Hi everyone,

I have an Archontophoenix alexandrae in a pot that currently has two emerging spears, and I'm looking for some advice/insights on what might be happening.

The situation: The older spear (on the left) emerged first, but instead of opening, it remained unopened and bound. Part of it snapped, but the palm continued growing and pushing a new spear (on the right) right next to it.

The question: Why did the first spear get stuck and fail to open while the palm pushed a second one past it? Is this normal?

Thanks in advance for your help!

This is fairly common with some species of palms . I have had them have 3 spears at a time . My mature Alexandrae typically has two before the oldest one opens. It should open soon by the look of it. A very healthy looking palm , soon it’s going to need a bigger pot. The slight spotting or yellow patches is just nutrients that could be added . A good , organic palm specific fertilizer would help that , but only on subsequent growth. Harry

I have had this happen occasionally before on a number of different palms. More often than not, it works its way out of it. But generally it seems to be a condition that is root related, possibly sometimes not taking up enough water. At least that’s been my experience. Had a triangle palm many years ago that was in the ground and was rotting out at the base, hence the reason the the leaves weren’t opening. So I always look at the base and roots first with this condition. I actually have a Pritchardia doing the same thing right now, which has had me a bit concerned. But I noticed over the weekend that a couple of the leaves began to unfurl and it was beginning to throw a flower spathe. This was actually a fairly large transplant from two or three years ago and still hasn’t come up to speed yet, so again, I think it gets back to the root issue.

1 hour ago, Harry’s Palms said:

This is fairly common with some species of palms . I have had them have 3 spears at a time . My mature Alexandrae typically has two before the oldest one opens. It should open soon by the look of it. A very healthy looking palm , soon it’s going to need a bigger pot. The slight spotting or yellow patches is just nutrients that could be added . A good , organic palm specific fertilizer would help that , but only on subsequent growth. Harry

I see; I didn't know that about palm trees—that they could put out more than one spear at a time. That’s interesting.

I’ll be keeping an eye on how these spears unfurl.

The palm looks happy in that pot; unfortunately, I won't be able to repot it or plant it in the ground because my patio is very small, and it might become a nuisance to the neighbors later on.

Right now, I’m using a liquid fertilizer I bought on Amazon called POFLO. I’m not sure if you could recommend a good fertilizer available here in Europe.

Thanks, Harry.

I am not familiar with what is available there. I use an EB Stone product for Palms and it has an odor but works well for “ greening up” . I would only recommend it for outdoor use . It isn’t strong and outside I don’t notice it but indoors it would be noticeable. Harry

I have over fifty mature or maturing Archontophonix of various variety and they ALL have two spears at a time before one opens.

5 hours ago, quaman58 said:

I have had this happen occasionally before on a number of different palms. More often than not, it works its way out of it. But generally it seems to be a condition that is root related, possibly sometimes not taking up enough water. At least that’s been my experience. Had a triangle palm many years ago that was in the ground and was rotting out at the base, hence the reason the the leaves weren’t opening. So I always look at the base and roots first with this condition. I actually have a Pritchardia doing the same thing right now, which has had me a bit concerned. But I noticed over the weekend that a couple of the leaves began to unfurl and it was beginning to throw a flower spathe. This was actually a fairly large transplant from two or three years ago and still hasn’t come up to speed yet, so again, I think it gets back to the root issue.

Yes, I think the roots aren't in the best shape because the plant is restricted by the pot—it's outgrowing it. Plus, I was away for 15 days and it was only being watered by two drippers; the roots probably didn't get thoroughly soaked during that time, which certainly wouldn't have helped.

Even so, it’s reassuring to know that this is common with these palms.

Thanks for your input.

52 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

I have over fifty mature or maturing Archontophonix of various variety and they ALL have two spears at a time before one opens.

Wow, so I gather that’s a common occurrence, then.

It’s true that just before the leaf opens, part of the spear separates to form another one; the only thing that surprised me was the size that second spear is reaching.

Given your experience and the number of specimens you have, I’d love to hear your opinion on my Alexandrae in that pot—does it look healthy to you? What problems might arise down the line if I don’t repot it?