Syagrus dry fronds

[Than]

I have seen this in many Syagrus. The old fronds start drying out from the edge downwards. A friend told me his Syagrus only has this issue in the winter. Mine has it constantly. Anyone knows why?

 

[Harry’s Palms]

I would give it more water and amend the soil in a larger circle around that palm . You have plenty of room and that young Syagrus is thirsty. In full sun at that age it will burn if let to dry out. After a good soil amendment, then top with wood chips to help retain the moisture and insulate the soil from the sun. Make sure to mix the garden soil in with the existing soil as deep as you can with a claw . Once it gets bigger it should start holding its own . Harry

[Than]

I only water once a week tbh, but this is because, to my surprise, the tool I use to check if the soil is moist, tells me it stays moist for a few days.. I would expect it to dry out very quickly now in the summer but for some reason it doesn't, even though it is sandy. Same with my Roystonea. Yesterday I stuck my finger in the soil in disbelief, and indeed it felt moist.

Should I water anyway you reckon?

[happypalms]

As @Harry’s Palms said sunburn and more water for now, it’s normal thing I wouldn’t worry about it it will grow out and become a beautiful palm. A lot of palms sulk when planted out it’s not the growers fault, put a baby out in the sun and see what happens but as it matures it get used to it. The only problem you will have is all those seeds in the years to come smashing your shins as you mow around them, sounding like hail hitting metal on the inside of the mower. 

[Harry’s Palms]

Syagrus R. Is a palm that can use a lot of water, like many others . I water almost every day in the summer depending on how the soil looks . Queen palms can look wet constantly and I’ve never had them look burnt , even when they were young. They are messy palms but worth it for the canopy they provide . You have years before you will have to worry about it. I just cut a seed pod out of one that overhangs our deck. Archontophoenix might have been a better choice in retrospect but I’m not sure they would give quite as much shade so quickly. The speed of growth will be exponential in the next few years if they get the water. Harry

‘This side of my house is West so afternoon sun is very warm  . The trunks , there are actually three but you can see two , each have a large crown of beautiful thick green fronds that cool the garden , provide shade for my Dypsis collection as well as others , and actually cool the house down. The Pritchardia on the right would probably not have survived without them. Same with the other Chamaedorea , Dypsis , Rhapis , and Caryota Mitis . The larger Caryota on the other side of the gate were sun tolerant species.
‘This circle around the trunk of the Roystonia Oleracae shows the amended soil before the wood chips went down. I do this at least once a year. The trunk on the left is a Syagrus R. You can see the moisture in the soil , it is like that almost constantly . 

[Mazat]

4 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Syagrus R. Is a palm that can use a lot of water, like many others . I water almost every day in the summer depending on how the soil looks . Queen palms can look wet constantly and I’ve never had them look burnt , even when they were young. They are messy palms but worth it for the canopy they provide . You have years before you will have to worry about it. I just cut a seed pod out of one that overhangs our deck. Archontophoenix might have been a better choice in retrospect but I’m not sure they would give quite as much shade so quickly. The speed of growth will be exponential in the next few years if they get the water. Harry

‘This side of my house is West so afternoon sun is very warm  . The trunks , there are actually three but you can see two , each have a large crown of beautiful thick green fronds that cool the garden , provide shade for my Dypsis collection as well as others , and actually cool the house down. The Pritchardia on the right would probably not have survived without them. Same with the other Chamaedorea , Dypsis , Rhapis , and Caryota Mitis . The larger Caryota on the other side of the gate were sun tolerant species.
‘This circle around the trunk of the Roystonia Oleracae shows the amended soil before the wood chips went down. I do this at least once a year. The trunk on the left is a Syagrus R. You can see the moisture in the soil , it is like that almost constantly . 

interesting. we noticed the same thing today with our very small syagrus. in this case we will also water it daily up on the balcony at the moment it is constantly 30 degrees celsius and much more. in this case every 3-4 days is not enough ...

we will water them separately every day

[Mazat]

11 hours ago, Than said:

I have seen this in many Syagrus. The old fronds start drying out from the edge downwards. A friend told me his Syagrus only has this issue in the winter. Mine has it constantly. Anyone knows why?

 

a great syagrus. good luck, Than with her. she will surely become a beauty as she is in good hands.

[Than]

21 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Syagrus R. Is a palm that can use a lot of water, like many others . I water almost every day in the summer depending on how the soil looks . Queen palms can look wet constantly and I’ve never had them look burnt , even when they were young. They are messy palms but worth it for the canopy they provide . You have years before you will have to worry about it. I just cut a seed pod out of one that overhangs our deck. Archontophoenix might have been a better choice in retrospect but I’m not sure they would give quite as much shade so quickly. The speed of growth will be exponential in the next few years if they get the water. Harry

‘This side of my house is West so afternoon sun is very warm  . The trunks , there are actually three but you can see two , each have a large crown of beautiful thick green fronds that cool the garden , provide shade for my Dypsis collection as well as others , and actually cool the house down. The Pritchardia on the right would probably not have survived without them. Same with the other Chamaedorea , Dypsis , Rhapis , and Caryota Mitis . The larger Caryota on the other side of the gate were sun tolerant species.
‘This circle around the trunk of the Roystonia Oleracae shows the amended soil before the wood chips went down. I do this at least once a year. The trunk on the left is a Syagrus R. You can see the moisture in the soil , it is like that almost constantly . 

Thank you Harry, I will do that. I watered it yesterday and I will water every other day from now on, or every day if it becomes very hot. Right now it's quite mild, with highs of only 85F. 

Btw, what is this red cover around your Syagrus on the last photos? Is it ceramic or fallen leaves or smth else? Whatever it is it looks awesome!

You are right about Syagrus being messy but providing great canopy. It's mainly for their canopy that I want them. I will plant Archontophoenix too soon but I will have to find shady spots for them while Syagrus can take full sun; a huge advantage.

[Than]

17 hours ago, Mazat said:

a great syagrus. good luck, Than with her. she will surely become a beauty as she is in good hands.

You always have something nice to say Mazat, thank you. Not so sure it is in good hands though, I am still only a beginner in palms. I hope yours is doing well too! I'd love to see pics!

[Harry’s Palms]

1 hour ago, Than said:

Thank you Harry, I will do that. I watered it yesterday and I will water every other day from now on, or every day if it becomes very hot. Right now it's quite mild, with highs of only 85F. 

Btw, what is this red cover around your Syagrus on the last photos? Is it ceramic or fallen leaves or smth else? Whatever it is it looks awesome!

You are right about Syagrus being messy but providing great canopy. It's mainly for their canopy that I want them. I will plant Archontophoenix too soon but I will have to find shady spots for them while Syagrus can take full sun; a huge advantage.

Thank you! The red colored stuff is wood chips and you can get bags of them here pretty cheap . My wife likes the red colored ones but you can get them with a natural , non colored look if you prefer. Any mulch you use will help the soil . And , after years of using wood chips , the soil becomes looser (not crusty) . The wood decomposes as you continually mulch . The garden soil is easily mixed in with the top layer of existing dirt . It really does help the top layer of soil from getting “baked” in the warmer months. Harry

[Mazat]

4 hours ago, Than said:

You always have something nice to say Mazat, thank you. Not so sure it is in good hands though, I am still only a beginner in palms. I hope yours is doing well too! I'd love to see pics!

i appreciate people who, like you, are there with heart and intuition combined with growing knowledge and openness to learn new things.
i also like your way of reporting. 😀

I hope my little one grows now with more watering.

[Than]

Oh that's a cute tiny Syagrus haha. If you ever come to Greece we can do a palm tour and collect Syagrus and other seeds from the pavements. 

[Than]

17 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Thank you! The red colored stuff is wood chips and you can get bags of them here pretty cheap . My wife likes the red colored ones but you can get them with a natural , non colored look if you prefer. Any mulch you use will help the soil . And , after years of using wood chips , the soil becomes looser (not crusty) . The wood decomposes as you continually mulch . The garden soil is easily mixed in with the top layer of existing dirt . It really does help the top layer of soil from getting “baked” in the warmer months. Harry

Υοur wife has a great taste in wood chips! I bet they are not sold here but I will def look for them! Is it pine?

[Harry’s Palms]

Probably a mix of lumber scraps so mostly Fir . When I first started gardening I was doing work for a company that made wood door frames and I would get bags of saw dust from their mill . I used that for the initial amendment when our house was new . I tilled it into the soil . Most construction wood here is Fir but I’ve used Oak wood shavings as well. A lot of wood working places will give the saw dust away and it helps the soil . As wood decomposes , it can deplete the nitrogen but that can be added back with soil amendment. The whole process just makes your soil so much easier to work with. The coarse chips of wood is mainly a top barrier or insulation. Harry

[Than]

5 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Probably a mix of lumber scraps so mostly Fir . When I first started gardening I was doing work for a company that made wood door frames and I would get bags of saw dust from their mill . I used that for the initial amendment when our house was new . I tilled it into the soil . Most construction wood here is Fir but I’ve used Oak wood shavings as well. A lot of wood working places will give the saw dust away and it helps the soil . As wood decomposes , it can deplete the nitrogen but that can be added back with soil amendment. The whole process just makes your soil so much easier to work with. The coarse chips of wood is mainly a top barrier or insulation. Harry

I am pretty sure the carpenters here would be fine for me to go get saw dust. The only thing is that perhaps it comes from chemically treated wood.. 

I didn't know fir can be red BTW... Fir is the Christmas tree right? 

[Harry’s Palms]

Yes , most Christmas trees are Fir . It is the most commonly used hardwood around for construction . At least here in the states. Another good source for mulch is tree trimmers but you never know what kind of trees or disease you could end up with. I think the best bet is commercially available bags of garden amendments. Most carpenters use kiln dried wood , I haven’t heard of any chemical treatment unless it is for fences . Harry

[Mazat]

On 6/15/2025 at 8:45 PM, Than said:

Oh that's a cute tiny Syagrus haha. If you ever come to Greece we can do a palm tour and collect Syagrus and other seeds from the pavements. 

that's a great idea and it's a lot of fun 🤗

a friend came by the other day and asked me a little mockingly (he's sometimes a bit arrogant, know-it-all) where the little queen was. i then said, well, if you can't see a beauty right in front of you and only look in the distance, it's going to be difficult. it's good that he didn't take it as an insult but laughed.

yes, she really is small 🤭😁

[Harry’s Palms]

@Mazat they seem to stay in the strap leaf stage for a very long time . When they finally come out of it they take off! Make sure it gets plenty of indirect light. Harry

[Mazat]

10 minutes ago, Harry’s Palms said:

@Mazat they seem to stay in the strap leaf stage for a very long time . When they finally come out of it they take off! Make sure it gets plenty of indirect light. Harry

Sabine only made the remark recently, but in passing, why it takes so long ... should have listened better as usual ...

many thanks for the good tip, Harry 🤗

i will do it immediately and pay attention to it.

[Mazat]

22 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

@Mazat they seem to stay in the strap leaf stage for a very long time . When they finally come out of it they take off! Make sure it gets plenty of indirect light. Harry

this morning we planted them in a location with good light conditions and watered them again at the same time, as you recommended.

now we hope and are excited to see how it grows 😀

[Rubberboots]

@Thanwhat kind of soil do you have in your area sir?

[Than]

9 hours ago, Rubberboots said:

@Thanwhat kind of soil do you have in your area sir?

Very alkaline (pH 8.2) but I bought very acidic soil (pH 3.8) and mixed it together. The alkaline part was heavy and contains lots of calcium but the acidic is full of sand and low in calcium. They are both poor in nutrients and organic matter but I have added compost and worm castings.

[Rubberboots]

3 minutes ago, Than said:

Very alkaline (pH 8.2) but I bought very acidic soil (pH 3.8) and mixed it together. The alkaline part was heavy and contains lots of calcium but the acidic is full of sand and low in calcium. They are both poor in nutrients and organic matter but I have added compost and worm castings.

@Than awesome...that should help...you can also grind up dry banana peels...coffee grounds and burnt wood to your soil. 🤙🏿

[Than]

5 minutes ago, Rubberboots said:

@Than awesome...that should help...you can also grind up dry banana peels...coffee grounds and burnt wood to your soil. 🤙🏿

Thank you! Nice to meet people from north or central California with a very similar climate! For now I put those in the compost maker and hope to have compost soon. Just moved to this property two months ago..