Windmill palm fronds coming in dead

[charlotte palm guy]

All the sudden the new fronds on my windmill are coming in burnt and dead.  I try watering often in the heat.  I live in the Charlotte area in NC and have had this palm there a couple years now.   Never had this happen.  Over the winter the new fronds came in bent and not great looking from cold, but the ones in between winter and now were normal.   See pics 

[UK_Palms]

Hard to say, but it looks like a disease of some kind, exacerbated by the hot and humid summer conditions. It's near on impossible to overwater a windmill, but the central growing point will be susceptible to disease and rot in hot, wet, humid summer climates. This is far less of a problem in temperate regions that may be humid in summer, but don't have high temperatures promoting disease and fungal growth. Hence why Fortunei will grow relatively well in places like Scotland, but not in Florida. I think nematodes are part of the issue as well though.

It could be permanent, lasting damage from winter as well potentially. Like the growing point could have become damaged from a freeze and newer fronds may now be more likely to show a lack of vigour, deformity or be susceptible to disease now. If so, it may eventually grow out of it and correct itself again. But you are perhaps seeing signs of the lasting damage still now, which has become more apparent again due to the hot, tropical like conditions, leading to diseased fronds being pushed out from the damaged growing point. That is just a theory though.

If that is the case, it should grow out of it in a matter of months, or a year or so. I would definitely stop with the watering though, just in case. The problems could be linked to, or exacerbated by you overwatering the palm. Although I doubt that. You probably shouldn't need to water a Windmill in your location though, period, unless there is a major heatwave or drought. They are surprisingly drought tolerant once mature. More so than Phoenix Canariensis in my own experience. I believe the term 'less is more' to be pretty applicable to Windmills. Just check the spear to see if it pulls in the coming weeks, in which case you should treat it with hydrogen peroxide. Otherwise leave it be and it should recover on it's own. 

[EastCanadaTropicals]

New fronds will come in just a few weeks with peroxide, one of my trachys did the same thing.

Edited July 11, 2021 by EastCanadaTropicals

[UK_Palms]

10 hours ago, EastCanadaTropicals said:

New fronds will come in just a few weeks with peroxide, one of my trachys did the same thing.

The bigger question is why are the new fronds emerging like that?

Overwatering? Winter damage? Disease? You can dump peroxide down the crown, but it may happen again in a few months.

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

After Palmageddon both my trachies spear pulled and had deformed new fronds. All older fronds had no burn with zero protection. They are as leaf hardy as a sabal. 

T J 

[smatofu]

[I try watering often in the heat. ]

Overwatering, soil problem, or maybe a sick specimen. 

Stop watering and see if it helps. If not, replace soil around the palm or buy a different palm.