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Deathly Majesty, seriously...


Dartolution

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So first a disclaimer:

I know this palm is in SERIOUSLY dire shape and probably won't make it, but lets take a look at it anyway. 

 

This Majesty, (purchased from a BB store), which is over 9 years old has been seriously neglected for the past 7. 

No repotting until now, no fertilizer at all, barely enough water, and placed under an old old oak tree for half the year, and in a dark basement for the other half. 

 

I've recently "re-adopted" this palm and the ONLY reason I am even attempting to save it, is for sentimental reasons. 

It has tried to trunk, as you can see in the photos, but now has a major case of the hand of death that's wrapped around its slowly necrosing trunk...

 

Once I got it home, I took it out of its 9 year old nursery can, and washed off all of the soil/muck that it was potted in, and trimmed the dead root casings off that were left. SURPRISINGLY enough the palm actually had a root system that wasn't totally dead.

After which, I removed the dead husk material, and removed all of the oak leaves and debris that had gotten wedged in what few petioles it has. 

 

I used a mixture of 50% miracle grow performance organics in ground soil, 25% (plus or minus) perlite as evident on the top, and 25% (plus or minus) all purpose sand. 

I then amended that mixture with 1 part Espoma holly tone, and 4 parts biotone starter just to help inoculate the soil mix with some fertilizer, organics, and fungi/bacterial colonies. 

Ive been watering it like a mad man ( probably because I am). 

I then repotted this poor majesty into its new "hope pot" shall we call it... and decided to journal about it since I don't have anything else better to do other than try to save a dying palm tree haha!

 

Here it is a week after this shocking process. Not much has changed with it. It still looks like complete and utter sh*t. 

If anyone else has any input or advice (constructive please) feel free. haha

 

 

Majesty07SEP2019.jpg

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They're tough palms that like water. I have one that just won't die. Honestly I have put ZERO water in it and just hangs on. Barring and fungus problems I bet it will pull through. :greenthumb:

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Yeah, what he said.

I reckon that it will be fine, looks better than some of mine.  :)

Cheers Steve

It is not dead, it is just senescence.

   

 

 

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Well I was checking out the soil and apparently the soil mix its in isn't draining for some weird reason. 

It smelled like that horrible anaerobic smell.... the soured water smell, you know what I mean. 

NOT GOOD! I think Im going to have to repot it. 

 

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52 minutes ago, Laaz said:

Use a 50/50 mix of Turface MVP & Garden soil.

Laaz, my last batch I mixed up I added a bit of CoCo peat and it reduced my watering requirements significantly.  I just use the big bag of "soil amendment" from Lowes which is just pine back finely ground up. Is the garden soil you use have peat in it? 

 

 

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CHEAP. It's less then 4 bucks and is a 2 Cu/ft bag.  It's usually down by their mulch products. (At least around here) 

It's called "Soil Modifier" It's in a white bag with an orange stripe. The larger bark chip is called "Bark Nuggets" I put that at the bottom of all my pots to keep the good stuff from leaking out the holes. 

 

Edit: It might be called Soil Conditioner now that I think about it. I don't have a bag of it on hand. 

Edit again: 

 

Here it is: 

 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Evergreen-2-cu-ft-Organic-Drainage-and-Aeration/999911447

 

009099012208.jpg?size=xl

Here are the nuggets I put at the bottom of the pots to allow drainage but cover the holes:

 

009099012222.jpg?size=xl

Edited by RJ
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@RJ your awesome thanks i had been using regular pine mulch for the bottom to keep the good stuff from leaching out during waterings. 

Just checked Lowes doesnt carry it out this way =/ 

Edited by OC2Texaspalmlvr
.

T J 

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38 minutes ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

@RJ your awesome thanks i had been using regular pine mulch for the bottom to keep the good stuff from leaching out during waterings. 

Just checked Lowes doesnt carry it out this way =/ 

I'm sure they have some equivalent over there. :greenthumb:

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Well it looks like Ill be going back to lowes today haha. 

 

Do you think using a bit of cyprus mulch at the bottom would be okay?

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1 minute ago, Dartolution said:

Well it looks like Ill be going back to lowes today haha. 

 

Do you think using a bit of cyprus mulch at the bottom would be okay?

I can't think of any reason why not as long as it's big enough to keep the goods from getting out the bottom.  

 

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should be, its a fair size, and cyprus doesn't break down quickly. At least, not that I am aware of. 

 

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Well.. After 3 stores to try and find the soil I wanted, this happened... 

Biggest Majesty Ive ever seen in a 5 gallon pot at a BB store. Had to have it. 

Majestynum2_08SEP2019.jpg

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My Lowe's here in Cape Coral doesn't carry either of those products. They won't bring it in for pickup nor will they deliver it to me. I wonder why. Odd and disheartening.

Recently, however, they introduced bags of fine mini-bark mulch and I bought a bag to add to my potting mix for certain potted palms.

@Dartolution, nice majesty.

 

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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2 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

My Lowe's here in Cape Coral doesn't carry either of those products. They won't bring it in for pickup nor will they deliver it to me. I wonder why. Odd and disheartening.

Recently, however, they introduced bags of fine mini-bark mulch and I bought a bag to add to my potting mix for certain potted palms.

@Dartolution, nice majesty.

 

 

Thanks @PalmatierMeg.

I saw the mini mulch and the soil conditioner, but it looked like it would compact too much. I just didn't trust it. 

Have you searched amazon? I haven't ever thought to look for it there. 

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57 minutes ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

@Dartolution i think we have a thread going just for those kind of palm purchases =) You officially have the palm bug :lol:

 

I was diagnosed with it years and years ago but living circumstances have prevented me from "indulging" until now. hahahahaha!!!!

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Hi, if you give the original majesty a little tlc,  it'll be fine. May take a bit of time but in the end it will be worth it. Thanks Mark

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8 hours ago, Mostapha said:

Hi, if you give the original majesty a little tlc,  it'll be fine. May take a bit of time but in the end it will be worth it. Thanks Mark

@Mostapha thanks.

I did repot it again, the smell was horrible. It basically sat in anaerobic soil for a week. 

Rinsed it off best I could with the hose, and repotted it in a better mix with better drainage. 

I also cut two leaves off, one was broken, the other was almost nothing but strands as you can see in the photo above. 

 

 

Should I water it every day? The soil is still very moist (not water logged like before). 

Im thinking I should just let it chill and recover. 

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Hi, If it were me, I wouldn't water it every day. Give the roots a chance to take and heal.  Outside of looking a bit rough, I would just take care of it as normal, just with a watchful eye.  I think it will be fine. Just watch for new growth. Thanks Mark

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Heres an update on it. 

Still looks like hell...

The leaf on the right is dying. has turned more brown today. which isn't a good sign. 

MajestyPalm1_10SEP2019.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Update:

The Deathly Majesty has gotten worse. the 2 leafs it had died, and turned to a crisp so I snipped them off. The New spear hasn't budged even a little, and the poor little frizz leaf its got has brown tips. 

I am keeping the soil moist, but not saturated so hopefully it will turn around. 

 

I can't pull the spear out, so thats a positive sign... right? :mellow:

DeathlyMajesty28SEP2019.jpg

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Also, while I am at it, here is a picture of the other larger Majesty, which I have noticed that actually has already started to trunk (didn't notice this when I bought it), and a picture of my Sago's 3rd flush out this year. 

We are in a drought here by almost a foot of rainfall... and as a result the humidity is extremely low for this area. Ive been having to mist once or twice daily as best I can. 

 

LgMagesty2_28SEP2019.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Well the rescue majesty definitely didn't make it. 

Several weeks ago I ended up pulling it from its pot. 

It had completely rotted and all the remaining leaves died. 

 

HOWEVER, the large Majesty I picked up almost 3 months ago is still doing well. 

Ive moved it in for the winter into the kitchen next to a south facing window. 

It gets nice and warm in there during the winter and I have been running a humidifier to keep the humidity between 50-65%. 

It has since pushed out 2 new leafs, and working on its third, with a 4th spear fast approaching. 

The oldest leaf tips are beginning to yellow/brown, but I think that has more to do with age than lack of water or humidity. 

 

What do you guys think?

 

MajestyPalm23NOV2019.jpg

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20 minutes ago, Dartolution said:

HOWEVER, the large Majesty I picked up almost 3 months ago is still doing well. 

Ive moved it in for the winter into the kitchen next to a south facing window. 

It gets nice and warm in there during the winter and I have been running a humidifier to keep the humidity between 50-65%. 

It has since pushed out 2 new leafs, and working on its third, with a 4th spear fast approaching. 

The oldest leaf tips are beginning to yellow/brown, but I think that has more to do with age than lack of water or humidity. 

 

What do you guys think?

 

MajestyPalm23NOV2019.jpg

Wow, what a monster. And looks very healthy too. 
Take it outside every once in a while when it’s raining and is not too cold to keep the mealy bugs and spider mites away. Plus, it will love the humidity. 

Edited by Estlander
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35 minutes ago, Estlander said:

Wow, what a monster. And looks very healthy too. 
Take it outside every once in a while when it’s raining and is not too cold to keep the mealy bugs and spider mites away. Plus, it will love the humidity. 

@Estlander Thanks! Yeah, I gave it a good spray of neem oil / fungicide 3 before bringing it in the house to make sure there were no pests. I tend to keep up on my preventative maintenance of pests. I haven't really had a mealy bug problem, or mite issue with it at all. Also, I am hoping that 50-65% is enough humidity. What do you think?

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