How to protect your Coconut palm

[Patrick Palms]

I am on my 2nd Coconut palm tree. 2nd one, 2 metre high.  after 1 week of constant winds,  leafs are turning brown.  Chap here said, wont die, just the leafs.  I have now tried to protect it. 

[Palmsbro]

20 minutes ago, Patrick Palms said:

I am on my 2nd Coconut palm tree. 2nd one, 2 metre high.  after 1 week of constant winds,  leafs are turning brown.  Chap here said, wont die, just the leafs.  I have now tried to protect it. 

  Winds alone shouldn't damage a coconut palm (though if your winds are cold or extremely dry, those could be the reasons). Can you block the winds in any way though?

  Have you ruled out all sensible non-wind-related things that could be issues for your palm?

[PalmatierMeg]

Photos? Coconuts need sun and high heat, i.e., days above 25-30C and nights above 10C. I've been to the UK in June/July. Days not even close to 30C and clouds every day. What are the temps in mid-April? Unless you can provide greenhouse/conservatory conditions, coconuts stand no chance in your climate.

[kinzyjr]

I agree with @PalmatierMeg.  Without some serious intervention, coconuts in a marine west coast climate with cool summers will die off due to lack of heat.  To have a shot, you are probably looking at the greenhouse/conservatory that was already mentioned, plus heat mats to raise the soil temperatures.

[GottmitAlex]

2 meters tall?  Nice. Any pictures?

[GottmitAlex]

I've read there is place ion the southwest side of England where it is a 10a? Not sure.

Here were at 18c but i have one red Tahiti dwarf coco situated in front of my south facing wall.

The coco's Temps are 35c. And the wall is 42c.

That is one way to make it happen.

 

[Patrick Palms]

Still a baby, but with leafs out stretched about 5 to 6 feet.. but although never cold in Fuerteventura, Canary islands. Had a week of constant strong winds and now leafs a light brown

[kinzyjr]

6 minutes ago, Patrick Palms said:

Still a baby, but with leafs out stretched about 5 to 6 feet.. but although never cold in Fuerteventura, Canary islands. Had a week of constant strong winds and now leafs a light brown

Truthfully, It looks pretty healthy to me.  I guess you could put some stakes around it and run some cloth around the stakes to break the wind.

[GottmitAlex]

What soil is in planted in?

[Patrick Palms]

After just one week. Temp in Canary , rarely below 16c at night time. Days always in 20s C.  But had one week of constant wind.  Left coconut with brown leafs.  I have since surrounded palm with green wind blocker.  Man from plant shop, who planted palm for me, said leafs will die but palm should be ok?  I did not know, that coconut palms, when young, are so fragile?  Its in full sun . 

[Patrick Palms]

After just one week. Temp in Canary , rarely below 16c at night time. Days always in 20s C.  But had one week of constant wind.  Left coconut with brown leafs.  I have since surrounded palm with green wind blocker.  Man from plant shop, who planted palm for me, said leafs will die but palm should be ok?  I did not know, that coconut palms, when young, are so fragile?  Its in full sun . 

[Patrick Palms]

[Patrick Palms]

Is green screen too small ? Or ok ?  Man dug very deep hole, made up quick draining soil,  fertilizer away from roots.. all proffessionlly done.  Gave it 8 galkens of water straight away. Said water once a week until a bit bigger and stronger. Then a windy week , never under 16c at night. Days always in 20s C.  But leafs brown. Winds were strong

[GottmitAlex]

Soil? Wet, humid? 

[Patrick Palms]

Quick draining soil.  Away from soil was goats dunn fertilezer.  Very good soil.. hole dug very deep.  Everything done correctly.  Can strong winds make leafs brown ?

[Patrick Palms]

[kinzyjr]

3 minutes ago, Patrick Palms said:

After just one week. Temp in Canary , rarely below 16c at night time. Days always in 20s C.  But had one week of constant wind.  Left coconut with brown leafs.  I have since surrounded palm with green wind blocker.  Man from plant shop, who planted palm for me, said leafs will die but palm should be ok?  I did not know, that coconut palms, when young, are so fragile?  Its in full sun .

After seeing the picture in this post, doesn't look quite so healthy.  Just a few observations from my past experience:

1) Low temperature doesn't appear to be a concern.  Highs are a little questionable if they are below 25C for an extended period of time.  Overall, I don't think temperature is your issue.

2) You mentioned that you had strong winds, but are now blocking them with the green barrier in the picture.  They can certainly get burned by strong, dry winds.  Good move!

3) You mentioned the palm was in full sun.  Normally, coconuts LOVE full sun.  However, if you get plants from a grower who was growing them in a shade house or in partial shade, and you put them out in full sun, they will get sunburned and potentially die.  I know... I killed two of them after driving to Miami to pick them up.  I put them on the south side of my white house and they fried inside of a week.  I would suggest sheltering the palm with shade cloth on top as well.

4) @GottmitAlex mentioned the soil.  Your soil might be holding too much water.  Watering once a week is probably just fine with temperatures below 80F (~27C).

5) Fertilizer - it's usually not a good idea to fertilize new plantings for anywhere from 6 months to 1 year.  I usually lean toward the 1 year mark, but others' opinions will vary.

I hope this helps you out and you are able to save it.

[Patrick Palms]

After i saw palm like this, i quickly wrapped green wind  protection around it.

[kinzyjr]

@Patrick Palms Others can feel free to disagree with me, but what I see in the picture most closely resembles what I saw from the ones I put out in full sun too soon (sunburned).

[GottmitAlex]

Yes it does look sunburned. If it is that, then it has a good chance. The new leaves will adjust.  Mine did the same last year after 2016 winter, once March arrived, most of the bifid leaved burned to a crisp. But here they are. I'm referring to the green pacific talls.  Seeing the detailed pics, it appears that is the reason. When it's root rot, the leaves shrivel, thin out, get waxy and die.

Here is a pic of when my palms had major sunburn. 

Edited April 18, 2018 by GottmitAlex

[GottmitAlex]

Here  is the same palm today

 

[Patrick Palms]

Yes . Maybe a mix of sun burn and strong winds..if a palm has sun burn, is it still ok, to water only once a week? Plant guy told me to water once a week , with about 8 Fallens of water??

[kinzyjr]

5 minutes ago, Patrick Palms said:

Yes . Maybe a mix of sun burn and strong winds..if a palm has sun burn, is it still ok, to water only once a week? Plant guy told me to water once a week , with about 8 Fallens of water??

In my opinion, yes.  I would opt for a light shade cloth over top of it until it pushes out a few spears as well.  Then acclimate it to more direct light by removing the cloth for a few hours per day.  Then gradually use the cloth less and less until it is OK with full sun.

If possible, when you water it, do it on the morning of the hottest day of the week.

[Patrick Palms]

Ok thankyou. Sounds like a good thing to try

[Patrick Palms]

Would this be ideal type of thing, to put on top of Coconut ?

[GottmitAlex]

Look for Walt's posts for the best advice for protecting palms in zone 9.  By the way, I do not know your hardiness zone?  What are your yearly lows?

 

Here's the link to good advice.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/50385-coconut-palms-in-zone-9b/&page=1

 

[kinzyjr]

19 minutes ago, Patrick Palms said:

Would this be ideal type of thing, to put on top of Coconut ?

I was thinking more an umbrella or canopy: https://www.hayneedle.com/product/coral-coast-9-ft-steel-market-patio-umbrella.cfm?source=pla&kwid=PatioUmbrellas%20iprefer&tid=NING002-3&adtype=pla_with_promotion&kw=&lsft=adtype:pla_with_promotion&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu76vqeXC2gIVA77ACh3HVQ3uEAQYBSABEgLlofD_BwE

I do recommend reading the link that @GottmitAlex posted.  Walt is awesome!

[Patrick Palms]

Winter is one month at night time low 15c and 19c by day. Rest of year in Fuerteventura, its night time 18 to 19c and day time 21c to high 30s C.  I think simular to Miami. 

[Patrick Palms]

Not much rain. But can be very windy in winter

[Patrick Palms]

Yes patio umbrella , might do the trick? If strong and sturdy 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

1 hour ago, Patrick Palms said:

Quick draining soil.  Away from soil was goats dunn fertilezer.  Very good soil.. hole dug very deep.  Everything done correctly.  Can strong winds make leafs brown ?

I don't think so.  My Green Malayan Dwarf Coconut Palm made it through 100+mph hurricane winds in Hurricane Harvey just fine!!!  Coconut palms ARE THE MOST WIND TOLERANT TREE IN THE WORLD!

John

[Patrick Palms]

So prob just sun burn.

Need to get a umbrella like this one

 

[Patrick Palms]

When bigger , coconut are great for wind and sun. But as still a baby , needs to slowly adjust to full sun

[GottmitAlex]

If the worst comes to pass with your coco, I suggest, since you are in.a climate suited for them, to look for a coco seedling with the thickest (widest) stem. It has been my personal experience cocos, long and talls, however, thinly throated, have perished. It is the "bulldog" cocos in my case, which have, up to now, lived more than a year and a half. (Stature does not matter)

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

2 minutes ago, Patrick Palms said:

When bigger , coconut are great for wind and sun. But as still a baby , needs to slowly adjust to full sun

If the nuts are sprouted in full sun, there is no problem.  This is how I sprout my nuts, as I think it makes the palms tougher from day one, but some growers sprout their nuts in partial shade, and palms and any other trees grown in shady conditions WILL NOT be as strong as the exact same species grown in full sun, so therefore, these palms grown under such conditions must be slowly acclimated to full sun over a 3 or 4 month period of time.

John

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

I think many of you have misunderstood Patrick.  I know I did at first.  We thought he planted the coconut palm in England, because that is where his bio says he lives, but apparently, he has a place in the Canary Islands, which is a plenty warm and tropical climate (11B/12A probably) for them to grow to maturity and fruit, as I have seen photos of some about 70 ft.+ tall there full of big nuts!

John

[GottmitAlex]

1 minute ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

I think many of you have misunderstood Patrick.  I know I did at first.  We thought he planted the coconut palm in England, because that is where his bio says he lives, but apparently, he has a place in the Canary Islands, which is a plenty warm and tropical climate (11B/12A probably) for them to grow to maturity and fruit, as I have seen photos of some about 70 ft.+ tall there full of big nuts!

John

Definitely. I have been on my phone all this time outside in my garden. On the phone one can't see details beneath anyone's avatar/name. I ran with what Meg mentioned originally with England...

It took me 10+ more poststo figure out he was nowhere near Britain. 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

16 minutes ago, GottmitAlex said:

Definitely. I have been on my phone all this time outside in my garden. On the phone one can't see details beneath anyone's avatar/name. I ran with what Meg mentioned originally with England...

It took me 10+ more poststo figure out he was nowhere near Britain. 

Yeah, Alex, I am very envious of him with his easily 11B/12A Canary Island Climate!  I would be happy with a high end 10A Climate at my place, instead of my barely low end 10A Climate!

John

[GottmitAlex]

7 minutes ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Yeah, Alex, I am very envious of him with his easily 11B/12A Canary Island Climate!  I would be happy with a high end 10A Climate at my place, instead of my barely low end 10A Climate!

John

Ditto

[kinzyjr]

7 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

I think many of you have misunderstood Patrick.  I know I did at first.  We thought he planted the coconut palm in England, because that is where his bio says he lives, but apparently, he has a place in the Canary Islands, which is a plenty warm and tropical climate (11B/12A probably) for them to grow to maturity and fruit, as I have seen photos of some about 70 ft.+ tall there full of big nuts!

John

You're right.  At first I did, until he mentioned the Canary Islands.  Then it clicked...