Accelerated Browning of Sabal When Moved Inside

[JDH23]

Greetings,

I recently needed to move my potted palms inside for the winter into my basement. They were all placed into a greenhouse that is located on a south facing wall where they receive a decent amount of sun for what it’s worth, and the greenhouse actually reaches 80° F during the day despite the basement being kept between 65-70° F. The palms are 3 days into their home for the winter, and almost all of them appear to be taking the move well so far, with the exception of my Sabal ‘Birmingham’. Over the past month, the Birmingham has began to yellow on the older fronds and within the past 2 weeks some of those fronds have also started to brown in spots. Since I moved the Birmingham inside, though, some browning has occurred on the tips of new growth and the older fronds have gotten noticeably worse.

 

Just for comparison sake, here are my other palms:

 

For the Birmingham, I don’t think the photos do it justice in terms of how fast some of the fronds have gone down hill, but perhaps I’m overreacting a bit. I do have it placed in a spot where it will receive the most sun possible, but compared to my other palms the soil it is in is still quite wet so I believe that could be a factor here (the top layer is damp to the touch, my other palms you have to dig a little to feel any dampness). So, does anyone have advice or recommendations for me to try? Admittedly this is my first palm I bought so it is close to home per se, so any potential diagnosis or advice would greatly appreciated. 

[PalmatierMeg]

Your interpretation of a "decent amount of sun" in your basement and the Sabal's may be diamietrically opposed. Sabals are sun lovers and want high levels of light. They do not do well as houseplants. Do you/will you provide them supplemental lighting to keep them healthy? Many people on here can tell you how they set up lights. BTW, where in the world are you? Is it now so cold where you live that cold hardy Sabals are in danger of dying of cold in early Nov.? As long as your nights stay above freezing Sabals are probably happier outside

[JDH23]

On 11/4/2021 at 4:28 PM, PalmatierMeg said:

Your interpretation of a "decent amount of sun" in your basement and the Sabal's may be diamietrically opposed. Sabals are sun lovers and want high levels of light. They do not do well as houseplants. Do you/will you provide them supplemental lighting to keep them healthy? Many people on here can tell you how they set up lights. BTW, where in the world are you? Is it now so cold where you live that cold hardy Sabals are in danger of dying of cold in early Nov.? As long as your nights stay above freezing Sabals are probably happier outside

Thanks for the response, apologies about the delay in getting back to you. I am located in Midwestern zone 6a (arguably 6b), and currently our low temperatures for each night are right at or just below 30°F. Future forecasts predict only a handful of days remain this year where we’ll be above freezing for the nightly low, thus why I’ve moved everything in for the winter. If the Sabals were in the ground I wouldn’t worry too much, but since I’m currently growing them in pots I’d hate to risk the roots potentially freezing and in turn likely killing the plants. As for supplemental lighting, I have been looking into that. My only concern with using a grow lamp/light is that my Sabal Minor ‘McCurtain’ seedlings were grown this summer in the greenhouse in an area where they received only late afternoon to early evening sunlight. I’ve read instances where others have grown their seedlings in similar environments and the grow lamps have been a little too strong and burnt the seedlings. If using the grow lamps would be beneficial to my palms altogether, especially my Sabal ‘Birmingham’, then absolutely I would invest in one.