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What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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Posted by
utnvpa S. Nevada (
My Page) on
Wed, Nov 7, 12 at 10:38
| I have a Mexican fan palm that has been planted in my yard for just under five years. It has thrived, but at the moment is having a "bad hair day," as shown in the attached pictures. I've researched possible causes and magnesium deficiency is the only possibility I've found. I recently treated it with a palm fertilizer with 10% magnesium and some Superthrive, but it hasn't had time to make any difference yet. See the attached pictures -- does anyone have any other ideas? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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| Have you had any cold weather? maybe some damp cold weather? |
RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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| I dont think its a Magnesium deficiency. That usually shows signs of yellowing and doesn't effect the perkiness of the fronds. Im guessing something is wrong with the growing point, bud rot maybe? goodluck |
RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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Perhaps the crown is being watered to often...similar effects-
cold damage? |
RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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| It's 85 today, and I think the coldest it's been this fall is around 45. This palm has been through sub-freezing weather numerous times in years past. We had a couple of desert downpours with flooding in the last six weeks, but it is sited near a block retaining wall on one side with lawn on the other with a great drainage system, and it gets no water spray from any irrigation source. It has maybe four 1/2 GPH drippers watering it, though when I returned for the winter the idiot landscapers had it dripping for 50 min 5 days a week, which is a lot of water. I cut it way back about a month ago -- normal for this time of year is about an hour a week, though I'm a bit higher this year because of the unusually warm weather (40 min x 2/week). Excess water appears to be the most likely cause. It no doubt has it's "toes in the water" under the lawn now and I suppose I could shut down both the drippers on that side. The frond that has just opened (right of the center point in the photo) DOES have yellowing in a band on it (see attached), which is what made me wonder about magnesium. |
RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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| My first inclination looking at the picture was root damage. Sounds like root rot is the culprit. Too much water thanks to the landscapers. |
RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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| Washingtonias are generally desert palms are they not? I don't think they really need watering at all. |
RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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| Here where we get about four inches of rain a year, believe me, everything except for a very few native plants needs some watering to survive! (Mesquite, Nevada). |
RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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| Magnesium deficiency always affects oldest fronds first, never the youngest ones. For Washingtonia palms, this would be orange leaf tips on the lower fronds. That tree looks like a victim of phytophthora root rot to me. |
RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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| Thanks everyone for the opinions. I dug around the root ball at the surface & the roots look healthy there. I've shut down the drippers & will withhold water for quite a while & see what that does. To add to the excitement, it's supposed to be a low of 26 to 32 degrees tonight! Not much else I can do but hope now! |
RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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| Did the yellow leaf pop out fast or just recently open? May have been stuck closed....
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RE: What's wrong with this Mexican fan palm?
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| Yes. They all appear to be "stuck" and having a hard time opening. That one opened when the wind blew and forced it open. The others following it look the same way and appear to still be stuck. I wonder what causes that? |
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