Please help to save my Mexican Fan Palm

[Lidadosser]

Hello everyone,

Please advise something on how to save my Mexican Palm tree.
I do not know exactly what happened, but think that after fertilizing with Liquid
all-purpose Miracle Gro my 4 years old palm became pale green color and all bottom
and middle leaves are turning yellow. Also all leaves drooped down I think
it's a fertilizer issue, but not sure since I fertilized my other 3 smaller
size palms and those look ok. Please advise on how to recover my tree. I feel
so awful cause of that. I love my tree so much. I firtilized it 5 days ago.

Thank you so much,

Lida.

Here is the picture when it loked healthy (made 3 weeks ago)

Picture taken yesterday (see how the leaves drooped down!)...

Today it's even worse. Lots of the bottom leaves turned yellow.

[Xhoniwaters1]

Lida,

You may have over fertilized your palm. Rather using straight liquid fertilizer, I would use the slow-release kind that doesn't overload the roots all at once. It looked like your palm was healthy before you put in your fert so maybe that is why it is looking droopy. I would give it water daily and see if it perks back up within a few weeks. Since it is a Washingtonia it will regrow new fronds fast in the summer heat anyway. If the new fronds are still being pushed out then you should be ok and your palm will return to normal. Hope this helps.

[BS Man about Palms]

Yes, they are very hardy palms, especially when there is heat involved. I would give more water (oops on the underline) to flush out the extra fert.. but you can also mark the emerging spear with a horizontal reference line with a marker etc. to see if it is is still pushing up.

As long as its pushing, it will usually recover.

Good luck and remember, less is more.

[Hammer]

Welcome to the forum Lida! Hope you stick around. This site is such a great resource. The advice you got above is good advice. Keep us posted on the progress of your palm!

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Hello

Give the palm copious amounts of water to flush out any extra fertilizer .

These palms are bullet proof and in the hot Texas summers should thrive .

Cheers Troy

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

Funny, these this are such weeds around here, I've seen a field worker dump a gallon of diesel fuel and toss a match,

While scorched , the thing didn't miss a beat

[KennyRE317]

  On 7/13/2013 at 1:00 AM, Jeff in Modesto said:

Funny, these this are such weeds around here, I've seen a field worker dump a gallon of diesel fuel and toss a match,

While scorched , the thing didn't miss a beat

I have one that has overgrown a pot and hasn't seen water in a very long time, think months, and is as bulletproof as they come out here

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

This proves that washies thrive on neglect. These things are as tough as Jeff mentioned. You can't kill it even with fertilizer burn. Its a weed here. Flush out with water as everyone else suggested and then leave it alone. It should come back. Too much care is not good for washies.

If you really want to baby it, Dump the miracle grow and get slow release vigoro palm granules at Home Depot.

[KennyRE317]

I saw a washie growing in a small crack under a stop sign that doesn't get water unless it rains, which isn't too often out here, since it was in the sidewalk. The palm was about 2' tall and it was a sight watching this guy growing out of nowhere

[Dypsisdean]

Gopher???

[Phoenikakias]

  On 7/12/2013 at 5:10 AM, Lidadosser said:

Hello everyone,

Please advise something on how to save my Mexican Palm tree.

I do not know exactly what happened, but think that after fertilizing with Liquid

all-purpose Miracle Gro my 4 years old palm became pale green color and all bottom

and middle leaves are turning yellow. Also all leaves drooped down I think

it's a fertilizer issue, but not sure since I fertilized my other 3 smaller

size palms and those look ok. Please advise on how to recover my tree. I feel

so awful cause of that. I love my tree so much. I firtilized it 5 days ago.

Thank you so much,

Lida.

Here is the picture when it loked healthy (made 3 weeks ago)

palm.jpg

Picture taken yesterday (see how the leaves drooped down!)...

palm1.jpg

Today it's even worse. Lots of the bottom leaves turned yellow.

I lost last year a chunky Brahea, a Pritchardia and a Trachycarpus oreophilus just this way! I do not know whether Washy has 7 lives, but any palm with a single one would be a goner. It is much easier to get rid of excessive fertilizer in a pot that in ground with clay based soil. In every case imo don't even think to disturb roots (eg through change of superficial soil). I am not sure also whether watering near the plant helps in any aspect or makes thing worse by pushing lethal dosages to deeper lying root system. Maybe I am entirely wrong and I would be grateful to everyone who will correct me, but based on my bitter experience I would choose a revolutionary and heretic relief method, that is I would dig a bowl beyond the application area and water only there! BTW Lida do you have dogs?

Edited July 13, 2013 by Phoenikakias

[Jim in Los Altos]

Lida, As you can see, the general concensus here is that Washintonia robusta is tough as nails and everyone here is correct. I've seen these things being sprayed routinely with weed killer along roadsides here where they've popped up and they wither away and then come right back with a vengeance. I have two big dogs too and they "fertilize" my palms and the palms seem to love it so don't worry if you have pets.

I would deep water your Washy three times a week until it's likely that the overabundance of fertilizer is washed down below its root zone. Thereafter, you won't likely really need to feed it. They rarely develop deficiencies.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

  On 7/13/2013 at 6:59 AM, Phoenikakias said:

  On 7/12/2013 at 5:10 AM, Lidadosser said:

Hello everyone,

Please advise something on how to save my Mexican Palm tree.

I do not know exactly what happened, but think that after fertilizing with Liquid

all-purpose Miracle Gro my 4 years old palm became pale green color and all bottom

and middle leaves are turning yellow. Also all leaves drooped down I think

it's a fertilizer issue, but not sure since I fertilized my other 3 smaller

size palms and those look ok. Please advise on how to recover my tree. I feel

so awful cause of that. I love my tree so much. I firtilized it 5 days ago.

Thank you so much,

Lida.

Here is the picture when it loked healthy (made 3 weeks ago)

palm.jpg

Picture taken yesterday (see how the leaves drooped down!)...

palm1.jpg

Today it's even worse. Lots of the bottom leaves turned yellow.

I lost last year a chunky Brahea, a Pritchardia and a Trachycarpus oreophilus just this way! I do not know whether Washy has 7 lives, but any palm with a single one would be a goner. It is much easier to get rid of excessive fertilizer in a pot that in ground with clay based soil. In every case imo don't even think to disturb roots (eg through change of superficial soil). I am not sure also whether watering near the plant helps in any aspect or makes thing worse by pushing lethal dosages to deeper lying root system. Maybe I am entirely wrong and I would be grateful to everyone who will correct me, but based on my bitter experience I would choose a revolutionary and heretic relief method, that is I would dig a bowl beyond the application area and water only there! BTW Lida do you have dogs?

I would think the 1950's environmental policy approach of "the solution to pollution is dilution" would work in Clay as well. The wider the reach of the water, the quicker the fertilizer is diluted enough to do no more harm.

[MattyB]

Looks like W. filifera. Not sure if it makes a difference. Are you in a humid area? Maybe it doesn't like that. Just spitballin'

[Lidadosser]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your replies. Yes, I have a husky dog, but he does not bother it a lot. I will definitely water it more. Yes it's pretty humid since I have a pool, but normally Dallas weather very hot and dry.Today almost all leaves on my palm turned yellow (all but 2 in the middle). I cut all yellow leaves. I hope it will come back since I had some problems with another one in the winter due to freeze (which is not very common in Texas) it lost all leaves. It came back.

My other concern is the soil in Texas. My particular area has a white rock everywhere!! I can't dig 10" without hitting the white rock and clay!!! It drives me crazy. I bought that tree when it was pretty big, it took me a while to dig 2 feet deep hole to plant it. Maybe roots do not have enough room to spread due to white rock? I do not know what to think. I lost another large palm tree 2 years ago, it turned yellow and the middle of the tree got rotten.

Thank you.

[MattyB]

Sounds like poor drainage is leading to stagnant water and rotting roots. You might want to stop watering it. In the future do a mound planting to help the plant sit up above that pit of wetness.

[Lidadosser]

Ok. I did not water it a lot thought. It' so hot here all the time it probably should not be a case. But I do not know ... Thanks.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

  On 7/14/2013 at 3:32 AM, Lidadosser said:

Ok. I did not water it a lot thought. It' so hot here all the time it probably should not be a case. But I do not know ... Thanks.

How long ago did you plant this Washie? If it's in the last 6 months, I would just dig it up and pot it up to rince the rootball real well and bring it back to health.

Washingtonia isn't the greatest choice for the Dallas area, you should look for livistona instead, they're much less likely to rot on you, and also less likely to freeze on you in the Winter.

[Lidadosser]

It's 4 years old. Its to big to dig it out probably. I mentioned that my previous palm got rotten, but I am not sure about this one. I fertilized it like I mentioned earlier and it caused my palm to loose all leaves. I just mentioned about clay and white rock in the soil so maybe it's not the fertilized. Thank you. I will research about livistona. Yes, the one I have grow great in Houston area ...

[Phoenikakias]

I am afraid, that you have fertilized your palm twice! So long you keep a dog i think it is advisable to use a 6 months slow releaser and in half the quantity you would use without the dog.

[Lidadosser]

Thank you.

[Phoenikakias]

You are welcome Lida! Apparently we are facing the same lovely problem

[Kris]

  On 7/14/2013 at 3:10 AM, MattyB said:

Sounds like poor drainage is leading to stagnant water and rotting roots. You might want to stop watering it. In the future do a mound planting to help the plant sit up above that pit of wetness.

matty I think you are right.I did lose few w.filiferas due to claye soil and wet tropical climate..

but rised plantings did help.