What does this to Pinanga coronatas?

[sashaeffer]

Like most love this palm for the beauty of it, but although I keep reading/hearing how easy they are to grow it's a palm that starts to die almost immediately after I get one.  bought a larger bare root one and and two smaller ones(most recently) also bought a potted one from a vendor in California that I brought back with me thinking since it was in it's own soil it grew up in it would be happy, yet all of them have the leaves turn brown from the furthest edges first and works it way back until the leaves are dry. Happens to all of them until palm dies.   These two in the picture reside in the master bath where the room is bright, but no direct sun and higher humidity. Soil is kept damp(collected rain water)  I've had two Pinanga Philippinensis that do the exact same thing. No matter if I buy them from Florida or Sourthern California they set back and die the same way.   BTW, In the master bath I have a Joey palm, Potato chip palm, both doing nicely in that same environment and they are noted for being a lot more touchy of a palm to grow.   I would try each of the Pinanga's again if I could fix what I'm doing wrong. I don't over water, but could the soil be too damp? I read where they like moisture.

 

 

[sashaeffer]

Another pic of the pair.

[DoomsDave]

Looks like spider mite.

Take a piece of white paper and tap the leaf and see if little specks fall on it. If so, you may have spider mites.

Not sure about the treatment, since kelthane got banned.

[Chris Chance]

It looks like spider mites. I think it's best to get some spray with neem oil in it. Coat the leaves with it then I do believe it's best to rinse them off once in a while. Another thing I know would get rid of them in the whole house is get some fogger and set them off when no one is home for the day and every bug in the house will die but it won't hurt plants.

[sashaeffer]

I've checked that close and using the magnifier app on my phone to inspect and don't see any.

 

I went ahead and sprayed both with insecticide. When I've had mite damage in the past, it was uniform throughout one frond at a time and there was a presence of webs. None on these two, but like I said it's easy to spray them when this small.

Edited October 14, 2015 by sashaeffer
update

[Pal Meir]

Your photos remind me of similar sad experiences I had a couple of years ago with Lytocaryum insigne seedlings. I treated them similar like Lytocaryum weddellianum and planted them in humus rich soil etc. (as recommended by RPS). But after one year the leaves began wilting (pic #1, showing an 1⅓ year old seedling). And finally the plant died, only 1½ year young.

Last year I got new seeds of the same species. This time I had studied before the natural environment which this palm species is growing in. And I concluded that I had to change the soil mix and way of watering totally: I composed a mineral rich mix with best drainage which allows daily watering without getting soggy (pic #2; cf. https://www.flickr.com/photos/palmeir/15804966142). And because the pam’s habitat is on steep slopes I concluded also that it doesn’t like wet feet. The result is that all my 10 seedlings are thriving very healthily (pic #3 and #4 show an 1 year old seedling, at present 1½ year old and much larger).

[sashaeffer]

Makes sense, as it gives me indication of something in the water doing it, or too wet. I didn't ask grower of the one I bought in the pot how much he watered it, just kept it damp. It might have been too much water for it.  I wish palms were like flowers and simply wilt a little when they need watering instead of turning brown lol, to which they can't recover.

[Pal Meir]

With this soil mix you can’t overwater the palms even if you give them a daily shower. And these palms are growing in habitats with daily showers (like your Pinanga). Here a pic of all 10 very healthy seedlings at an age of 1½ year, taken 2015-08-31:

[DoomsDave]

I've found P. coronata to be very easy to grow in spite of the fact that my climate is far from tropical. They're definitely tropical, but also tough enough to stand non-tropical places well. Certainly, I would think a good candidate to grow indoors.

 

Pal's suggestion to review the soil requirements can't hurt; maybe it is an issue and I just happen to have the soil they like.

[Pal Meir]

The problems with pot planting and ground planting are quite different. And also the climate (indoors vs outdoors, California vs Germany, etc.) where the palms are growing plays a role …

[Josh-O]

Makes sense, as it gives me indication of something in the water doing it, or too wet. I didn't ask grower of the one I bought in the pot how much he watered it, just kept it damp. It might have been too much water for it.  I wish palms were like flowers and simply wilt a little when they need watering instead of turning brown lol, to which they can't recover.

Some time fungus can do this.  I usually apply a contact fungicide when this starts to happen. once it starts to spreads it goes very fast. I usualy cut off the damaged part so it stops spreading or the entire leaf.

[Josh-O]

Makes sense, as it gives me indication of something in the water doing it, or too wet. I didn't ask grower of the one I bought in the pot how much he watered it, just kept it damp. It might have been too much water for it.  I wish palms were like flowers and simply wilt a little when they need watering instead of turning brown lol, to which they can't recover.

Some time fungus can do this.  I usually apply a contact fungicide when this starts to happen. once it starts to spreads it goes very fast. I usualy cut off the damaged part so it stops spreading or the entire leaf.

Also, high humidity with out ciruclation can also cause this problem

[SHEP]

So, what are the three ingredients that are in your photo?  It looks like bark, scoria (red lava rock), and something orange.  What is your recipe?  Also, at what age or stage,when do you transplant your LI seedlings to this potting mix?  I believe Joe (Discovery Island) uses alot of DG, and I usually transplant my plants.  I am not saying it is a bad thing, but sometimes my plants from him haven't been happy, so sometimes if they act up, I transplant to a different potting mixture

Bottom line, palms always seem to love excellent drainage, but that is what I have learned from all you guys.

[akamu]

I would also add they can handle part day sun here and have seen temps around 100 degees with  water 2-3 times a week on drip {inground}  so maybe a little more light?

[sashaeffer]

Want to thank everybody for their replies. I think with the one small good one I have left I will change up the soil. I do have some stuff I bought from a hydroponics store specifically for drainage, and I have some black lava mini stones I can mix it with which should allow for good drainage.

 

Still, the one I bought in California in it's pot (5 gallon) was in it's own soil and did the same thing but maybe it was getting more water with me than it was with grower I bought it from.

[sashaeffer]

Repotted the one small one I have left into "soil" I bought from the hydroponics store and noticed on the bag it simply said "orchid mix) although it's a lot more "fine" than box store bagged kind. After repotting I watered and the water basically ran through it. Time will tell.

 

 

[Pal Meir]

So, what are the three ingredients that are in your photo?  It looks like bark, scoria (red lava rock), and something orange.  What is your recipe?  Also, at what age or stage,when do you transplant your LI seedlings to this potting mix?  I believe Joe (Discovery Island) uses alot of DG, and I usually transplant my plants.  I am not saying it is a bad thing, but sometimes my plants from him haven't been happy, so sometimes if they act up, I transplant to a different potting mixture

Bottom line, palms always seem to love excellent drainage, but that is what I have learned from all you guys.

The 3 ingredients in my photo: Plastic container 8×8×9 cm with ½ Seramis® (60g) + ½ "French pine bark 2∼8 mm" (30g); and as substrate on the bottom c. 1½ cm LECA "Blähton 8∼16 mm" (20g) for better drainage. This is a special mix for tropical palms, especially those which grow on steep rocky slopes. – I planted the Lyto insigne seedlings when the cotyledonary sheath had developed and the radicle had come out (pic #1 and #2).

A similar mix with ⅔ pine bark and ⅓ Seramis (burnt clay) helped also to regenerate a Licuala grandis which also showed similar symptoms as the Pinanga discussed here: pic #3 August 2002 and one year later #4 August 2003.

[Stethoscope]

@sashaeffer how is your pinanga doing in the new better draining soil? 

[sashaeffer]

It died pretty quickly still. Pretty sure I won't try another. I love the species and only one I have that so far has been easy to grow is the Thai Mottled species. Fast grower and beautiful.