Coconut Deficiency?

[LF-TX]

Hey everyone, my coconut trees aren’t looking all too well. Winter has passed and it doesn’t seem like my trees are getting any better. They’re watered regularly and temperatures have been above 70° for quite a while, what could be wrong with them? Their young fronds tend to yellow and spot at the edges and the healthy green parts of the fronds tear in between the leaves’ creases. Is there any way I can make them look better? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. 

[LF-TX]

Even “healthy” shoots are showing signs of tear. 

[Rickybobby]

Here’s a good link someone gave me a while ago. It’s excellent at identifying nutrient deficiency 

 

http://discover.pbcgov.org/coextension/horticulture/pdf/commercial/Nutrient Deficiencies of Landscape and Fieldgrown Palms in Florida.pdf

[GottmitAlex]

What medium is it in? If you stick your index finger in it, does it feel moist, wet or dry?

 

[PalmTreeDude]

Throw a good amount of PalmGain on the soil and water it well, that's what I did with my coconut in a pot after I had it indoors all winter. The old nutrient deficient leaves are starting to die and new healthy ones are growing. Look at the bad soil I have mine in (this is the one that survived a frosty 34°F night in a pot one winter). I also put used coffee grounds on the top of the soil when it's going to be outside for a long time. 

 

[PalmTreeDude]

[Xenon]

What kind of soil mix are you using? Looks like a lot of dried up peat that doesn't reabsorb water so well. Coir or mineral based mix is better. 

[Rickybobby]

One mistake I make a lot or used to is the pot being too large. Yours looks fairly large. I have a coconut double the size of your in half the size pot with perfect roots. I’m using clay pebbles on bottom with coco coir and perlite 

[LF-TX]

18 hours ago, GottmitAlex said:

What medium is it in? If you stick your index finger in it, does it feel moist, wet or dry?

 

I have the coconuts put in potting (maybe gardening?) soil with a slight layer of topsoil on top. I always keep the soil moist, watering them and then waiting 2-5 days or so until the top layer is dry. 

[LF-TX]

18 hours ago, Xenon said:

What kind of soil mix are you using? Looks like a lot of dried up peat that doesn't reabsorb water so well. Coir or mineral based mix is better. 

Im using either potting or gardening soil, I really can’t recall which one I used. I only have a thin layer of topsoil on top. Where exactly can I get that?

[LF-TX]

17 hours ago, Rickybobby said:

One mistake I make a lot or used to is the pot being too large. Yours looks fairly large. I have a coconut double the size of your in half the size pot with perfect roots. I’m using clay pebbles on bottom with coco coir and perlite 

How does pot size affect coconuts though?

[LF-TX]

18 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

Throw a good amount of PalmGain on the soil and water it well, that's what I did with my coconut in a pot after I had it indoors all winter. The old nutrient deficient leaves are starting to die and new healthy ones are growing. Look at the bad soil I have mine in (this is the one that survived a frosty 34°F night in a pot one winter). I also put used coffee grounds on the top of the soil when it's going to be outside for a long time. 

 

It looks great! :) 

[LF-TX]

Someone help! This same pattern of root discoloring and snapping occurred with my last two coconuts that died and the same thing is occurring again, how do I reverse this?! The root of this coconut is just barely hanging and will die soon if I don’t do something about it. For the least, how can I prevent this and make sure it’s not happening to my other one?

[GottmitAlex]

19 minutes ago, LF-TX said:

Someone help! This same pattern of root discoloring and snapping occurred with my last two coconuts that died and the same thing is occurring again, how do I reverse this?! The root of this coconut is just barely hanging and will die soon if I don’t do something about it. For the least, how can I prevent this and make sure it’s not happening to my other one?

 

The same thing happened to my two original green malayan dwarf seedlings a couple years ago: root rot. In the aftermath, the only thing I replaced was the "native" soil for coarse sand.. now I have two green Pacific talls (planted them as seedlings,) in the same plots for the past 2 winters. They, until now, are doing fine. In fact, this last winter they received no protection. 

In the picture they're both flanking the petite (but much older) B.alfredii.....

 

 

Edited May 10, 2019 by GottmitAlex

[Xenon]

2 hours ago, LF-TX said:

Someone help! This same pattern of root discoloring and snapping occurred with my last two coconuts that died and the same thing is occurring again, how do I reverse this?! The root of this coconut is just barely hanging and will die soon if I don’t do something about it. For the least, how can I prevent this and make sure it’s not happening to my other one?

 

Your plants are drowning in waterlogged top soil (never use this in pots). You need a more aerated and free draining mix, try palm and cactus soil from the local bigbox.  Or plant in the ground. 

[GottmitAlex]

19 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Your plants are drowning in waterlogged top soil (never use this in pots). You need a more aerated and free draining mix, try palm and cactus soil from the local bigbox.  Or plant in the ground. 

Never mind.    I agree 

Edited May 10, 2019 by GottmitAlex

[LF-TX]

9 hours ago, Xenon said:

Your plants are drowning in waterlogged top soil (never use this in pots). You need a more aerated and free draining mix, try palm and cactus soil from the local bigbox.  Or plant in the ground. 

Should I cut off the roots that aren’t good anymore?

[Rickybobby]

Potted palms can be difficult especially with absent of heat and air movement I lost my first coconut the same way. Soil was too water logged. I’ve switched to coco coir perlite and clay pebbles and my palms seem to be a lot happier 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

Did you water regularly in the winter? Even in your warm climate, winter is cool by their tropical standards as soil temps dip to the 60s. I read once 63F-ish is the critical number for soil temps. Anything cooler and the palm declines. In Florida, Nov-May is our dry season so mine only gets watered once per week by sprinklers. Rain totals are only about 1-2 inches a month on avg. The soil holds too much water even if well draining. It would thrive planted in a mixture of sand, cactus soil, and even something like a orchid mix.  It should rebound quickly now that the summer heat is here. 

[Xenon]

3 hours ago, LF-TX said:

Should I cut off the roots that aren’t good anymore?

It's probably too late, but I would cut off the dead tissue and soak in hydrogen peroxide. Then hope for the best. 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

I make my own potting soil out of 100% organic compost, top soil, and sand from gopher mounds in my back yard.  I mix it at a rate of 5 handfuls of the compost to 4 handfuls of topsoil to about 8 handfuls of sand.  My coconut palms that I grow in pots seem to like this just fine, and in the wintertime, I only water the ones in pots about once every 5 or 6 days when its not raining, but during chilly damp weather, I water even less.  And for my in ground ones, I water them only about once every 10 to 14 days with a thorough deep watering on warmer days.

John