Sylvestor palm, cuban royals newly planted . Tips help

[mannie]

Hi Thank you in advance taking your time to read. I'm in need of help new planted palms dnt know if I'm panicking or should I take action . Been exactly a week ground moist put landscaping mix  fertilizer.  What can I do

[Merlyn]

@mannieoverall (except for being super windy!) they look fairly normal for a recent transplant.  It's very common for the oldest fronds to have some transportation/planting damage.  This usually shows up as random dead leaflets, and occasionally a broken frond where all the leaflets die shortly after planting.  This is usually because the nursery has to dig them out of a field, cut off some of the oldest fronds for transport, tie them up, put them on a trailer, drive a 70mph or so to the site, pull them off the trailer, and plant them.  It's almost impossible to not damage a few fronds.

One thing you should expect with new plantings is "transplant shock," which is really just the palm growing new roots out into the surrounding soil.  Part of this process is the palm will "eat" the oldest fronds quickly for nutrition.  So don't cut off any of the current fronds until they are totally brown and crispy and dead.  If you cut some off early you are depriving the palm of nutrition that it can use to grow new roots and leaves.  It's also good practice to not cut them off until they are brown and dead, as any new cut into fresh tissue just opens a wound...which is a pathway to diseases to enter the palm. 

The general rule of thumb is to avoid fertilizing for 1-2 months after planting.  Right now they are trying to grow new roots, and even a good slow-release fertilizer can burn brand new roots.  About a month after installation you could put a small amount of controlled-release fertilizer like Osmocote Plus, or even a "palm special" fertilizer like PalmGain or similar.  Less is more for the first month or two.

The palms seem like they *might* be planted a little bit deep, but it's hard to say from the photos.  As long as the "Root Initiation Zone" is around the level of the surrounding ground all it's totally okay.  It also looks like they might have mounded up around them into a "moat" for retaining water.  This is a good idea.  Here's the best tutorial I know of for planting depth: http://www.marriedtoplants.com/palms/palm-tree-growing-tips-mounding/

[mannie]

Well the nursery did apply a landscaper mix when they hole and also applied something called florikan. Nursery said they would come Thursday to see if there's an issue and tie them cause they did tilt due to the high winds today they didn't at first cause they said were heavy enough . I just didn't think they would yellow and  brown that much in a week if was transplant shock,but what do I know that's why I panicked.

[Merlyn]

Florikan is one of the other highly recommended fertilizers, but it's generally best to not put it on immediately.  If they come back Thursday to stake them I'd just ask them to make sure they aren't sinking too deep in the ground.  Too deep can eventually lead to rot problems, too high stunts the growth rate.  It's not a big deal if they are "close" and a little bit too high or low.  You just don't want 3 inches of dirt up over the bottom of the trunk.

As far as the yellow and brown goes, that doesn't seem too unusual for fresh plantings.  But I'd ask what their plant warranty is, just in case.  With winter literally showing up tomorrow in Texas, there's always the chance that they won't acclimate well over the winter.  You are pretty far South, so it may be just fine.  I usually stop planting in October, even here in swampy Floriduh.

[mannie]

Well im hoping for the best.. do love the look.. Thank you !🌴

[Gottagrowemall]

They’re gonna be okay but they’re probably hating the wind right now. Really hard to get your roots set when you’re getting blown around and the fronds you want to use for energy are getting damaged by wind. It won’t be a quick transition but 8 months from now they’ll look amazing.

[Gottagrowemall]

Also when I plant my stuff I err on the side of too high and hopefully this company did that for you. You can always mound up dirt, mulch, or rocks to cover exposed roots but if it’s planted too deep it’s a nightmare to lift it up a bit.

[sonoranfans]

I would water deeply with a trickle hose, as drying of roots will cause dieback at depth.   Make sure the soil is wet within 2 1/2 to 3' of the trunk. I see nothing wrong with those plantings, container or recently dug field palms never look like an in ground healthy one.  I use florikan, but on a fresh plant (less than 2 months), I use diluted fish fertilizer(5-1-1 NPK) and humic acid every two weeks when watering.  Humic acid is the natural decomposition of biomaterials(mulch) by mother nature, and I buy it as a (heavy, 17%) tea.  I use about3-4 liquid ounces of the fish per 10 gallons and half that of 17% liquid humic acid(w kelp) solution from a place called natureslawn.  Liquid humic(tea) is preferable since it is more stable in other natural decomposition products like fulvic acids.   I would use 10 gallons of water for a single large palm like those.  Add slowly and let it penetrate to depth, carrying all the nutrients into the wet zone.  The humic acid I buy also has kelp, and fish fertilizer will never burn and it conditions the soil some.  The humic acid is a chelator of nutrients and also protects against harmful nematodes and promotes the health of beneficial microbes.  Chelators maintain bioavailable nutrients outside an optimal soil pH range.  The fish/humic I typically apply after a coulple weeks, then once weekly.  When it gets cool season I would cut back watering to every 10-15 days or so and test how long it takes for th4e soil to dry at 6" depth(dig a small hole for your hand.  Wind can dry soils more rapidly so you have to determine when the soil at 6" no longer feels moist.  Some will tell you to water every so many days but your climate(including wind) and soil can have a big impact on that best watering interval.  I would err more on the wet side with the royals.  These are pretty easy grows as palms so have fun and good growing!

[mannie]

Thank you all for your time.. Since I had irrigation done before the palms what would be a ideal of water required and should I add drippers if so how many been little over a week since installed

[Merlyn]

@mannie I personally use multiple 1gph or 0.5gph drippers per palm.  On a bigger one like the Sylvesters I would probably use 4x 0.5gph drippers and run them for 30 minutes for each watering cycle.  That is effectively 4pcs * 0.5gph * 0.5 hours = 1 gallon per watering cycle.  Here in swampy and sandy Floriduh that's sort of a "supplemental" amount of water to avoid drought problems.  I'm not sure how much water you'd need for your palms, but the nursery should be able to tell you whate they recommend for your soil.  If you are on sand it's very different than if you are on clay.  Tom recommended a soaker hose on trickle for each palm.  You can also use small bubblers or the small sprayers-on-a-stick on a drip setup.  Just make sure watering hits the existing root ball diameter and roots, but does not spray directly on the trunk.