Help! My Mexican Fan Palm

[AZpalms12]

I had 4 Mexican Fan Palms (7 foot) planted in my yard in Arizona about 14 months ago. They did great and were green all the way until about a month ago. One of them has started to turn yellow and brown (leaves). I had no water on them during the winter and think i overwatered it when it got to the 100’s watering every day. I immediately turned the irrigation off 2 weeks ago to let it dry out. Is there anything I can do besides wait and hope it will grow new leaves? There is growth in the middle but i cant tell how green it is. I cut off most of the leaves that were dead and brown 

[SeanK]

Turn the water back on.

[AZpalms12]

It’s a drip system. How many days a week should i set to now? Since it’s been established I’m reading once every 8-10 days. Does this sound right?

[Jim in Los Altos]

Don’t cut the water! It’s likely under watered if you’re relying on a drip system. My previous property (San Martin, CA) had a spring fed pond and a wet mushy clay bog area that stayed wet year round. Several Washingtonia were thriving in that wet sticky clay muck. In your HOT climate, your palms will appreciate lots of water and often. 

[MJSanDiego]

It depends on how many drip emitters and how many gallons per hour flow on each emitter. I put a hose on slow flow, about 1 gallon per hour. I leave it for 2 days (48 hours) about 3 feet from the trunk to be certain it penetrates the entire area and depth necessary. My Mexican fan palm is 8 ft tall and in clay soil with temps in the upper 70s to low 80s during the summer and it loves it. I let it dry out for 3 weeks even a month before doing it again. The key is to deep water, infrequently. In your desert area though, perhaps no more than one week between the deep waterings. If it's really hot maybe every 5 days depending on soil too. If it's sandy it dries out more quickly

[jwitt]

It takes about 3 growing seasons for a transplanted palm to establish healthy root system 

When watering, that water should penetrate to about 10' deep.  Maintain that during the growing season. 

For me a hose dribbling(a good dribble, not drip) for 24 hours at the base of the palm will accomplish that. 

 

[SeanK]

There is another method, but it must be done at transplant time.

The hole is dug extra deep, and PVC, 1-1/2 to 2 dia. is set in the hole bottom as it is backfilled. The plant is set in the hole and remaining hole filled in. The PVC must be long enough to extend above grade. Water well to settle the soil. 

Subsequently, when watering, add water through the PVC directly to the bottom of the hole.