  It bent to about a 20 degree angle and I thought it was gonner. I didn't pay much attention to it, and in a year or two the trunk straightened and there was no kink in the trunk.  It now has over 30 feet of trunk. I'm sure the cold somehow affected it, and I expect yours got some low temps. this winter.

Dick

[John Case]

Patrick,

Is it leaning with the direction of the wind?.....as you are painfully awae, we have had some real gales recently

JC

[Patrick]

Dick,

The cold definitely might be a factor in this. Another thing I've always wondered is whether Queens will bend away from each other if they are too close. This may be the case if the aforementioned is true.

On a brighter note, I've got 7 palms now that I'm seeing new growth on where the spear pulled out-

2 queens

1 Trachy. Martianus

1 T. nanus

1 Chamaedorea plumosa that I really thought was a goner

1 Butiagrus

1 Trithrinax acanthacoma that was in a pot with too much   water

Yay.

John- Unfortunately, it's goin' south. We'll see what happens, here. I've definitely got plenty of palms in pots that need a place to go!

[Don Little]

Patrick,  My brother-in-laws queen looked identical to yours.  He lived in Fontana which is the real "Windy City" not Chicago.  His was leaning sideways to the wind, I could be wrong but I don't think wind is the culprit that is if your situation and my bro-in-laws are the same, but I suspect they are.  It didn't seem to be stretched like the possibility Phil mentioned because I always try to pick the one with the biggest base on it, but possibly where it came from and how it was grown could be a factor.  That being said I still don't know what the cause was.  Now I wish I had waited to see what would have happened to it.  I hope it pulls thru like Dicks did, and maybe we'll find out what is causing it.

[Mob Ka]

HELP. Is my palm suffering from leaning crown syndrome? Is there anyway to make it grow upright. I was thinking of repotting. 

[AZPalms]

Edit: just saw the date of the original thread. Oops.

 

I had a queen do the same thing. I planted it as one of those $20 big box trees.

first photo is all I can find of it after it started to recover. That was November of 2018. At one point it was nearly touching the water. 

Second photo is from Saturday morning as of what it looks like today. 

Edited March 2, 2020 by AZPalms