Coconut palm with brown spots

[Angel123]

Hello everyone,

I bought this coconut tree in June and planted it in the ground. I added some sand and have been applying liquid fertilizer twice a month. It is exposed to the afternoon sun all day and is usually watered in alternate days (about 3x week). Its leaves have brown spots and it looks slightly sunburned. It seems to me that it is really getting too much sun because since it must have come from greenhouses it might not have been prepared enough, but I really don't know if there is something else or not? It also has some black spots on the lower leaves. However, the brown spots appeared about a month ago...
Does anyone have any experience with coconut palms? What am I doing wrong? Will the plant need more water or is it too much water or else?

Thanks in advance!

[aztropic]

2 hours ago, Angel123 said:

Hello everyone,

I bought this coconut tree in June and planted it in the ground. I added some sand and have been applying liquid fertilizer twice a month. It is exposed to the afternoon sun all day and is usually watered in alternate days (about 3x week). Its leaves have brown spots and it looks slightly sunburned. It seems to me that it is really getting too much sun because since it must have come from greenhouses it might not have been prepared enough, but I really don't know if there is something else or not? It also has some black spots on the lower leaves. However, the brown spots appeared about a month ago...
Does anyone have any experience with coconut palms? What am I doing wrong? Will the plant need more water or is it too much water or else?

Thanks in advance!

Just sunburn...

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

 

[SeanK]

Most nursery plants are grown under shade cloth. As @aztropic says, it looks like sunburn.

Can Cocos survive in Lisboa?

[Angel123]

Thank you for your reply @aztropic @SeanK
Yes, I also suspected that it was probably that... Winter here usually has highs of around 20ºC and lows of 10ºC and many sunny days. Since I have it planted on a wall facing south, we'll see... The minimum temperature in the worst case scenario is around 5ºC and it recovers quickly... and there is never frost or snow.

[PalmatierMeg]

Highs ~20C, lows of 10C or lower during winter? Not hot enough. In addition to being cold sensitive tropicals that demand high heat (30+C) and full sun, coconuts are "cool sensitive". Cool/chilly temps will kill them surely as a freeze. Cold soil will kill them, cold rain the same. And they won't photosynthesize when temps fall to 10C and below even in full sun. Daily winter highs of 20C do not provide the heat they demand.

You may want to look into ways to provide supplemental heat and protection unless you intend to treat them as annuals to be replaced each spring.

[SouthernCATropicals]

My younger coconuts got those when they weren’t being watered enough, try every day. I water mine three times a day during the summer and every day during winter. (Unless it rains) 

[Kim]

If you have the coco planted in the perfect microclimate -- the hottest, best protected spot in the garden -- it may survive a few, maybe even several mild winters. Southern California has similar winter temperatures and a very few coddled coconuts live for a time, but it's exceedingly rare to see one reach its full potential. Enjoy it while you can.

[SeanK]

If you notice leaves turning black, then @PalmatierMeg's prophesy has come true. When the root zone cools too much, the plant's metabolism will shut down. 

[Axel Amsterdam]

On 8/19/2024 at 4:16 PM, Angel123 said:

Hello everyone,

I bought this coconut tree in June and planted it in the ground. I added some sand and have been applying liquid fertilizer twice a month. It is exposed to the afternoon sun all day and is usually watered in alternate days (about 3x week). Its leaves have brown spots and it looks slightly sunburned. It seems to me that it is really getting too much sun because since it must have come from greenhouses it might not have been prepared enough, but I really don't know if there is something else or not? It also has some black spots on the lower leaves. However, the brown spots appeared about a month ago...
Does anyone have any experience with coconut palms? What am I doing wrong? Will the plant need more water or is it too much water or else?

Thanks in advance!

How is the nucifera doing now in Lisboa?