Variegated Washington Palm - advice

[PlantMami23]

Hey y’all! First time poster here! 
I am a newbie to the palm world… but not a newbie to plants. I am a collector and seller of exotic indoor Tropicals 😅 I happened to acquire 2 variegated Washington palms and they’re absolutely stunning. However, 1 declined rapidly while the other was happily growing with no signs of stress or deterioration. 

After lots of research I decided to of course, check the roots. It was pretty root bound! So I potted both of the palms up in size and it seems as though the one that was having a hard time, is finally leveling out. It’s no longer browning thankfully. 

There was new growth emerging right before it started turning brown on me… so the question I have is:

- will the new growth still naturally come out and do its thing in the sense of falling off?

- do I need to cut off the brown stems?

- any suggestions on how to assist it to promote new growth? Fertilizer recs?

**disclaimer: I did mix my own soil 70% pine bark mulch 20% sand and 10% decomposed granite, alongside with some osmocote

I also only water with rain water for good measure… because my other plants are spoiled too 🫣 

 

**here is a photo of what it use to look like below 🫠

[Maximum]

10 hours ago, PlantMami23 said:

Hey y’all! First time poster here! 
I am a newbie to the palm world… but not a newbie to plants. I am a collector and seller of exotic indoor Tropicals 😅 I happened to acquire 2 variegated Washington palms and they’re absolutely stunning. However, 1 declined rapidly while the other was happily growing with no signs of stress or deterioration. 

After lots of research I decided to of course, check the roots. It was pretty root bound! So I potted both of the palms up in size and it seems as though the one that was having a hard time, is finally leveling out. It’s no longer browning thankfully. 

There was new growth emerging right before it started turning brown on me… so the question I have is:

- will the new growth still naturally come out and do its thing in the sense of falling off?

- do I need to cut off the brown stems?

- any suggestions on how to assist it to promote new growth? Fertilizer recs?

**disclaimer: I did mix my own soil 70% pine bark mulch 20% sand and 10% decomposed granite, alongside with some osmocote

I also only water with rain water for good measure… because my other plants are spoiled too 🫣 

 

**here is a photo of what it use to look like below 🫠

First of all congrats on finding those. I’m a sucker for variegated palms (I don’t have any tho 😢)…

I think the problem is the “soil” mixture. Pine bark steals nitrogen over time but more importantly the blend you described is EXTREMELY fast draining, right? I assume it isn’t holding enough moisture (unless you water multiple times a day and then you might promote fungus on the leaves or crown). @Silas_Sancona recommended to me a general potting soil for most palms (in 5 gallon pots): 

50% jungle growth potting “soil”

20% Turface MVP

20% coco peat (washed or low salt) 

10% crushed red lava rock

And a handful or two of paver base 

Again, the recipe above is entirely recommended by @Silas_Sancona 

PS - I haven’t tried this mix yet but I will some time next week when I pot up some palms 🙂 I have no doubts about it.  

[96720]

Way too fast draining! Plant them in the ground they are pretty big for pots!!

[PlantMami23]

On 11/4/2023 at 5:37 PM, Maximum said:

First of all congrats on finding those. I’m a sucker for variegated palms (I don’t have any tho 😢)…

I think the problem is the “soil” mixture. Pine bark steals nitrogen over time but more importantly the blend you described is EXTREMELY fast draining, right? I assume it isn’t holding enough moisture (unless you water multiple times a day and then you might promote fungus on the leaves or crown). @Silas_Sancona recommended to me a general potting soil for most palms (in 5 gallon pots): 

50% jungle growth potting “soil”

20% Turface MVP

20% coco peat (washed or low salt) 

10% crushed red lava rock

And a handful or two of paver base 

Again, the recipe above is entirely recommended by @Silas_Sancona 

PS - I haven’t tried this mix yet but I will some time next week when I pot up some palms 🙂 I have no doubts about it.  

Wellllll shiiiiii… okay. I thought it was doing well since it stopped turning brown. It was rapidly declining and since I’ve switched it’s totally chilled out also seems to be much more stable. I’ve been watching it like a hawk, watering frequently since it’s being rehabbed. 

As far as the soil mix you’re talking about, jungle growth potting soil and turface mvp is completely foreign to me! Nothing a little google search can’t help me with 😅

Thank you so much for the advice!

[PlantMami23]

On 11/4/2023 at 8:52 PM, 96720 said:

Way too fast draining! Plant them in the ground they are pretty big for pots!!

As much as I would LOVE to put them in the ground… I’m only a renter and I’ll be d*mned if I leave them behind or try to dig it up 🤣 first and foremost is replacing my soil mix with a less fast draining soil and then repot in a larger pot ASAP. 

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

A pic of the damaged palm would help.

"- will the new growth still naturally come out" 

Yes but if the emerging spear leaf is brown it will shrink and could allow water to enter the spear area and cause rot down in the trunk. The spear is normally tight in the trunk and does not allow water in.  You should apply fungicide into the spear area. Hydrogen peroxide will work too but it is short term and breaks down into water but is a great way to start the treatment. Since the palm is potted its also a good idea to tip it on its side with the trunk angle pointing down so anything in there can drain out. I would leave it that way for at least a couple days to make sure it drains then make sure no rain, dew, or irrigation can collect in there.

"- do I need to cut off the brown stems?"

No. If there is any green at all the palm can draw energy from the green parts to help it recover.

Also make sure the root ball is just barely moist, NOT wet. If the palm does not have many green leaves left it can only use water in proportion to the number of leaves that can evaporate that root ball water and the ability of the surrounding dry air to evaporate directly from the root ball..

Edited November 7, 2023 by Jeff zone 8 N.C.

[Merlyn]

Pictures of the declining one would help, along with the rest of the plant!  As Jeff mentioned, if the declining one was a new spear that browned it could be a crown rot.  Common treatments here are hydrogen peroxide, Daconil, Mancozeb, and any copper-based fungicide down the crown.  Copper can be phytotoxic, so only treat with it once or twice.  Personally I use hydrogen peroxide and Daconil.  If the browning was on *old* fronds then it's likely a root/watering/fertilizer kind of issue.  A crown rot can kill the growing bud, so even if the older fronds look ok the plant is already dead.  So addressing that fast is critical.  Again, a couple of good pictures would help.

Regarding the soil mix, I agree with the above suggestions.  My mix is about 50% organics from generic "topsoil" mixed with Turface MVP, perlite, some small pine bark nuggets, and some cypress mulch.  I get the Turface MVP from the local Ewing Irrigation for about $14 for a 50lb bag.  Originally I bought "topsoil" from the big box stores, and it was a fairly lightweight bag of generic ground up trees.  Recently it's switched to being very heavy with a LOT of sand and muck, and doubled in price.  So I am switching to Kellogg Raised Bed & Potting Mix for my organic component.  A bunch of people here recommended it, but I don't have any longterm experience yet.  Sand tends to compact down into sludgy muck in a pot, so I would avoid that.  Small gravel, granite chips, expanded shale and lava rock are all great ways to add aeration if you are going to have it in a pot for a long time.