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Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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Posted by
heyjjjaded CA (
My Page) on
Sat, Jun 23, 12 at 16:52
| We planted 5 Windmill Palms in our California backyard 10 years ago. They have all been fantastic, until 1 of them started having trouble 6-8 months ago. Basically, over this time, nothing new has sprouted from the top of this 1 tree, while the many green branches that used to be there have almost all slowly turned brown and dry. I have attached a picture (taken today) showing how our 1 unhealthy/dying palm compares to our 4 healthy ones ... all planted 10 years ago. You can see the unhealthy tree on the right still appears to have a couple green branches sprouting from the top, but these green branches have been stuck like this for several months and refuse to grow/extend out from the top. These trees are in different parts of the yard, but they had all been healthy for almost 10 years and watering/temperatures haven't changed ... but now we are only having trouble with the 1 tree. Can someone please suggest something I can do to help my 1 unhealthy/dying tree? Thank you very much! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| I have a windmill doing the same thing, so I'd love an answer to why as well. Mine has been through 2 winters protected in ground and this is it's 3rd summer in ground. It did grow 1 frond earlier in the spring, but then stopped again. I have increased watering and fertilized, but no different results. Still just sitting there. As a matter of fact, it starts to get spider webs on the bud later in the summer because the spear leaf doesn't move at all. |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| I climbed up to the top of this tree today and didn't see anything incredibly different up there (no visible insects, obstruction or source of disease, etc), although I'm still not sure what to be looking for. |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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If the newest frond that is emerging from the middle is green, then it can still be saved. If that frond is grayish brown, then the palm is already dead (sometimes dead palms take a while to look dead). But it looks like your palm is still alive. I have heard great things about superthrive. Its a product that usually helps with plants that are struggling due to root stress due to transplanting or some other trama. I have not tried it personally, but I heard its really helpful for people who's plants refuse to grow. Its expensive for a small amount, but you dont have to mix a lot of it in your water for it to work and you should combine it with some high nitrogen fertlizer and see if it works.
Hope it makes it for you! Your other trachys look perfect!
-Alex |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| Thank you very much for the tip, Alex. Any idea what could cause root stress in the 10-year-old tree? Sorry if that's a dumb question ... I'm learning as much as I can as fast as I can. Thank you. |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| I climbed to the top again to check the color of the newest frond and it is incredibly congested up there. Most everything is green, but nothing is actually extending/growing outward from the tree top. Its been "stuck" like this for several months. I've read about people treating the tree-tops with hydrogen peroxide ... is there any risk to doing this? If not, any ideas how much? I have already treated the bottom/soil with Superthrive. Thank you! |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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Hope the superthrive works for you! Not sure what could cause root stress with such an old plant, but stronger roots will mean more vigorous plant growth so the superthrive should help with that. Hydrogen peroxide is usually to prevent rotting from fungus, I think it's worth a try to add since it shouldnt do any harm. Try not to get it in the root area although I dont think that would be a problem if it did. And make sure not to add too much.
-Alex |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| I can 100% tell you that peroxide in the root zone not only isn't harmful, it can help a lot with root rot issues. The grower where I used to work (he has since passed away) swore by using a 50/50 water/peroxide solution to treat root rot on plants such as ficus, for example when customers would buy them, then bring them back a month later, dying, smelling of sewer because they left them standing in water. Basic procedure to save these plants was to knock out of the pot, wash off the roots, trim anything really rotten, repot in a fresh, light, very gritty and well-draining mix appropriate for the species, then use the peroxide solution to water in. Definitely works great, use as a drench to saturate the soil. Then, use smaller amounts, such as 1 part in 10 to 1 part in 20, when watering. The oxygen in the root zone helps a lot. |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| My Washy looks the same way-root damage. Good advice above-I don't think you need to treat the crown though- better to dump the H2O2 on the roots.
Click for weather forecast |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| Thanks very much for the help. I have all this going & am monitoring the results closely. Thank you! |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| Before you do anything check the soil around the tree. Make sure its not soggy. Does this tree get the same amount of water as the others? |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| Help. The tree is getting worse. I've treated with Superthrive, nitrogen fertilizer, and peroxide. The soil is not soggy or muddy. It gets the same water as the other windmills, which all still look great. The branches on this 1 windmill are still not extending out - only getting browner. Any ideas would be very much appreciated. Thank you! |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| Here is a picture taken today, July 11. Compared to the above picture - taken almost 3 weeks ago - you can see that our windmill is getting worse. I'm really hoping for any suggestions. Is it alive? Thank you very much! Jeff |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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if you havent treated the crown with some kind of treatment for fungus like peroxide 50/50 i would do so as soon as possibly, dont no if it will help but its diffidently worth a shot. but the windmill is declining for some reason, you might want to climb up there & check the center growth to see if the spears still good. just pull the center growth to see if it pulls out but not to hard, just a gentle tug. if it pulls your windmill may be gone but i would still treat it with peroxide. windmills are notorious from coming back from spear pull.
goodluck,james |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| Thank you, James. I poured a little hydrogen peroxide up there a couple weeks ago. If I mix it 50/50 with water, how much should I pour up there? Thank you! |
RE: Help Save My Dying(?) Windmill Palm
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| I had the same thing Happen... I Fengerd it was because from Bad Protection in the winter, this Palm I have have Reboud this year its geting a Rose cone. It Small eouch now for one. |
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