watering the crown fine if you live in a dry climate?

[Palmfarmer]

Just thinking why is this bad when the palm naturally gets water in the crown during rain. So doing this once in a while can't be bad in a very dry climate? 

Asking because my palms all look like junk since there is fine dust covering all the fronds and its kinda hard to water it off without getting some water in the 👑

[Allen]

Not bad every now and then when temps are warm, in some place continued water in the crown/trunk can promote rot.

[Palmfarmer]

1 minute ago, Allen said:

Not bad every now and then when temps are warm, in some place continued water in the crown/trunk can promote rot.

Ok so in the day with 25 calcius once in a while should be fine? 

[Fusca]

2 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

Just thinking why is this bad when the palm naturally gets water in the crown during rain. So doing this once in a while can't be bad in a very dry climate? 

Asking because my palms all look like junk since there is fine dust covering all the fronds and its kinda hard to water it off without getting some water in the 👑

It is a strange phenomenon but it has to do with the mineral content of the water.  And some species like Chamaerops are particularly sensitive to it.  I don't think a small amount now and then would do much but if it happens on a regular basis like from a sprinkler it can cause problems regardless of the climate or temperatures.  Unless your irrigation water is filtered I would still avoid getting water in the crown as much as possible.  But yes, even rain water in the crown can cause rot in cold weather.  I collect rain water for my potted plants to avoid using city water for this reason and the fact that they respond much better to rain water.

Edited February 9, 2023 by Fusca

[GottmitAlex]

^^This^^

[Merlyn]

I wondered about this too, because pretty much every nursery on the planet uses overhead sprinklers.  The local Florida ones all use well water, which probably has some mineral content but no chloramines or other chemicals like the city water.  My well water has a lot of manganese and some calcium and iron, but not much else.  For nurseries on city water, do they filter the incoming water?  If not, is this "never overhead water palms" merely a word-of-mouth thing and not based on actual science?

Edit: I did note that two local nurseries have dripline setups on all their larger potted palms.  This seems like a water-efficiency thing, it doesn't make sense to have a row of sprinklers set up to put water into 10 pots in a long row of plants.

[sonoranfans]

I think in high heat in the desert it can be done to reduce stress.  I watered my palms with moveable sprinkler in arizona but only when temps were greater than 105F and I thought they wanted some water.  Brahea armata, bismarckia phownix sylvestris etc  in the hottest full sun spots liked the water.  I think the problem is if that water persists overnight in the crown on some species you can have a problem.  I would not use foliar water in cool climates as the water may persist overnight.  Remember water persists near ground level longer so smaller plants may be more susceptible to pathogens.  If I was determined to clean my palms from dust, I'd wait for a warm sunny day and do it in the mid morning as the sun should help dry things out.  I would not do that often and only on the hot days and I would not wet down areas with smaller palms,  I would irrigate them at the roots.  I suspect that the waxy leaf species are going to do better with foliar water in the desert since the wax tends to bead the water and it rolls off more easily.   If you over wet or are concerned, have the fungicide ready.