Dypsis ambositrae yellow foliage

[Tracy]

I have been growing a couple of Dypsis ambositrae in the ground and despite having similar sun exposure, soil and nutrition, they often seem yellow compared to palms around them.  Below is one of the Dypsis ambositrae pictured, with a Dypsis leptocheilos behind it.  Ignore the older burned leaf retained on the teddy bear, and you can see the base of the leaves are much greener than the D. ambositrae.  My Dypsis heteromorpha in the same soil on the other side of the walkway, and same light is also much greener as shown.  There is also a Dypsis cabadae nearby, which is always greener.  I feed with Apex Palm Plus 13-5-8 once a quarter, use the same drip irrigation supplemented with hand watering on all.  I used a light dose of blood meal to try to green the D ambositrae with little effect, and also applied the blood meal selectively to the drip zone of a couple of other palms (my smaller D prestoniana, Kentiopsis oliviformis), which also showed little effect from the blood meal.  I'm reluctant to use any more blood meal, as I have skunks & possibly raccoons which come into the yard at night and dig up the blood meal, which I put in holes under drip emitters and covered with soil.  Those things can make a mess of one's yard.  Any experience with this species and what I may be doing incorrect and can adjust?

[Monòver]

I don't have experience with this Dypsis but for me looks a deficiency of minors, may be iron or manganese.

Feed it with chelated minors will help.

Organic feed helps but if your soil and water has high PH, you need chelated fertilicer.

[Tyrone]

What's your soil pH?

[Tracy]

1 hour ago, Tyrone said:

What's your soil pH?

I haven't ever checked had the pH checked.  Lacking pH information, the question remains: Is D ambositrae known for requiring any different micro's or anything special when compared to the other Dypsis that I have mentioned.  I don't see this with any other Dypsis species I grow, despite the soil being the same loamy sand throughout my garden. 

[MattyB]

Hi Tracy.  This is very odd since the D. heteromorpha would be comparable in its requirements in my experience.  Sounds like you're doing everything right but this little guy just isn't picking up the nutrients.  It has that sunburned look but I know this palm like full blazing sun, even from a young age, and it's obviously been in that position for a while because it's not stretched out.  So it's that sunburn from lack of green leaves thing that sometimes happens.  I use ironite on stubborn yellow palms like this.  It usually doesn't green up the existing leaves but only starts to show results as the new leaves come out, so it's a slow process.  In the end, I think it just needs to mature a little bit and at some point it'll kick into gear.

[Hilo Jason]

Hey Tracy, from my experience, Dypsis Ambositrae can really vary with how fast (or slow) they grow and how good they can look.  At one point I had 9 of them growing in my Fallbrook garden.  Some loved full sun, others didn't.  Some grew pretty fast and others sat for years!  I can't tell you why, so not sure I can help with yours.  I would say stick with it and keep doing what you're doing.  But in the meantime plant one (or more) somewhere else in the garden!  

[Tyrone]

Tracy, looking at your picture it's not far from a brick wall. When the house was built if the cement mixer for making the mortar was on that spot, then its likely that little spot is full of lime and may have a pH in the 9s if that's the case. From my experience doing landscaping, builders couldn't care less where they dumped there excess lime rubble. Just a thought.

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Tracy, looking at your picture it's not far from a brick wall. When the house was built if the cement mixer for making the mortar was on that spot, then its likely that little spot is full of lime and may have a pH in the 9s if that's the case. From my experience doing landscaping, builders couldn't care less where they dumped there excess lime rubble. Just a thought.

Good thought but the bbq was added as part of my landscaping after the remodel, so I got to see where the mixer was located and had a spot for all the excess washout material.  After excavating some soil for other projects, I had net export, so got rid of the soil from the area of the washout, which was several yards away.  If residual from the washouts would have been a problem I know where that was and it isn't showing on the plants there. 

I know what you are referencing, because prior to doing the hardscape, when we did the remodel/addition, the painters and inside tile worker had a favorite place to washout tools.  It was in the bark around my Hedycepe canterburyana. The poor Hedycepe pushes smaller leaves now than when I planted it about 5-6 years ago.  Even a small Encephalartos arenarius planted about the same time, looks large compared to the Hedycepe.  This may be it's last year before I excavate it, along with some of the soil around it and plant something new with new soil.

[joe_OC]

Tracy,

 

What did you end up doing with this his palm?  I have this happening with an onilahensis.

 

Joe

[Tracy]

2 hours ago, joe_OC said:

What did you end up doing with this his palm?  I have this happening with an onilahensis.

 

Joe

I had some sul-po-mag which I used to supplement the fertilizer I have been using (Best PalmPlus product) and have been patient as Jason, Matty and others suggested.  It's somewhat improved, but still not as green as the one in my front garden.  It still is yellow compared to the Dypsis heteromorpha which is just across the paver walkway from it as you can see and both are planted in front of large block and brick structures which potentially could be leaching some line out of the concrete.  I wish I could say I figured it out, but I haven't (both photos of the D ambositrae and D heteromorpha are from the last couple of weeks).  You may want to post a photo of yours and provide some additional information on its placement in the garden, fertilizer used, etc.; perhaps someone else may have some good recommendations.  Good luck Joe!

[Matt in OC]

Have you tried chelated Iron?