King palm

[Chordate]

I have 1 alexander palm and 4 bangalows in the ground in sacramento, ca. The bangalow palms are doing amazing growing new leaves pretty fast but then alexander hasn't opened the same spear that it had when i bought it. alexander is still green and no sign of dying but its just not opening that spear. all palms have been in the ground since March 2020. also, do any of these palms require protection during winter/zone 9b? im still new with that. and if so, how do you protect them??

[kinzyjr]

The Archontophoenix alexandrae is certainly less hardy than the Bangalow palms (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana).  You might want to check the spear on the Alexander and look for rot down in the crown.  It should be growing in July.

[Fusca]

57 minutes ago, Zekorora said:

I have 1 alexander palm and 4 bangalows in the ground in sacramento, ca. The bangalow palms are doing amazing growing new leaves pretty fast but then alexander hasn't opened the same spear that it had when i bought it. alexander is still green and no sign of dying but its just not opening that spear. all palms have been in the ground since March 2020. also, do any of these palms require protection during winter/zone 9b? im still new with that. and if so, how do you protect them??

@kinzyjr has made a good point.  Also what size palms are they?  I'm not sure what your winters are like there, but smaller palms would require more protection than larger ones - especially for the first winter in the ground.  Photos are helpful also.  Protection methods vary but you don't want to use plastic that would come in contact with the leaves during freeze events.  Welcome to Palmtalk! 

[James B]

Bummer.
It could be transplant shock. If so it’s up to you whether you want to replace the Alexandrae or wait it out to see if it pulls through. But shock can cause a palm to spend a year or more before it starts growing again.

 

[James B]

As for protection, pics would help as size of the palm matters. Small 5 gal palms are easy to cover but if you have a palm that is over 6 feet tall I’ve read members using Christmas lights to wrap the palms to keep them warm at night in winter. Alexandrae are prettier than Cunninghamiana but if they don’t work try to get a Maxima as they are closer in cold tolerance to Bangalows. A Beatriceae is a variation of Alexandrae that has seen 29 in my yard and been just fine with some minor frost damage on the leaves. You could possibly try those as well.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Water, water, and more water. Archontophoenix are hogs when it comes to their water needs. You can’t overwater them but it’s easy to underwater them. Alexanders are slower growers than cunninghamiana. 

Winters like we’ve been having and yours will be fine especially if they’re growing under the canopy of larger trees. Hot dry weather in full sun can also burn King palm leaves. I have groves of old mature ones here in Los Altos but our climate here is different than yours (cooler summers, warmer winters). Can you post a few pictures of yours? 

Edited July 11, 2020 by Jim in Los Altos

[mxcolin]

17 hours ago, Zekorora said:

I have 1 alexander palm and 4 bangalows in the ground in sacramento, ca. The bangalow palms are doing amazing growing new leaves pretty fast but then alexander hasn't opened the same spear that it had when i bought it. alexander is still green and no sign of dying but its just not opening that spear. all palms have been in the ground since March 2020. also, do any of these palms require protection during winter/zone 9b? im still new with that. and if so, how do you protect them??

Where did you get the Alexander in Sacramento? I’m close to you and couldn’t find one anywhere in Northern California.