Help with ailing King Palm tree

[VasiliP]

Hello everyone!

I would love your insight/guidance here. We bought a king palm and planted in our yard about 2 months ago here in San Francisco, California. Since then we’ve been noticing a steady decline with the tree. We’ve been careful not to over water as it has been raining a lot. The tree does get about 4/5 hours a day if direct sunlight. We’re noticing that the leaves are turning brown(crispy) and most leaves have these brown spots. Any information would be greatly appreciated

[peachy]

I can't tell from the photo whether it is A alexandrae or A cunninghamia but whichever it is, to me the problem seems to be a watering issue. Alex palms come from steep hilly areas and need good drainage to look their best, while the cunninghamia (or bangalow as they are called here, live on creek banks, wetlands and soggy depressions in the ground.  Bangalows are reputed to be more cold resistant so while both would probably survive in SF, the Alex might never show it's full potential. They both like full sun and in summer need regular watering and feeding. As well as regular fertilizer add some trace elements and a tiny bit of boron if your soil is lacking. Both species are amazingly tough and hard to kill but need a minimum of care to look their best.  If it is a bangalow then you can't overwater it.  Your palms look quite healthy apart from those few dry leaflets, which can be a sign that the frond has reached it's use by date, will turn brown all over then just drop off. Quite a natural occurrance. 

Hope I gave you some hints that you find helpful

Peachy

[Merlyn]

The big brown areas look a lot like sunburn to me.  Many palms are grown under shade cloth, and are not acclimated to full sun.  I'm not sure why that side of one frond is so crispy brown, maybe it faces the sun or a strong reflection from glass or a white wall?

The small brown spots are probably a potassium deficiency, which is common in new plantings.  Since it's been 2 months after planting, it is probably ok to give it a small dose of fertilizer.  The Florida ratio is 8-2-12 like PalmGain or Florikan.  Your soil is probably different than it is here, but any similar ratio of a "palm" type fertilizer should work ok in SF.  A good sized handful is about right, and repeat in ~3 months.

[VasiliP]

22 hours ago, peachy said:

I can't tell from the photo whether it is A alexandrae or A cunninghamia but whichever it is, to me the problem seems to be a watering issue. Alex palms come from steep hilly areas and need good drainage to look their best, while the cunninghamia (or bangalow as they are called here, live on creek banks, wetlands and soggy depressions in the ground.  Bangalows are reputed to be more cold resistant so while both would probably survive in SF, the Alex might never show it's full potential. They both like full sun and in summer need regular watering and feeding. As well as regular fertilizer add some trace elements and a tiny bit of boron if your soil is lacking. Both species are amazingly tough and hard to kill but need a minimum of care to look their best.  If it is a bangalow then you can't overwater it.  Your palms look quite healthy apart from those few dry leaflets, which can be a sign that the frond has reached it's use by date, will turn brown all over then just drop off. Quite a natural occurrance. 

Hope I gave you some hints that you find helpful

Peachy

We purchased the cunninghamia  

[VasiliP]

 

Thank you! This is helpful information. We purchased the cunninghamia

[Harry’s Palms]

That kind of looks like it is grown under shade cloth or even a shaded green house.  King Palms take time to acclimate to their new home and will fade in looks before they get established. Expect the new fronds to be smaller and the leaflets to be closer held for a while . I wouldn’t let it go long without water. A sun grown palm is usually a better choice for immediate planting in a sunny location as there would less set back. I planted two that were sold as houseplants ( similar to yours in appearance) , it took months for them to get fully adjusted. They are relatively fast growing palms so no worry. Harry

[VasiliP]

thank you 

[peachy]

Just an afterthought, some organic mulch would do wonders for that area of your garden.

Peachy

[VasiliP]

Hello Again. I hope this message finds you all well  We purchased this cunninghamia tree in March and it continues to decline in health.  Where we live it's extremely windy and sunny all the time, but not hot - 60-70. We are not sure if the strong winds and sun is contributing to its decline. We have been actively monitoring water intake and also ensuring that there is fertilizer based on instructions. Any more insight that might help?

[MJSanDiego]

The exact same symptoms happened to me with 7 King Palms I planted recently. Mine were planted in clay. I concluded that the fronds going crispy was simply sunburn due to buying shade grown Kings purchased at the Home Depot. But due to the general decline, I dug them up to investigate the roots. The roots had not grown much and many were black and mushy so it was root rot. I simply overwatered them.  While some Kings grow in swamps and water, transplanting from nursery pot to wet clay never worked for me. I don't know if you have sandy, clay or loam soil but this could be root rot. I believe mine was a result of too much water during the cool season, with highs in the 60s, lows in the 50s

[Jim in Los Altos]

Based on this photo, you planted that group a bit too deeply. That brown crown shaft’s base in underground. Pull soil away from the trunks until you see the actual base of each trunk. Do that to about two feet from the trunks all the way around. The palms will then be sitting in a bit of a basin but that’s fine. It will help pool water when irrigating. These palms need a lot of water but don’t like any soil piled up against their trunks, especially clay soil.  

[VasiliP]

Thank you Jim. We will pull soil away from the trunk. We are in San Francisco. Do you offer any services in our area?

[Billeb]

As others have said, they love water but I did have a quad planting that was planted out and struggled for 6 months or so. As @Jim in Los Altos stated, it was also planted way too low. (See first pic. This is after I dug down and removed some soil) I dug it up and ensured it was a better, more well drained medium and put the group back in the Earth raising it up. Within a very short amount of time it started to turn around. Within the next 6 months it had got its stride and hasn’t looked back.  
 

I remember the basin I created took a very long time to drain, like abnormally long. After replanting, it drained much better but not super fast like you’d want in a cycad. Average amount of time. I can put copious amount of water now with no ill effect. 
 

@Jim in Los Altos does make a very good point in stating it looks too low. You could easily dig that plant, adjust the medium and planting height and throw it back in. Might be a good choice. Good luck. 
 

-dale 

 

I looked thru a bunch of pictures but cannot find a good one just of that tree. The one attached you can definitely see the difference of 3yrs tho. 
 

[VasiliP]

Thank you. This is most helpful!

[Harry’s Palms]

Jim brings up a good point I would also mix in some mulch to the soil , maybe an inch deep but don’t disturb any roots. Harry

[Jim in Los Altos]

3 hours ago, VasiliP said:

Thank you Jim. We will pull soil away from the trunk. We are in San Francisco. Do you offer any services in our area?

Vasili, We’re backed up with awaiting landscape construction projects in just the city of Los Altos. Sorry, but we don’t go beyond the area. Good luck with your King palms. They are awesome palms when grown well! 

[MoPalm]

I planted 5 multiples king in my yard, Concord East Bay. All Alex and one I realized it was actually Cunninghamia. The story here is I planted 3 in May and 2 in mid June. Most of them showed stress from sun and they were looking embarrassing. I put them in full sun. Really full sun, from the sunrise to sunset!  Anyway, they were looking so bad day after day. I kept watering every single day since planting. I installed a drip too that water them 5 times a day. They are now pushing new spears and opening new fronds that are fully acclimated to the sun. The new fronds look so green and not a single burn or even tip burn. Though, it gets so hot here. it has been a hell here this year. Almost over 100 all July.  

I planted mine about 3 inches below grade. My mistake was I fertilized while planting. Now they are thriving and the growth is so fast. My drainage is good, at least for the 3 of them. The other two had a little bit slow drainage but now they are draining very well after I mulched heavily. Mulch brings bugs and warms which aerate the soil and help drain so much. .

Best,

Mo