Dying Pygmy Date Palm

[Steveee]

Hello everyone. I’m a new home owner and planted a Pygmy date palm a few months back. So as the title reads, my palm is dying and I’m trying to figure out why, so I can remedy it ASAP. 
 

I went to a nursery today and showed the guy photos and he said it was planted too deep and that it probably rotted and there was no way to undue it. I don’t believe that since I still see some fresh green Fonds coming out of the center. 
I know it gets enough water, so I was thinking either I put too much fertilizer too close to the trunk or maybe my soil ph was too high. I tested the soil and it was about 7 1/2 PH. 
 

Any help would be greatly appreciated ! Thank you 

 

https://postimg.cc/9RGpqm17

Btw here’s a link to a photo. 

[aztropic]

You say you know it gets enough water,but it actually looks exactly like it is not. How many gallons are put down,through what method,and the frequency? 

Maybe it has an air pocket in the surrounding soil?

I'd leave a hose on it very lightly running overnight for a deep soak and see if it doesn't start growing.My guess is it's WAY to dry for whatever reason.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Steveee]

2 hours ago, aztropic said:

You say you know it gets enough water,but it actually looks exactly like it is not. How many gallons are put down,through what method,and the frequency? 

Maybe it has an air pocket in the surrounding soil?

I'd leave a hose on it very lightly running overnight for a deep soak and see if it doesn't start growing.My guess is it's WAY to dry for whatever reason.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

So I water it atleast twice a week, I usually give it a good soaking for a few minutes. It’s on a little hill, so if i let the water run too long it becomes a little mud slide. 
 

it may have an air pocket. Should I dig around the trunk to see?

 

I also have clay soil so it is hard and rocky. 
I use a soil tester and usually it says the soil is moist. 
prior to me planting the palm tree there, it was just old dry bushes that I removed. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

It looks severely drought stricken. Those are native to Southeast Asia and are used to copious amounts of water. Planting them a little too deep rarely is a problem. A newly planted palm is going to need watering much more often than an established one. I’d be thoroughly watering yours nearly daily until late summer and then three times per week. You really can’t overwater these but it’s Bery easy to underwater them. 

[Steveee]

32 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

It looks severely drought stricken. Those are native to Southeast Asia and are used to copious amounts of water. Planting them a little too deep rarely is a problem. A newly planted palm is going to need watering much more often than an established one. I’d be thoroughly watering yours nearly daily until late summer and then three times per week. You really can’t overwater these but it’s Bery easy to underwater them. 

Ok cool. So you don’t think possibly me putting too much fertilizer was the problem? I know I bought some organic palm soil fertilizer, and thought I may have overdone it around the trunks of the palm. 
 

do you guys suggest I stick the hose into the soil and give it a deep watering? Or maybe mixing in some potting soil and removing some of my native clay soil for better drainage?

[Gonzer]

Start anew with a fresh plant. No reason to nurture a crappy looking, dime-a-dozen palm.

[Jim in Los Altos]

1 hour ago, Steveee said:

Ok cool. So you don’t think possibly me putting too much fertilizer was the problem? I know I bought some organic palm soil fertilizer, and thought I may have overdone it around the trunks of the palm. 
 

do you guys suggest I stick the hose into the soil and give it a deep watering? Or maybe mixing in some potting soil and removing some of my native clay soil for better drainage?

Never use potting soil in the ground. It’s formulated for pots. Pygmy Date Palms will grow reasonably well in clay soils. 

If you get a lot of water runoff, you can place the hose by the palm’s base and let it water slowly as you said. 

 

[Steveee]

5 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Never use potting soil in the ground. It’s formulated for pots. Pygmy Date Palms will grow reasonably well in clay soils. 

If you get a lot of water runoff, you can place the hose by the palm’s base and let it water slowly as you said. 

 

Thank you! I will try a deep watering and hope that helps. I really don’t wanna give up on it.

if I put my hose on low and let it deep water, how long should I do it for and how often?

[NOT A TA]

If you can't easily deep soak with a hose...... Get a gallon milk jug. Fill with water. Turn upside down and push the opening into the soil on the uphill side of the palm, balance it and leave it. The jug will act like a drinking water dispenser with the 5-6 gallon jugs slowly letting water out as air can get in. Repeat daily.  You usually can't over water a roebelenii as they're a rheophyte.

[Palmfarmer]

On 6/9/2021 at 4:39 AM, Gonzer said:

Start anew with a fresh plant. No reason to nurture a crappy looking, dime-a-dozen palm.

Thats the fun with those palms. nurturing them back to health and make them look good. And if one fails its not that big a deal since it is a  dime-a-dozen anyways.

[Palmfarmer]

On 6/9/2021 at 10:34 AM, Steveee said:

Thank you! I will try a deep watering and hope that helps. I really don’t wanna give up on it.

if I put my hose on low and let it deep water, how long should I do it for and how often?

Just for the simplicity try 12 hours + on low settings 3x the first week to kickstart things. Then go down to 2x per week 6 hours. See how the soil reacts to that. Try to make it moist most of the time, but not soggy, I know its kind of hard to do in clay. Too much water is more or less impossible in summer so dont worry too much about overwatering. Dont water based on schedule, but rather on how your soil looks and feels. 

Keep in mind that palms sometimes sink in clay when deeply watering in it. My robolini had 2 inches of soil up the trunk i had to remove the excess soil after a year in the ground and it started to grow fast again.

[Steveee]

On 6/9/2021 at 9:28 AM, NOT A TA said:

If you can't easily deep soak with a hose...... Get a gallon milk jug. Fill with water. Turn upside down and push the opening into the soil on the uphill side of the palm, balance it and leave it. The jug will act like a drinking water dispenser with the 5-6 gallon jugs slowly letting water out as air can get in. Repeat daily.  You usually can't over water a roebelenii as they're a rheophyte.

Good to know! I kept hearing to becareful not to over water it. 

[Steveee]

2 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

Just for the simplicity try 12 hours + on low settings 3x the first week to kickstart things. Then go down to 2x per week 6 hours. See how the soil reacts to that. Try to make it moist most of the time, but not soggy, I know its kind of hard to do in clay. Too much water is more or less impossible in summer so dont worry too much about overwatering. Dont water based on schedule, but rather on how your soil looks and feels. 

Keep in mind that palms sometimes sink in clay when deeply watering in it. My robolini had 2 inches of soil up the trunk i had to remove the excess soil after a year in the ground and it started to grow fast again.

Ok cool! I’ll try sticking the hose into the upper portion of the soil and put it on low. 
All this time I thought it was cause I put too much fertilizer, guess it’s just been a water issue. Maybe since it’s planted on a hill, the water probably just rolled down the hill instead of absorbing it. 
 

thanks for the advice guys!

glad I didn’t listen to the guy at the nursery and throw it away since it was “dead”.