15gal Triple King planted - Does this look normal?

[Christopher Dillman]

Hi everyone,

Great advice on this board re my previous post and ask about what to plant above my retaining wall.

I settled on a 15gal Triple King, purchased from a San Diego nursery back in Dec 2021, then planted at end of Dec 2021. It had brown tips, but grown and acclimated outdoors rather than greenhoused, which I understand is preferred.

In Dec 2021, the right sized hole was dug for the Triple, and the following was added in the planting process:

1) G&B Organics soil building conditioner
2) Gro Power Plus fertilizer tabs (has soil conditioner + humic acids).
3) Mulch around tree
4) Watering schedule - 22min drip, 2 days a week (Tues and Sat at 2am)
5) Afternoon sun exposure, filtered since there's a big hibiscus in front of it. Mornings it's little to no bright sun.

Current pic today, Apr 2022, and it appears to be struggling and stagnant. The tips are even more brown, and on pic I've indicated a 'frozen' stalk or frond that been there since I first planted it. Waiting for a sign of life to unfurl into a palm frond, but it's still a frozen stalk. Also have one or two more frozen stalks that are smaller.

My worries are - uh oh, maybe it has a fungus? So last month I did..

1) Root drench with Daconil
2) Sprinkled Palm Gain (8-2-12) around base of tree
3) Moisture meter check - appears to be getting the requisite water at the root ball?

Welcome thoughts on whether this looks typical for the growing pains to expect on a 15gal palm planting. Or.. if more intervention is needed, and what can I do more? 

Thank you all!

Christopher

Edited April 2, 2022 by Christopher Dillman

[BayAndroid]

I think it needs a lot more water. Mine had similar issues and I just wasn't watering enough. Wish I had acted sooner. I'd flood it 3 times a week and see if it makes some improvements. 

But there are others who are more qualified than me! 

[Christopher Dillman]

2 hours ago, BayAndroid said:

I think it needs a lot more water. Mine had similar issues and I just wasn't watering enough. Wish I had acted sooner. I'd flood it 3 times a week and see if it makes some improvements. 

But there are others who are more qualified than me! 

That's interesting, maybe Triple Kings are just a thirsty palm?

Coincidentally I planted 30gal Jubaeas around the same time, exact same watering schedule, and they're thriving. 

 

[Billeb]

Archontophoenix are very thirsty. I have a triple that was planted out a little larger than yours. I water every 3 days for 30min. It has (qty 3) 3 gallon per hour emitters at the base and I’m not even sure that’s enough. 
 

If you want to keep that watering schedule, I’d bump up the gph emitters a bit and then just make sure you water over the top periodically. 
 

-dale

[Gottagrowemall]

When I planted mine in the ground they seemed dry even though I was consistent with watering. We have had some heavy heavy rains every 4-5 days so they’re looking way better now. I think no matter what when they go from potted to the ground they just go through a small unavoidable shock. It only took about a month but they seem much more established now.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Kings are semi-aquatic palms. They will grow happily in a bog or even in a pond. They don’t like any drying out between waterings. Yours looks thirsty. I have several groves of them and they are watered well three days per week on a spray system. Their roots travel laterally 30 feet and more so a drip near the trunks is insufficient. Here’s a photo of the width of the trunk on one of my 50+ Archontophoenix. Notice the distance between leaf scars too. The more water the better! 
 

Edited April 3, 2022 by Jim in Los Altos

[BayAndroid]

Yeah, just deep water until you see them perking up, then, keep watering!

[Christopher Dillman]

8 hours ago, Billeb said:

.. I water every 3 days for 30min. It has (qty 3) 3 gallon per hour emitters at the base and I’m not even sure that’s enough. ..

You water 3 days a week, at 30min each? Or you water say Mon, skip 3 days, Fri, skip 3 days, etc..

[Billeb]

Every 3 days. For the next couple weeks for example, my front yard East & West locations will get watered Tuesday, Friday, Monday, Thursday etc. Then I’ve got some of my back yard locations watered Monday, Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday etc. 

If you look at the calendar on my Rachio, I’ve got sonetgung being watered nearly everyday. Every now and then there is days no irrigation is running. 
 

Front and backyard grass get watered sporadically but I leave that up to the algorithm that Rachio uses depending on climate, soil saturation percentage etc. You should look into the Rachio or another form of  a Smart timer if you don’t have one. They are awesome. I travel quite a bit so I can view and control it 1/2 way across the world if need be. 
 

-dale

[Christopher Dillman]

1 hour ago, Billeb said:

Every 3 days. For the next couple weeks for example, my front yard East & West locations will get watered Tuesday, Friday, Monday, Thursday etc. Then I’ve got some of my back yard locations watered Monday, Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday etc. 

If you look at the calendar on my Rachio, I’ve got sonetgung being watered nearly everyday. Every now and then there is days no irrigation is running. 
 

Front and backyard grass get watered sporadically but I leave that up to the algorithm that Rachio uses depending on climate, soil saturation percentage etc. You should look into the Rachio or another form of  a Smart timer if you don’t have one. They are awesome. I travel quite a bit so I can view and control it 1/2 way across the world if need be. 
 

-dale

I'll check it out. Currently I use Hydrawise, which also has a nice app for my phone. Think I can noodle with the settings for the Triple..

The only tricky part is plants like bougainvillea, agaves, and giant bird of paradise are on the same 2 day 22min drip too, so I presume I need to find the right balance rather than overwater to compensate for the Triple's thirstiness.

[Billeb]

1 hour ago, Christopher Dillman said:

I'll check it out. Currently I use Hydrawise, which also has a nice app for my phone. Think I can noodle with the settings for the Triple..

The only tricky part is plants like bougainvillea, agaves, and giant bird of paradise are on the same 2 day 22min drip too, so I presume I need to find the right balance rather than overwater to compensate for the Triple's thirstiness.

The only way possible to make everyone happy is to have specific gph emitters on each plant. Let’s say I have a small Chambeyronia I just planted out, I’ll put (qty 1) 2GPH emitter on it so it’s getting approx 1G every 3 days (2gph at 30min = 1g). On that same exact zone I have a huge Bismarckia that needs a ton of water so I have (qty 3) 4gph emitters on it. It’s a battle. As the Chambeyronia grows, I’ll adjust the emitter size accordingly. The only setback is the max gph the feed line is capable of supplying. I think I read somewhere a 1/2” feed line is capable of 200gph at a run of 80ft so all your emitters on that zone cannot add up to more than 200gph.  Please don’t quote me tho. 

The best gardens have a huge amount of zones all watering at different times, different durations etc. so you can really have specific watering schedules depending on plants, trees, shrubs etc.

I wasnt that smart so I’m trying to change and specify the plants watering schedule using different gph emitters. It has been fine actually but not ideal. Some dudes on here have it down to a science when I’m just chugging along making due. 
 

-dale

[Christopher Dillman]

Thank you all for the counsel on this post. Sometimes it's the simplest solutions in life – just add more water.

Here's a before and after - original Apr 3 pic of Triple on left, and yesterday Apr 30 on the right. Those frozen fronds are beginning to unfurl, FINALLY!

The solution was sticking with the 22min drip twice a week, yet added heavy hand watering twice a week on the off days.

Next trick will be to back off on the hand watering to once a week, and add more emitters around the trunk's drip line. I've got these blue emitters.. thinking start with adding +4 of those which will be 1/2 gallon per hour.

Needless to say, Triple Kings are very thirsty palms.

[Jim in Los Altos]

2 hours ago, Christopher Dillman said:

Thank you all for the counsel on this post. Sometimes it's the simplest solutions in life – just add more water.

Here's a before and after - original Apr 3 pic of Triple on left, and yesterday Apr 30 on the right. Those frozen fronds are beginning to unfurl, FINALLY!

The solution was sticking with the 22min drip twice a week, yet added heavy hand watering twice a week on the off days.

Next trick will be to back off on the hand watering to once a week, and add more emitters around the trunk's drip line. I've got these blue emitters.. thinking start with adding +4 of those which will be 1/2 gallon per hour.

Needless to say, Triple Kings are very thirsty palms.

Your Giant Bird of Paradise will appreciate as much water as you can give it as well. Well watered and it’s leaves will get much larger and greener. Despite their “drought tolerance” they are water hogs. 
 

Also be reminded that the roots on a mature king palm are at WELL beyond the palm’s drip line. I’ve found masses of them 30-40 feet away from my King’s trunks. 

Edited May 1, 2022 by Jim in Los Altos

[DoomsDave]

@Christopher Dillman what kind of soil do you have? As everyone has noted Kings are, in the words of an Irishman, "thirstier 'n a school of Irish fish." LOTS of water, if in doubt, drown 'em out.

If you have clay, you can give big drinks less often. If sand, you'll have to water a lot more.

If you get desperate, come up to OC and visit my garden in La Habra, and I'll show you how nice clay can be.

[DoomsDave]

Archontophoenix are so nice

[GottmitAlex]

7 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

Archontophoenix are so nice

OMG!!!!!