Young pindo palm with thin and curly leaves

[JeanB]

Hi, I have planted a Young Pindo Palm in April of this year. the tree seems to be growing slowly , but i noticed the leaves are very thin and curling up dramatically. I have fertilized the tree twice so far with Miracle Grow shake and feed and the sprinkler is waterting about 7-8 min every 2 days.
I have attached a couple of pictures to show the tree; would appreciate any help on how to get a "Healthier" looking tree with larger leaves and not as curly, more like a regular pindo.
Thank you

[Merlyn]

@JeanB your young Pindo looks fairly normal for a small palm.  The Miracle Gro Shake-n-Feed isn't ideal for palms, but there are several different types.  The one labeled "Shake N Feed Palm" is an okay fertilizer mix.  It's missing boron, but you have a good layer of mulch that should work fine. 

As far as the curly leaves go, that's probably genetics.  There is an unusual Butia nicknamed "Strictior" that has more-or-less straight fronds, but otherwise most of them are very recurved.  Some curve straight down, some curve in a twisting shape, some are only slightly curved.  It'll probably change as it grows larger.  My front yard one is super twisty and is actually one of my favorites:

That is a pretty small space for a palm that big.  I planted several in the backyard and later built a pathway about 3' from the trunk.  It's a bit of a pain to trim them back, after about 5 years they are just about overhead and not smacking me in the face anymore.

[Allen]

It's fronds look fine.  Here is a idea of how fast mine grew.  This video is a year old.  Check and make sure you are ok with it getting wide.  I fertilize mine with Palmgain

https://youtu.be/zVPLL05Q6Ho?t=5

2019

2021

2022

2023

2024

[Harry’s Palms]

Yes , when they are young the leaflets look pretty thin and most are very curly. About the size , they get large! Make sure to allow for a large trunk . The true Capitata is smaller in size from what I have seen in pictures than the Oderata which makes a majority of Butia that are sold. Mine was sold as a Bonetti 25 years ago but it is just a silver colored Oderata . HarryThe trunk is over six tall and very thick, the canopy is wide and requires a good amount of space

[JeanB]

Thank you all for the input. I just had a feeling it was "weak" and needed a boost. Make me feel reassured that it is on the right track, especially seeing the evolution over the years (Allen, the Timeline video is very helpful-beautiful).

In terms of space, i have 5 feet between the fence and the pool coping; the palm tree is planted at 2.5-3ft away from the fence. Until it is tall enough where the canopy can be over the fence, it might be a challenge for the leaves to grow properly.  I  may need to cut off the fence side more than the pool side.

BTW, how do you get the "fuller/thicker" trunk ? not pruning ? or something else ?

what type of fertilizer do you all use ?

 

[Harry’s Palms]

I have not fertilized the Butia in the photo I posted. It just gets routine watering ( depending on current climate conditions) . The trunk started thickening on its own as you will see with yours. It seems that they don’t really gain size at first but mine really took off at about the ten year mark. I planted it as a strap leaf seedling in a 4” nursery band. Harry

[Merlyn]

@JeanB if you want the trunk to look bigger, just make sure you leave fronds on as long as possible.  Overpruning tends to make the trunk skinnier over time.  On this Butia at my pathway I made sure to cut the fronds a decent distance away from the base.  It makes it look bigger than it is, but it does leave some nasty thorns!