New to hardy palms. Yellowing Jubaea Chilensis

[palmmeister]

'Ello everyone,

Last summer I planted a young Jubaea in the front yard. Just recently things have taken a turn for the worse. The tree is looking a little yellowish and I'm not sure what to do so I'm looking for suggestions or help if someone would be kind enough to point me in the right direction.

Some background: the tree was planted last year after receiving it in the mail. The fronds looked a little tattered and the tree was a little yellowish. The ground it is planted in has ph neutral top soil (7, which I tested last year with a kit) and is about 30cm deep. Underneath that the ground is sand and rocky. Plant is in full sun from 9am thru 8pm. USDA Zone is 7b to 8a. Last winter was dry and pretty mild, -3C was the absolute lowest. It's been really sunny and dry since early March.

It seems to have done pretty well, just recently it's been looking a little sad, not significantly worse than it ever did but worse nonetheless. The fronds have lost some elasticity and they're a little spotty.

I don't water it much because the water here is quite hard. I can tell from the ends of the fronds it's not dry.

My suspicion is that there is some water-logging going on. Maybe an iron deficiency? I'm an absolute beginner and I wouldn't know where to start. I think the plant is wonderful and I'd hate to see is perish.

Any help is sincerely welcome! Thanks :-)

 

[Love them palms]

Have you fertilizer it at all. Looks like a little potassium deficiency but can't really tell. how is the drainage?.I use Lutz palm maintenance spikes. (Google it or find on amazom) Work very well. Palm fertilizer is a must have when you have palms

Edited May 10, 2020 by Love them palms

[PalmatierMeg]

Agree. I found spikes a lot of work for the benefit they provide. Find a time release fertilizer with all the minor elements. Also, and this is quite important, remove all the grass in a 1 meter circle around the base of the palm, fertilize then lay mulch. Grass will draw water and nutrients away from the palm.

[palmmeister]

Thank you so much for reading and replying. I greatly appreciate it!

17 hours ago, Love them palms said:

Have you fertilizer it at all. Looks like a little potassium deficiency but can't really tell. how is the drainage?.I use Lutz palm maintenance spikes. (Google it or find on amazom) Work very well. Palm fertilizer is a must have when you have palms

I actually did start fertilizing a few weeks ago but I admit I have made it a regular habit. We don't have Lutz spikes in this neck of the woods but I will try to find a fertilizer with a focus on potassium. Do you know if there is a ratio that I should be looking for? I often see things like 3-3-3 mentioned and I'm unsure of what means exactly.

About drainage: I worry that that might be the problem. There's about 30cm of top soil, ph7. Below that the ground contains rocks and there is sand. You'd think that was fine as far as drainage goes but I didn't think too much about it when I popped in the palm. I basically just thought, it was fine. I can test down to about 30cm with a probe, but it is hard to push anything below that.

In the backyard I also have two baby trachycarpus takils. Growth has been really slow and one lost its spear yesterday. Weird, maybe it is related?

 

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Agree. I found spikes a lot of work for the benefit they provide. Find a time release fertilizer with all the minor elements. Also, and this is quite important, remove all the grass in a 1 meter circle around the base of the palm, fertilize then lay mulch. Grass will draw water and nutrients away from the palm.

OK, that I will do. I'll find a time release fertilizer and remove grass. There is always a fair bit of red clover that keep coming back.

I'll give it a whirl and update this thread when (and if) I see changes.

Thank you!

[RJ]

5 hours ago, palmmeister said:

 

OK, that I will do. I'll find a time release fertilizer and remove grass. There is always a fair bit of red clover that keep coming back.

I'll give it a whirl and update this thread when (and if) I see changes.

Thank you!

Clover actually isn't too bad, and they are far worse things like grass that could be competing with the palm. At least clover is a nitrogen fixer meaning it actually sequesters nitrogen from the air and releases it into the soil. Like many legumes it is often considered a soil builder. 

[Love them palms]

On 5/11/2020 at 9:07 AM, palmmeister said:

Thank you so much for reading and replying. I greatly appreciate it!

I actually did start fertilizing a few weeks ago but I admit I have made it a regular habit. We don't have Lutz spikes in this neck of the woods but I will try to find a fertilizer with a focus on potassium. Do you know if there is a ratio that I should be looking for? I often see things like 3-3-3 mentioned and I'm unsure of what means exactly.

About drainage: I worry that that might be the problem. There's about 30cm of top soil, ph7. Below that the ground contains rocks and there is sand. You'd think that was fine as far as drainage goes but I didn't think too much about it when I popped in the palm. I basically just thought, it was fine. I can test down to about 30cm with a probe, but it is hard to push anything below that.

In the backyard I also have two baby trachycarpus takils. Growth has been really slow and one lost its spear yesterday. Weird, maybe it is related?

 

OK, that I will do. I'll find a time release fertilizer and remove grass. There is always a fair bit of red clover that keep coming back.

I'll give it a whirl and update this thread when (and if) I see changes.

Thank you!

FYI-the older fronds are already a little off so you may not see change in color. Since the Jubaea is a slow grower keep checking the new growth. And keep fertilizing every 3 months or so. And maybe some fish fertilizer every time you water. They love that stuff 

[RJ]

37 minutes ago, Love them palms said:

FYI-the older fronds are already a little off so you may not see change in color. Since the Jubaea is a slow grower keep checking the new growth. And keep fertilizing every 3 months or so. And maybe some fish fertilizer every time you water. They love that stuff 

What are folks using for fish fert? You aren't the first person I've seen recommend it. 

[Love them palms]

An essential building block for healthy soil, naturally occurring soil microbes thrive and work their best in soil rich in organic matter. it is something you can use every time you water without killing the trees.kinda more of an organic fertilizer.but use gloves cause the smell takes awhile to go away. But it's not a replacement for regular palm fertilizer .I use lutz palm spikes every fall and spring. The fish fertilizer is just an extra benefit to keep them green and growing.