Problem: Palm Bend?? Help! Anyone know what it is or what causes it?

[gcf]

I have seen quite a few palms, seem to be mostly kentia and archontophoenix with this palm bend of the crownshaft.. Is anyone familiar with it, it seems pretty prevelant. I am wondering what causes it and if there is a prevention/ cure .. or any pertinent info. It doesn't seem to kill the palm, as I have seen some that have been that way for at least a couple to a few years.. They just seem to stay drooped over like that....

p.s... you can see the kentias in the back are normal, the one in the front, not..

Edited April 7, 2011 by gcf

[realarch]

Sounds like a lack of Boron, which is not uncommon. This trace element can be purchased at most fertilizer outlets.

[MattyB]

Hi gcf, welcome! Thanks for sharing the pics of your bending Kentia. I've heard this refered to as Leaning Crown Syndrome or LCS. Like Tim mentioned, some have speculated that it's a boron deficiency. But how can only one palm in the grouping have it then? I don't know man, palms are funny. Maybe someone can offer their experience in how to correct or prevent this.

-Matt

[Tyrone]

I've got a Kentia with LCS too. Tried cutting off the bent bits and even tried roping up the new growth. Nothing has worked so far. Spoke to Don Hodel about it and he doesn't even know. My thoughts are it is caused by a transient Boron deficiency (most Boron deficiencies do come and go) which puts the wheel alignment out and it never recovers. Once the growing bud starts to bend all the new growth will be bent even if it gets sufficient Boron. Eventually they aim back at the ground and die. That's my theory anyway. In the meantime you have many years of a messy looking Kentia on death row. Sometimes I've heard they recover if not too far gone. Mine is not as bad as in the pictures. This is a frustrating problem.

Best regards

Tyrone

[LJG]

The other odd thing is this only happens on older, taller Kentias (as far as I have seen). You would figure Boron deficiencies would effect smaller palms too.

I have seen many palms recovery after treament with Borax and the cutting off of the leaning leaves and new spears.

[Got Palms]

Matt, GFC

had 2 30 foot kentias about four feet apart in my neijghborhood 2 years ago start having that problem first one then about 5 mo later the other they were both gone in about a year it was some kind of disease that affected the crown shaft dispute a lot of effort to save them sorry 2 see you r having the same problem does not look good!

[CardiffPalmNut]

Gfc - as Matt said welcome to Palmtalk. I have had three Kentias with LCS over the last seven years, all have recovered and are back to growing normally - more or less. First thing I did was remove all of the fronds on the "leaning side", then I applied " positive pressure " (via ropes and posts) for about 18 months additionally I increased the amount of "minors" in my fertilization. So far they are doing fine the first one has benign growing "straight" now for about four years. Good luck!

Aloha Bill

[Kumar]

A Bend Too Far

[ryjohn]

I have a single-trunk chamaerops humilis that is doing the same thing in the span of the last eight months. It is very severe and started last summer. I fertilized last year a couple times with Osmocote Pro, so I wouldn't think minors should be an issue. The planting location is dry and the soil is poor and low in organic matter.

Edited April 8, 2011 by ryjohn

[gcf]

Thanks for the info everyone.. definaitely an unfortunate semi-mystery... It is really too bad LJG, like you said seems to only happen on larger kentias, although I have seen it quite a bit on kings as well, also older.. haven't seen it on queens though, which I would prefer if I had to choose amongst the three In this particular yard there are kentia, king and queens, seen it on three kentias, one king and no queens wish it would happen on the smaller ones instead as they are more easily replaceable, Also matty I thought the same thing as you said about if it was a deficiency that it would affect not just one tree in a clump of two or three, but would affect all of them and I have never seen that, it always seems to be just one. Thanks for the tip palmnut, I might have to try your technique and see how it works as its really hard to bring myself to cut down a 18-20 ft + kentia

[BS Man about Palms]

One of the articles I read some time ago on this (RE: boron defiency) pointed out that it occurs naturally in decaying material, BUT heavy rains or watering can wash it away, or further into the soil? Anyway, if one of a group sees more water than the others, or is "upstream" of a washout, versus the bottom.

Anyway, Still not solved completely, but I agree with some said earlier, and I started a thread on this subject a while back that some of you remember. I think something "starts" it, and if not caught in time, can lead to the problem being "unfixable".

[BS Man about Palms]

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=16725&st=40

Check this thread..