Sabal Palmetto Fronds Browning

[romeyjdogg]

Hello all,

Need some help with my my Sabal Palmettos (planted 2-3 months ago).  The outer fronds appear to be getting brown and crispy, so I'm thinking it's a sign that they're not getting enough water. These are supposedly regenerated Palmettos, for what it's worth. They've been pushing new growth since planted and spears look to be green. Hopefully this can be remedied. 

For what it's worth, my much smaller BxJ planted at same time looks fine with no browning. These palmettos came from Florida so they may have grown up in much different climates.

What do the experts have to say on this?

Edited June 16, 2020 by romeyjdogg

[Brad Mondel]

It is just getting adjusted after transplant. Remove the dead fronds.

[JLM]

Agreed, still adjusting itself!

[NOT A TA]

Looks dry there. Are you watering it a lot? Even the grass around there looks bone dry. They like water.

[romeyjdogg]

Honestly it's been mid to high 90s for a while and I haven't given them much, if any supplemental watering. I think this is somewhat on me. I just started watering them every other day, so hopefully I don't lose them.

I have rocky clay soil, so I figured it would hold quite a bit of moisture. Maybe I was wrong.

Edited June 17, 2020 by romeyjdogg

[yabazid]

Transplant shock probably. All you can do is water. Don’t fertilize until next summer

good luck  

[Phassett]

On 6/16/2020 at 6:16 PM, romeyjdogg said:

Hello all,

Need some help with my my Sabal Palmettos (planted 2-3 months ago).  The outer fronds appear to be getting brown and crispy, so I'm thinking it's a sign that they're not getting enough water. These are supposedly regenerated Palmettos, for what it's worth. They've been pushing new growth since planted and spears look to be green. Hopefully this can be remedied. 

For what it's worth, my much smaller BxJ planted at same time looks fine with no browning. These palmettos came from Florida so they may have grown up in much different climates.

What do the experts have to say on this?

Hey! Curious on how your sabal is doing?

[WSimpson]

I watered my Palmetto back in the day when it was a Hurricane cut palm 3 times a day . Gary , of Gary's Nursery , said that my watering was excessive . So I cut back to soaking it once a day . Being recently moved it may not have a large root system so I would water it in hot weather once every 3 days ,  and Gary said to water the trunk too on a newly planted Palmetto . 

Good luck .

Will

[WSimpson]

I think Gary said to water the trunk of a newly planted Palmetto because he notice the palms at his nursery did better when they got their trunks splashed with water from his irrigation system , and the palms that didn't get their trunks splashed on didn't grow out as vigorously from  being hurricane cut ( HC ) . I'll make sure to ask him sometime to make sure that was his reasoning , but he definitely said to water the trunk .

Will

[romeyjdogg]

On 8/14/2022 at 8:52 PM, Phassett said:

Hey! Curious on how your sabal is doing?

Wish I could tell you. Unfortunately we had to leave them behind as we moved about a year ago. I took extreme measures to protect them in the Texas arctic blast a few years ago. I believe air temps went down to 2° at my place, but I had both Sabals and my BxJ wrapped in Reflectix and had some incandescent lights going for the few days. I sure hope they're still alive!

[romeyjdogg]

Well I got the old neighbors to snap a picture for us and looks like they're doing just fine. Freeze was Feb of 2021, so I assume the plant would be dead as a doornail by now.

 

I checked wunderground history and the low air temp was -1° F. Either way, it was absurdly cold and we had sub freezing temps for at least 4 or 5 days straight (correction, 9 days below freezing per wunderground).

Either these Sabals are absolute beasts, or my insulation wrap and lights heated up the spear area quite a bit.

 

Feb 2021 Wunderground History - Temps

Edited August 20, 2022 by romeyjdogg

[Phassett]

4 minutes ago, romeyjdogg said:

Well I got the old neighbors to snap a picture for us and looks like they're doing just fine. Freeze was Feb of 2021, so I assume the plant would be dead as a doornail by now.

 

I checked wunderground history and the low air temp was -1° F, but I measured 1°F, if I recall correctly. Either way, it was absurdly cold and we had sub freezing temps for at least 4 or 5 days straight.

Either these Sabals are absolute beasts, or my insulation wrap and lights heated up the spear area quite a bit.

 

Thanks for sharing!  Looks like it recovered nicely!!  

[romeyjdogg]

Edited with data to show temps and just how cold it was for how long

Edited August 20, 2022 by romeyjdogg