I planted this in March. By end of June it looked great.

End of June

I returned from a short trip after July 4th and all of the fronds looked fried except for the frond emerging from the spear.

Now

I have been deep watering. I’m genuinely at a loss. It’s getting water. How could it take such a drastic turn in less than a month.

I have never grown this particular palm so I can’t really help. It sure looks as though it is struggling. I am sorry you are having a problem , I hope it pulls through. It has been quite warm for the last week. Harry

What is "deep watering"?

Here in Atlanta we had weeks of scorching heat but the weather's flipped. It's raining ever day.

By deep watering, I hope you are giving it about 10 gallons of water, at least 2 or 3 times a week for a new planting. A half hour time on a 1 gpm drip line isn't going to cut it. Appears it needs more water than it was receiving now that temps have risen.

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

4 hours ago, aztropic said:

By deep watering, I hope you are giving it about 10 gallons of water, at least 2 or 3 times a week for a new planting. A half hour time on a 1 gpm drip line isn't going to cut it. Appears it needs more water than it was receiving now that temps have risen.

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

I was doing about 2-3x of slow pencil thin water from a hose for about 30 minutes. I just looked at the soil and it’s pretty wet.

AI said that the fronds may be dying to give the two née fronds energy to grow. I cut about 3 fronds off last week because they looked they were dying, but I think that was a mistake since the other two started to dry out within a few days. The center spear and fronds look healthy. So I guess thats good news.

Just a little disappointed because this is right in front of my house. The flame thrower and teddy bear palm look perfect. Temperatures have been higher but relatively mild for what we’re used to, today it hit 100 degrees. Maybe its shock from the heat?

4 hours ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

I was doing about 2-3x of slow pencil thin water from a hose for about 30 minutes. I just looked at the soil and it’s pretty wet.

AI said that the fronds may be dying to give the two née fronds energy to grow. I cut about 3 fronds off last week because they looked they were dying, but I think that was a mistake since the other two started to dry out within a few days. The center spear and fronds look healthy. So I guess thats good news.

Just a little disappointed because this is right in front of my house. The flame thrower and teddy bear palm look perfect. Temperatures have been higher but relatively mild for what we’re used to, today it hit 100 degrees. Maybe its shock from the heat?

Hello :), I would say it was shocked, maybe the palm doesn't used to it. If you say the center spear is healthy then soon it will be alright, just cut out all the dead fronds and remained the good ones!

Water it regularly but don't overwatering it, because it will get use to it over time.

@SCVpalmenthusiastthe "eating" of the older fronds seems at least normal, but I would have left the oldest ones on until fully crispy dry. At this point it might just be adapting to hot and dry. The old fronds do look a little bit stretched out, just in the spacing between leaflets...but it's hard to say for sure. If so that could explain the quick burning, at least partially. I'd do:

• Contact the nursery and tell them the old leaves are dying fast. If there's any kind of warranty make sure you get their input asap.

• Make sure your trickle of water is fully distributed on the existing roots and not just the nearby dirt. It'll take 6 months to really grow a lot of roots out into the surrounding dirt.

One other possibility is that it's getting too much water and has root rot. I'm on sand here in FL, so it's tough to overwater. Excess water just sinks down to the water table, which at my place is about 6 feet down. But in clay I have read of dug holes basically filling with water like a lake...and not draining out at all. I have never dealt with clay soil, so I don't have any suggestions on what do do or what not to do with clay. Maybe someone out West can comment?

I am closer to the coastal influence but it has been very warm here . I am about 30 miles from Valencia/ Santa Clarita area due west . I have a palm I want to plant in a sunny area but I think I may wait due to the heat , yesterday was 86f here and is going to be in the 90’s again next week. I have never had a drainage issue here except for one spot and that was cured with a Queen palm that sucked up the moisture in that corner. We hand water 3 times a week when it is like this and the ground isn’t soggy at all. Our palms love the water , even the Triangle palms. I think the OP’s palm is just settling in and probably will take time to start looking better. July and August are warm months in our area . Harry

On 7/15/2026 at 8:39 PM, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

I was doing about 2-3x of slow pencil thin water from a hose for about 30 minutes. I just looked at the soil and its pretty wet

I was never able to keep a palm consistently happy unless I knew the watering depth. If the soil has some clay, watering depth is determined by time, not flowrate. Excess flowrate that isn't spread around the root zone can run off, evaporate, or channel in the soil. Faster flowrates tend to cause more channeling. Irrigation drippers can be used to great effect in dry areas. You get perhaps 10 degrees more heat there than in Alfredii's native habitat. To me it looks like classic desiccation in the hot season by underwatering. If you went away and watering was not automatic in your absence in the heat, there is the likely culprit. I would water for at least 1 1/2 hrs at low flowrates of 6 gph((3) 2 gallon drippers spaced around the root zone every 3rd day in the heat, less frequent when the high temps drop below 75. You can buy timers and drippers that can be attached to a hose. I have killed plenty of palms by just hand watering, automatic watering is needed and drippers tell you what the flowrate is so you can calculate the total water in gallons. Your palm does not have an established root system, they don't come that way. IF you want it to be happy, you will have to make sure its getting the right amount of water and wet a good root zone area for the first two years. When established they are a low maintenance palm aside consistent watering like most palms. Once roots are established it will carry a full crown like this.

I've seen these grown in the arizona desert and all over socal so it can be done. I don't recommend getting the tallest one as its roots have been bound for a long time in a pot. 15 gallons would be fine. I started with a 3 gallon and the above pic is the end of the 3rd full growing season.

Here is the 3 gallon 6 months after planting

Today its 30 foot tall, and just as wide with a 34-36" thick trunk

18 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@SCVpalmenthusiastthe "eating" of the older fronds seems at least normal, but I would have left the oldest ones on until fully crispy dry. At this point it might just be adapting to hot and dry. The old fronds do look a little bit stretched out, just in the spacing between leaflets...but it's hard to say for sure. If so that could explain the quick burning, at least partially. I'd do:

• Contact the nursery and tell them the old leaves are dying fast. If there's any kind of warranty make sure you get their input asap.

• Make sure your trickle of water is fully distributed on the existing roots and not just the nearby dirt. It'll take 6 months to really grow a lot of roots out into the surrounding dirt.

One other possibility is that it's getting too much water and has root rot. I'm on sand here in FL, so it's tough to overwater. Excess water just sinks down to the water table, which at my place is about 6 feet down. But in clay I have read of dug holes basically filling with water like a lake...and not draining out at all. I have never dealt with clay soil, so I don't have any suggestions on what do do or what not to do with clay. Maybe someone out West can comment?

I stuck a reebar about a foot down the soil and it was pure water. Perhaps ive been overwatering? I didn’t think it was possible. Im gonna take a week off watering. Let it dry out a little and then deep water. It’s definitely pushing a new spear so good news is it isn’t dead.

6 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

I was never able to keep a palm consistently happy unless I knew the watering depth. If the soil has some clay, watering depth is determined by time, not flowrate. Excess flowrate that isn't spread around the root zone can run off, evaporate, or channel in the soil. Faster flowrates tend to cause more channeling. Irrigation drippers can be used to great effect in dry areas. You get perhaps 10 degrees more heat there than in Alfredii's native habitat. To me it looks like classic desiccation in the hot season by underwatering. If you went away and watering was not automatic in your absence in the heat, there is the likely culprit. I would water for at least 1 1/2 hrs at low flowrates of 6 gph((3) 2 gallon drippers spaced around the root zone every 3rd day in the heat, less frequent when the high temps drop below 75. You can buy timers and drippers that can be attached to a hose. I have killed plenty of palms by just hand watering, automatic watering is needed and drippers tell you what the flowrate is so you can calculate the total water in gallons. Your palm does not have an established root system, they don't come that way. IF you want it to be happy, you will have to make sure its getting the right amount of water and wet a good root zone area for the first two years. When established they are a low maintenance palm aside consistent watering like most palms. Once roots are established it will carry a full crown like this.

I've seen these grown in the arizona desert and all over socal so it can be done. I don't recommend getting the tallest one as its roots have been bound for a long time in a pot. 15 gallons would be fine. I started with a 3 gallon and the above pic is the end of the 3rd full growing season.

Here is the 3 gallon 6 months after planting

Today its 30 foot tall, and just as wide with a 34-36" thick trunk

I put a bar about a foot down and it was watery and slick when I pulled it out. Maybe I’ve been overwatering? I think I shouldn’t have pruned the fronds. I see a new spear and I think the palm is drying the other fronds to have energy to push the spear out. Ugh valuable lesson I learned. I just hope my HOA doesn’t bitch that it looks like I have a dying palm in the front.

7 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

I am closer to the coastal influence but it has been very warm here . I am about 30 miles from Valencia/ Santa Clarita area due west . I have a palm I want to plant in a sunny area but I think I may wait due to the heat , yesterday was 86f here and is going to be in the 90’s again next week. I have never had a drainage issue here except for one spot and that was cured with a Queen palm that sucked up the moisture in that corner. We hand water 3 times a week when it is like this and the ground isn’t soggy at all. Our palms love the water , even the Triangle palms. I think the OP’s palm is just settling in and probably will take time to start looking better. July and August are warm months in our area . Harry

Yea we had a mild June, and even though im further inland we had a lot of June gloom. But perhaps the high heat shocked it, it’s definitely not a water issue. If anything I’ve overwatered. My other exotic palms look wonderful. Im hoping it pushes these new fronds and then it adapts. I had a similar issue with my king palm, and now it looks amazing.

On 7/17/2026 at 4:19 PM, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

I stuck a reebar about a foot down the soil and it was pure water. Perhaps ive been overwatering? I didn’t think it was possible. Im gonna take a week off watering. Let it dry out a little and then deep water. It’s definitely pushing a new spear so good news is it isn’t dead.

If it's sludgy in the ground then it might not be draining. In FL sand that's never a problem. I'm not sure what to suggest, other than backing off the water volume to a regular smaller amount? I'd guess a fungicide that's good on root rot would help. Maybe Aliette or a similar aluminum tris type? It's a surface and systemic and good for Pythium and Phytophthora.

What kind of soil is in the raised bed and under it? Did you amend the soil with organics or perlite? The area appears sloped and raised so it should drain away, but if its not penetrating deep it will just runoff. A bar that goes through mucky surface soil will come out with muck on it, the last soil it touches on the way out, even if the depth is dry. Drainage tests are highly recommended in heavy clay to determine if extensive site preparation is needed. Could be you have low drainage soil and the water is wetting the top 4-5 inches but leaving underneath dry, sloped ground can be tricky with low drainage clay soil. I would dig the garden area near the rootball, closest to the wall facing the street(downhill from the palm) and see if it really is wet at depth, say 15"). The crisping of the leaf tips doesnt look like overwatering to me. Yellowing without crinkled leaf tips would be more the expected overwatering issue. I am thinking its clay soil because its sloped int he general area. This would have to be heavily amended with perlite and some organics to ensure fast drainage. Half an hour is not going to penetrate deeply int he soil if it has a good amount of clay. I grew palms in clay desert for 10 years.

1) must determine soil drainage by digging a hole and adding water to the hole to 18" by at least a foot wide and seeing how long it takes to drain after filling it up.

2) drip irrigation is really a big advantage in drier climates in clay soil if you don't want to constantly be attending to your palm

3) Never water during daytime heat, evaporative losses are potentially massive in a dry climate

4) Small gravel is a loser in drier climates as it allows more evaporation, larger size 3/4" granite or other stone rock does much better at retaining moisture.

Yikes, this is a drought tolerant palm so you may need to look at other possibilities like gophers eating the roots. I’m in Rancho Cucamonga and I have both triple digit heat and low humidity. I water mine daily in summer and I let the hose run. But the amount of water I give overall is less than I give to my Roystonea or Archontophoenix. I had a 7 foot tall Bismarckia taken out by gophers. I’d keep giving it a robust amount of water to see if it is able to power through. Once happy and healthy they are always throwing 3 spears at a time and will regrow the crown within a year.

1 hour ago, James B said:

Yikes, this is a drought tolerant palm so you may need to look at other possibilities like gophers eating the roots. I’m in Rancho Cucamonga and I have both triple digit heat and low humidity. I water mine daily in summer and I let the hose run. But the amount of water I give overall is less than I give to my Roystonea or Archontophoenix. I had a 7 foot tall Bismarckia taken out by gophers. I’d keep giving it a robust amount of water to see if it is able to power through. Once happy and healthy they are always throwing 3 spears at a time and will regrow the crown within a year.

Bizmarkia= gopher candy! Ask me how I know . They are the roots to mine right to the trunk. Harry

no palm without established roots is drought resistant compared with an established one. Alfredii is drought tolerant once it establishes deep roots. Planted in march 2026 this one has another 2 years to get those roots established.