Sounds to me like a root fungus problem and or transplant shock.What type of amending did you do to the soil before planting? I have lost my share of washy`s until I started using hydrogen peroxide to kill all my root fungus problems Thanks to "Barb" here who sent me the info. You might want to add some rooting hormone if not already done. Here is a website.

http://www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com/gardening-with-hydrogen-peroxide.html

John

I added 10 fifty pound bags of play sand mixed with 10 bags of topsoil and one three pound bag of epson salt. Both have many fronds turning brown, but one looks really sick.

Here are my two Washys that were planted this past Tuesday. After five days in the ground they have really turned brown.

Did you water them in well? Air on the roots is a bad, do just like you would with any other tree, until they start growing. It is not uncommon for them to have leaf die back especially after travel on the road. That is why you see new transplants in the south most of the leaves are cut off, supposed to help with transe plant shock. 😐

I think your Washys roots got burned up sitting on the pavement and being wrapped in plastic(low oxygen) did not help either.My suggestion is to cut all but a few leaves off(leave whats healthy for now)because your palms roots can't keep up with the demands of so many leaves right now,also be carefull not to over water right now as there are many dead roots on your palm right now- that if left in wet soil will possibly rot and may move up that tissue toward the base of the trunk.Now is a good time of year as the soil temps are warmest and this will speed up recovery,better to error on the dry side then to wet.The good news is that palms this size have a lot of stored energy and if they are very healthy you may see recovery and growth this year but be aware that it may take a few years if there is a lot of(root) damage.Trim it to limit water stress and keep an eye out for spear movement/recovery.Good luck!

Washys can be a bit finicky when they are moved/planted as you are finding out. I would cut the burnt frons off since they aren't going to come back anyways. The frons will drop down like the second picture when they have been on the tree for a while. I'm pretty sure they will start to brown on there own after dropping down. I have three huge ones that are about as big as yours and after planting them I remember them sulking for a bit. I cut about 3 leaves off each one. They have been in the ground since late April and now are really looking very full and healthy. So I would say give them some time and you will be happy with what you see.

Bill

I would remove all but the emerging spear. They may take a while but they should come back. It also looks like you have red clay which doesn't drain very well. By digging a deep hole like that and filling with sand, you are creating a pool where the water will sit and not drain away. You may want to try making a raised type bed and replanting them higher.

Wow that is red clay, I thought it was mulch at first glance! I know it sounds like a major pain but laaz is right about the drainage. That is most likely why people are telling you they can't survive. Washy roots are very rot prone if sitting in water. Since you have a tractor it might be your best bet to remove the clay and replace with better draining soil.

You could always buy three more next year for 90 bucks a piece if they don't make it. This might be a cool place to check out if it's close to you. http://www.cooper-paynetreefarms.com/index.html I think they are expensive but if it's close they might be able to help you out.

Bill

Thanks for all the input, and I agree. It has never made since to me to add a couple feet of amended sand to the bottom of the hole when it is surrounded by clay that doesn't drain. I just follow the nursery's advice last year when planting the pindo's and windmills. They've done well. I'm going to at least pull them up where the rootball is six inches above ground in raise the soil around it for drainage. North Carolina's piedmont is red clay country. Just thirty miles south it starts to get sandy and even more so 90 miles south in Columbia South Carolina. BTW, will pulling the trees out and resetting them damage it any more?

Can't be worse than soaking them in water!

Robustas are cheap down here. A Robusta that size is probably 3- 4 years from seed. They take heavy fertilizer and a lot of water really well in the warm months and grow like weeds. I have two in the front yard that are 5 years old from seed. One is about 12 ft total and the other about 11. I have some Filabustas that are 4 years from seed and they are at heights of about 5 ft to 10 ft overall. Plants from the same seed batch can vary quite a bit. There is a house down the street with two robustas that were planted about 15 years ago. One is about 50 Ft tall and the other maybe 20 Ft. When they were planted they were both about 6 Ft tall. I'll get some photos up in the next couple of days.

These two robustas are 5 years from seed, they grow about 2 Ft a year now. The palm on the left in the first photo is a 7 year old windmill.

Filibustas all planted the same time & same size 4 years ago. Notice the different sizes now.

Pure Filifera from the monster downtown. This is a seedling from last fall.