Newly purchased Sylvester Fronds turning brown

[Chris J]

My newly purchase Sylvester’s turning brown. Should I be concerned or will they turn green again or will they always be brown? Attach I have a picture of the brown fronds and a picture of how they are planted. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

Brown dead tissue never comes back to life. The browning is typical of a newly transplanted and stressed palm. New fronds will grow from the top and eventually replace the older damaged ones but it will take some time. 

[Chris J]

Thank you for this information. Will it take about a year before the green fronds come in? Also, should I do anything more than water them to help keep them healthy. 

[Merlyn]

@Chris J it may take until the end of summer to really root in place and replace all of the browning fronds.  Don't cut them off though, since the palm is actually "eating" the old fronds to provide nutrients for root and new frond growth.  I transplanted this Sylvestris from the back yard:

and cut off about 1/2 of the fronds when transplanting:

About 2 months later it had "eaten" the oldest fronds but had mostly recovered:

The planting depth looks a tiny bit high, but if you are planning to push dirt up to the edge and add a mulch ring then it's probably about right.  Here's a good tutorial on planting depth: http://marriedtoplants.com/palms/palm-tree-growing-tips-mounding/

I'd water *daily* for the next couple of weeks, especially since it's been hot and dry in the SE.  Then every other day until the summer thunderstorms arrive.  Make sure you water the existing root ball, since it looks like it was about a 15g pot.  It'll take several months for roots to really grow out into the surrounding soil.  Give it some "palm special" fertilizer about 1 month after planting, but only a relatively small amount.  Recommended fertilizers here are Florikan and PalmGain, though I typically use Lesco or generic Vigoro or Sunniland in my yard.  Maybe 2 good handfuls evenly sprinkled around.

[AZ_Palm_Guy]

Here is mine. Bought it in a small pot and when I planted it, it struggled. Lost half of  the fronds it had and I honestly thought it would be a goner. But at the end of 21' it finally got and had a full small canopy by the end of 22'. Now in 23' 2 fronds have already opened and it is growing fast. 

Like others have mentioned keep it watered around the rootball really well just don't drown it. Also might want to fix up that berm a bit that way all of the water can stay were it needs to. Best advice is don't give up and be patient. Also once it turns brown it will not turn back green.  Sometimes they'll look a lot worse before it they get better so try not to panic too much. 

[Chris J]

Thank you so much for your help. 

[oneslip]

When I had my Sylvester palms installed, I was told they needed to be watered every day for first 90 days. Not saying that is the issue but I know they do like a lot of water especially when first planted. 

[SeanK]

On 4/8/2023 at 2:38 PM, Merlyn said:

@Chris J it may take until the end of summer to really root in place and replace all of the browning fronds.  Don't cut them off though, since the palm is actually "eating" the old fronds to provide nutrients for root and new frond growth.  I transplanted this Sylvestris from the back yard:

and cut off about 1/2 of the fronds when transplanting:

About 2 months later it had "eaten" the oldest fronds but had mostly recovered:

The planting depth looks a tiny bit high, but if you are planning to push dirt up to the edge and add a mulch ring then it's probably about right.  Here's a good tutorial on planting depth: http://marriedtoplants.com/palms/palm-tree-growing-tips-mounding/

I'd water *daily* for the next couple of weeks, especially since it's been hot and dry in the SE.  Then every other day until the summer thunderstorms arrive.  Make sure you water the existing root ball, since it looks like it was about a 15g pot.  It'll take several months for roots to really grow out into the surrounding soil.  Give it some "palm special" fertilizer about 1 month after planting, but only a relatively small amount.  Recommended fertilizers here are Florikan and PalmGain, though I typically use Lesco or generic Vigoro or Sunniland in my yard.  Maybe 2 good handfuls evenly sprinkled around.

Better a bit high than a bit low. Added mulch will eventually decompose.