Bottle Palm Issues in SW Florida

[WFLkyle01]

Hello, I am getting worried about a bottle palm tree I had planted in my front yard back in January. Has looks good up until about 1 month ago. We have been in a long drought in Tampa Bay Area so have been watering it (light watering) every other day or so. Applied some fertilizer a couple of weeks ago but have not seen any progress. Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

[Johnny Palmseed]

It looks like sunburn. If it was in a pot, it might have been kept in a sun diffused location. If you can shade it partially to give it time to acclimate, it should grow through it. I would recommend watering it more. Really soak the ground around it every other day. This time of the year is rough for new palms due to the lack of rain and the typical clear skies with intense sun. 

[Merlyn]

@WFLkyle01 I agree with sunburn, that telltale red burnt area facing upwards is normal for shade-grown plants put into heavy sun.  The last couple of dry hot weeks can definitely do that.  I give my similarly sized Bottles about a gallon per day.  A bit more water on yours wouldn't hurt.  Make sure you are watering the area near the existing rootball.  After only 4 months in the ground the palm's roots have probably just barely grown out into the surrounding sand.

I would mark the new spear horizontally with a sharpie, across the existing fronds.  That way you can see if the spear is growing.  My Spindles and Bottles are starting to grow steadily now, so you should see maybe an inch of growth every day or so.

[peachy]

My bottles and spindles get a good soak with a sprinkler 3 times a week in the warm weather unless there has been good rain. They get more drought tolerant with age but I still play it safe and make sure they are well hydrated.

Peachy