Dasylirion Longissimum help, burned?

[Cycadsavy]

Hello Palmtalk friends,

Calling out to any of you that may have taken care of longissimum…. I believe ours may have gotten some sun burn here in the Dallas, TX area since we had an extensive stretch of 105+ degree days.  Based on the photos below, what do y’all think, will it recover?  I’d hate to lose her, we’ve had her for over four years.  Please help.

Thank you,

Nick

[Tom in Tucson]

55 minutes ago, Cycadsavy said:

Hello Palmtalk friends,

Calling out to any of you that may have taken care of longissimum…. I believe ours may have gotten some sun burn here in the Dallas, TX area since we had an extensive stretch of 105+ degree days.  Based on the photos below, what do y’all think, will it recover?  I’d hate to lose her, we’ve had her for over four years.  Please help.

Thank you,

Nick

I've had Dasylirion quadrangulatum chewed down to the stem by rabbits, and they will recover, but sunburn may be far more serious. Calibanus will sometimes burn, but in a year or 2 they recover.

Hi 108˚, Lo 84˚

[Tracy]

On 8/30/2023 at 6:46 PM, Cycadsavy said:

Hello Palmtalk friends,

Calling out to any of you that may have taken care of longissimum…. I believe ours may have gotten some sun burn here in the Dallas, TX area since we had an extensive stretch of 105+ degree days.  Based on the photos below, what do y’all think, will it recover?  I’d hate to lose her, we’ve had her for over four years.  Please help.

Thank you,

Nick

Nick mine doesn't experience the temperatures your plant experienced but I always assumed that based on their natural habitat they would handle heat well.  I am wondering if the heavy pruning exposed the caudex more and contributed to the damage.  I trim lower leaves off mine but know that many prefer the completely untrimmed appearance.  In my climate the lower leaves take years to begin to brown so I am normally trimming green healthy leaves too, but try to keep more on proportionally than yours has.  Hope yours pulls through like Tom's did with rabbit damage. 

[Silas_Sancona]

Curious if the pot it is in drains..  If not, roots could be cooking in overly saturated soil..  Soil too may be an issue..  Too rich for a plant that naturally grows in well draining, gritty /gravely substrate.

These are grown here in town and ..unless over watered, withstand our 110-110+ heat pretty well.

[Tom in Tucson]

9 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Curious if the pot it is in drains..  If not, roots could be cooking in overly saturated soil..  Soil too may be an issue..  Too rich for a plant that naturally grows in well draining, gritty /gravely substrate.

These are grown here in town and ..unless over watered, withstand our 110-110+ heat pretty well.

Please excuse the this somewhat "knit picking" clarification:

 Dasylirion longissimum is rarely cultivated in the USA. Dasylirion quadrangulatum has been misidentified as that species for decades, much like the confusion that existed between Butia capitata and B. odorata.

Hi 104˚, Lo 65˚

[Cycadsavy]

Thank you to everyone that contributed to this post.  The plant continued to deteriorate so I pulled it out of the pot and it was most definitely massive root rot, beyond salvation.

Over the years, the roots grew down to the bottom of the pot, where water settled, and the unfortunate cycle of rot began.

Nick,

[Silas_Sancona]

5 hours ago, Cycadsavy said:

Thank you to everyone that contributed to this post.  The plant continued to deteriorate so I pulled it out of the pot and it was most definitely massive root rot, beyond salvation.

Over the years, the roots grew down to the bottom of the pot, where water settled, and the unfortunate cycle of rot began.

Nick,

That stinks.. No pun intended..  

If you try another ..or another sp. of Dasylirion ..Or something like a smaller, non- trunking Yucca,  would recommend using a pot that drains ( or drill a few small holes about 1" above the bottom of the same pot )  Pots that don't drain encourage rot simply because the organics in the pot ..that end up sitting in any water that sits in the bottom of the pot.. decompose faster than they typically would, and create  Anaerobic soil conditions ( Where All the oxygen that would circulate through the soil gets used up ) which causes roots to start rotting. 


..Would also recommend creating a soil mix that is -at least- 70%  in-organics / mineral-based soil mix ingredients ( IE: Pumice, small Lava,  Turface MVP,  Zeolite, Horticultural / Chicken. Grit ..or a combination of those individual ingredients )  Bagged soil " stuff " from the Big Box stores for these = Bad ...wayy too much organics for a semi-desert plant. 

Treat these ( and any succulent-type plant like you would Cacti..

In a pot that size, you may not have to add water more than once every few months, if not longer.

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

That stinks.. No pun intended..  

If you try another ..or another sp. of Dasylirion ..Or something like a smaller, non- trunking Yucca,  would recommend using a pot that drains ( or drill a few small holes about 1" above the bottom of the same pot )  Pots that don't drain encourage rot simply because the organics in the pot ..that end up sitting in any water that sits in the bottom of the pot.. decompose faster than they typically would, and create  Anaerobic soil conditions ( Where All the oxygen that would circulate through the soil gets used up ) which causes roots to start rotting. 


..Would also recommend creating a soil mix that is -at least- 70%  in-organics / mineral-based soil mix ingredients ( IE: Pumice, small Lava,  Turface MVP,  Zeolite, Horticultural / Chicken. Grit ..or a combination of those individual ingredients )  Bagged soil " stuff " from the Big Box stores for these = Bad ...wayy too much organics for a semi-desert plant. 

Treat these ( and any succulent-type plant like you would Cacti..

In a pot that size, you may not have to add water more than once every few months, if not longer.

...Forgot to add, ..for the " organic " portion of such a soil mix, use ground Coconut, AKA : Coco -Peat. Don't use peat Moss.