Canary Island Date Palm - Help (droopy fronds)

[GoneBlue]

I had two Canary Island Date Palms planted exactly a month and a week ago. The fronds were let loose two weeks ago. One palm seems to look ok and the other has very droopy fronds. Can someone tell me if I should be doing something to help this palm straighten out? Fertilizer, tie up, etc.? I've attached pictures of both, you can clearly tell which I'm talking about. Also any recommendations as far as care for both of these palms. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

FYI - I live in Miami, FL.

Thank you,

[Phoenikakias]

I can't see any remining growing point or in other words crown appex looks missing in the posted pictures. In the worst case this would mean that meristem is dead and so the whole palm, since it can not produce anymore new fronds to replace the (eventually dyiing ones). But this is only a possibility. You have to look carefully in to the crown center and search either for a new, stunted growth or a gap!

[Alicehunter2000]

Hmmm....gonna leave this one to the experts. Was this a potted/grow bag palm or recently dug and transplanted?

Whatever you do....don't water into the crown. Give people several days to respond....you will get an answer.

[Ben in Norcal]

Not able to help much, but these look like hybrids to me. Maybe it's the subtropical growing conditions, but those are pretty skinny trunks for CIDP. I might guess these guys have some sylvestris in them or something. But I'm no expert!

[GoneBlue]

it was in a 200 gallon pot. It actually has some new fonds coming out of the crown, about 6 new fonds to be exact... i think she's getting better, but not sured. Kind of worried.

[GoneBlue]

I'm going to take some more detailed pictures tomorrow.

[PalmatierMeg]

I've heard most date palms in FL are hybrids as they mix freely. That could be a good thing for you. Pure Canary dates are desert palms that struggle in our humidity-drenched climate but are ideal in Cali. Cape Coral tried planting Canaries in highway medians. About half died and the rest look lousy. Waste of taxpayer money.

[Alicehunter2000]

Much better that they came from pots. Canary's don't always transplant well after roots have been cut. Hope they make it.

[The7thLegend]

GoneBlue has it rained much where you are? Or maybe the tied fronds were holding water? That could weaken them. If you have new growth coming out that's a good sign.

[Pez]

All of Canary Island's in my area (east central Florida) seem to be dying. Just a guess, but I'd say 75% (at least in my immediate neighborhood) of them have croaked in the last few years. I know the red palm weevil is killing many of them in Europe and other areas, but I'm not sure if that is the issue here?

Has anyone else in Florida noticed this?

[richtrav]

Texas Phoenix Palm Decline is killing a lot of date palms in Central Florida, it looked like a number in Lake Wales were dying when I was there in May, presumably from this. It is was initially confined to the Bradenton area but seems to be spreading through Central Florida as quickly as it did in South Texas a few decades ago. If it's now occurring in Melbourne that's not good.

There is also a strain of Fusarium that kills date palms in Florida so that's another possibility but when large numbers of casualties are reported you have to be highly suspicious of TPPD. P. canariensis just seems to be a generally susceptible species to disease, I've seen them dying off from Guadalajara to Rome.

As far as that palm in the original post, it doesn't look good at all.

[Danilopez89]

That sounds scary. I hope something like that doesn't happen here and wipe out all our date palms.

So sorry about your palms, I hope they bounce back and its nothing too serious. I remember when I planted my cidp's, they where one of my first palm trees and I feared that they wouldn't make it, not knowing how tough they really were.

[GoneBlue]

Well the nursery i bought it from has been very responsive and says they think it will make it. Say it took more of a traumatic transplant than the other. If it doesn't straighten out they will replace without question.

On the bright side she does seem to be coming around, has roughly 7 new fronds coming out, view attached pictures.

Do you guys think it'll make it?

[Sandy Loam]

Texas Phoenix Palm Decline is killing a lot of date palms in Central Florida, it looked like a number in Lake Wales were dying when I was there in May, presumably from this. It is was initially confined to the Bradenton area but seems to be spreading through Central Florida as quickly as it did in South Texas a few decades ago. If it's now occurring in Melbourne that's not good.

There is also a strain of Fusarium that kills date palms in Florida so that's another possibility but when large numbers of casualties are reported you have to be highly suspicious of TPPD. P. canariensis just seems to be a generally susceptible species to disease, I've seen them dying off from Guadalajara to Rome.

As far as that palm in the original post, it doesn't look good at all.

I have lots of CIDP, so I am worried. Does anyone know if there is a preventive measure that can be taken early to avoid either Texas Phoenix Palm Decline (TPPD) or the Fusarium Wilt mentioned in this post? If I use a 12-month release systemic pesticide, that won't help unless we're talking about a "pest" per se, correct? Anything else I can use?

By the way, I have noticed a couple of nearby CIDP that stood without any top fronds until recently, like the ones in the photos above. About a month ago, these two trees started to grow fronds on top, but for about five months they looked very strange. They were not recently planted. In fact, those two trees had been there for years and have at least eight feet of clear trunk. Scarily, they are only about ten houses down the street from my own CIDP.

[John Case]

I see deep green, no yellowing or browning, nor any leaf dessication and erect new shoots. This looks to me to be transplant shock. I agree with the grower, they should be fine.

Just another opinion.

JC