spots on leaves of my palm tree, syagrus romanzoffiana

[reivanreivan]

hello friends . I have 2 syagrus romanzoffiana palm trees (in some countries queen palm in others pindo palm)

 

One of them is perfect but the one next to it has its leaves like this.

what's wrong and how to fix it?

If you need better quality photos tomorrow I can do more.

 

[Merlyn]

The spotting is likely a combination of Potassium and Magnesium deficiency.  A good slow release fertilizer like Osmocote, Nutrikote, Florikan, PalmGain or others should help.  Keep in mind that once a frond has turned yellow/orange it'll never turn back green.  The soil looks pretty dense for a pot, but it might be okay in a dry climate.  Be careful about watering frequency to make sure the soil doesn't get mucky wet.  Here's my notes on fertilizer deficiencies:

• Nitrogen - Older fronds turn light green uniformly, new fronds remain dark green until deficiency is really severe
• Potassium - Older fronds get translucent yellow/orange or dead spots on leaves, especially at the tips. Caryota and Arenga get random splotched dead spots in leaves. Sometimes tips are curled or frizzled. Always starts at tips of oldest leaves, moving inwards
• Magnesium -Yellow ends on oldest leaves first, transitions to solid green at the base of each leaf. Never causes leaf tip necrosis
• Iron - Many times caused by overly mucky soil and root rot. Starts with new spear leaves with yellow-green or even white, possibly with spots of green.
• Manganese - Lengthwise necrotic streaks in NEW leaves with dead and curled leaf tips. Similar to bands showing Magnesium deficiency. Mn is NOT mobile, so it can't be stolen from old leaves.
• Boron - Bent or necrotic or distorted leaf tips, distorted or bent spear, bands of dead spots on new fans, spears that won't fully open
• Water - Underwatering brown at the edges first, later followed by yellowing of the whole leaf. Overwatering can be drooping fronds turning yellowish and losing color
• Dolomitic Lime or Azomite - Magnesium Carbonate – reduces acidity/raises pH – slower release and adds Magnesium, helps avoid Potassium deficiencies in Cuban Copernicias. 5Lb per palm on full-size Copernicias and a bit less on Kentiopsis Oliviformis
• Garden Lime - Calcium Carbonate – fast release but works well. 5Lb per palm on full-size Copernicias and a bit less on Kentiopsis Oliviformis
• Sunburn - Orange/Red/Brown streaks on surfaces facing the point of hottest sun, typically the worst case is around 1-4pm. Sun tolerant species will adapt and grow out of it. Shade loving species may never adapt.

[reivanreivan]

Hace 9 minutos, Merlyn dijo:

La mancha es probablemente una combinación de deficiencia de potasio y magnesio. Un buen fertilizante de liberación lenta como Osmocote, Nutrikote, Florikan, PalmGain u otros debería ayudar. Ten en cuenta que una vez que una hoja se ha vuelto amarilla/naranja, nunca volverá a ser verde. El suelo parece bastante denso para una maceta, pero podría estar bien en un clima seco. Tenga cuidado con la frecuencia de riego para asegurarse de que el suelo no se moje. Aquí están mis notas sobre las deficiencias de fertilizantes:

• Nitrógeno - Las frondas más antiguas se vuelven de color verde claro de manera uniforme, las nuevas frondas permanecen de color verde oscuro hasta que la deficiencia es realmente grave
• Potasio - Las frondas más antiguas se convierten en manchas translúcidas de color amarillo/naranja o muertas en las hojas, especialmente en las puntas. Caryota y Arenga se manchan al azar puntos muertos en las hojas. A veces las puntas están rizadas o encrespadas. Siempre comienza en las puntas de las hojas más viejas, moviéndose hacia adentro
• Magnesio - Los extremos amarillos primero en las hojas más viejas, se pasan a verde sólido en la base de cada hoja. Nunca causa necrosis en la punta de la hoja
• Hierro - Muchas veces causado por el suelo demasiado sucio y la podredumbre de la raíz. Comienza con nuevas hojas de lanza con amarillo-verde o incluso blanco, posiblemente con manchas de verde.
• Manganeso - Rayas necróticas longitudinales en hojas NUEVAS con puntas de hojas muertas y rizadas. Similar a las bandas que muestran deficiencia de magnesio. Mn NO es móvil, por lo que no se puede robar de hojas viejas.
• Boro - Puntas de hojas dobladas o necróticas o distorsionadas, lanza distorsionada o doblada, bandas de puntos muertos en nuevos ventiladores, lanzas que no se abren completamente
• Agua - Primero se dora en los bordes, luego se amarilleó toda la hoja. El exceso de agua puede ser que las frondas se vuelvan amarillentas y pierdan color
• Lima lodolomita o azomita - Carbonato de magnesio - reduce la acidez/educe el pH - liberación más lenta y añade magnesio, ayuda a evitar las deficiencias de potasio en las copernicias cubanas. 5 libras por palma en Copernicias de tamaño completo y un poco menos en Kentiopsis Oliviformis
• Lima de jardín - Carbonato de calcio - liberación rápida, pero funciona bien. 5 libras por palma en Copernicias de tamaño completo y un poco menos en Kentiopsis Oliviformis
• Quemaduras solares - Rayas naranjas/rojas/marrón en las superficies que se enfrentan al punto del sol más caliente, por lo general el peor de los casos es alrededor de las 1-4 p.m. Las especies tolerantes al sol se adaptarán y crecerán fuera de ella. Es posible que las especies amantes de la sombra nunca se adapten.

Just 1 month ago I used this fertilizer. Its use in this summer time in Spain is once a month so it is time to do it again.

if it is that and it is not a fungus I am happy.

In any case, if you need better photos tomorrow I can upload more with better detail.

I am open to any comment because I am inexperienced and I am very fond of these palm trees.

N.P.K. 12-5-12 + 8% Mg. 

 

 

[Merlyn]

15 hours ago, reivanreivan said:

Just 1 month ago I used this fertilizer. Its use in this summer time in Spain is once a month so it is time to do it again.

if it is that and it is not a fungus I am happy.

In any case, if you need better photos tomorrow I can upload more with better detail.

I am open to any comment because I am inexperienced and I am very fond of these palm trees.

N.P.K. 12-5-12 + 8% Mg. 

 

 

I am not familiar with that brand, but the 12-5-12 with 8% MG seems like a reasonable ratio.  Check to see if it has small amounts of Boron, Manganese, Iron.  For reference here's the PalmGain label with their percentages:

Keep in mind that any fertilizer you give it now will NOT "fix" any leaves that have spotting or other nutrient deficiency symptoms.  Once a leaf has damage it doesn't get repaired.  Think of fertilizer as preventing damage to older fronds and making sure new ones grow out clean. 

[reivanreivan]

repeated thread 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by reivanreivan
sorry , repeated thread

[reivanreivan]

42 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

I am not familiar with that brand, but the 12-5-12 with 8% MG seems like a reasonable ratio.  Check to see if it has small amounts of Boron, Manganese, Iron.  For reference here's the PalmGain label with their percentages:

Keep in mind that any fertilizer you give it now will NOT "fix" any leaves that have spotting or other nutrient deficiency symptoms.  Once a leaf has damage it doesn't get repaired.  Think of fertilizer as preventing damage to older fronds and making sure new ones grow out clean. 

your answer helps me a lot. With your help I feel calm. I have learned something new.

Anyway, today I have taken better photos with my phone in case your opinion is different or you see something new in the photos

 

[JLM]

That looks to fit the bill for potassium deficiency quite well in my opinion. If you fertilized already, the palm will produce new fronds that will be nice and green. Eventually, the fronds with these spots will die off naturally.

[Merlyn]

Yep, most likely potassium deficiency.  A common recommendation on this forum is "KMag" or "SulPoMag" a.k.a. Langbeinite.  This is a naturally occurring mineral of sulfur, magnesium, and potassium.  I have not tried it on potted plants, but it works well on palms in the ground.  Your regular fertilizer should work okay, but if you have recurring potassium spotting you could add a small amount of Langbeinite.