Erik, it's probably an old adage, but gardening books state "don't fertilize a sick plant".
My question, though, is "so what are you supposed to do to get it healthier?"

Maybe that's when it's appropriate to go easy on fertilizer.

I don't know...wish I did.
Barb

My palms grow so much faster outside.

I also would not want to encourage weaker growth inside during winter
on anything except seedlings and they definitely benefit from 1/2 strength fertilizer.

You do make sense, Jim, but what if the palms will never overwinter outdoors?
What would weaker growth matter then?

Not sure what you mean.

If your asking about fertilizing outdoor palms in winter,I think it's a waste
and encourages softer growth that is more suseptable to cold damage-
I think that is proven north of the Mason/Dixon line for palms that survive there.

As far as fertilizing inside palms etc,my house doesn't stay warm enough to see much growth.

I think as a good rule of thumb if they are growing why not fertilize? 8)

You don't drink a cup of fertilizer..err,coffee before resting do you 😀

Unless you can't sleep 😯 😉

Most of my palms spend summers outdoors and then are in the house over winter.
Since palms don't go dormant, was going to keep fertilizing as though it was summer.

I brought Bottle Palm, Triangles and Spindle Palm in the house.
Are they really going to rest now?
Or would they like more fertilizer AND KEEP GROWING because it's almost as warm indoors as it was outside in the summer.
😛

Barb

I wasn't trying to discourage you from fertilizing your indoor palms, I was just telling you what I've done with mine over winter. If you have the proper light for them juice away, my light is just ok in the winter for my indoor palms and others, only so many south windows on my house 😉

Bill

Bill gets to my conundrum. I put palms by windows and have lights on timers, but it doesn't get close to outdoor light levels.
I assume palms are so nearly dormant that they don't need fertilizer. This past winter, Washy and Chamaedorea grew a little regardless, so maybe a little fertilizer wouldn't hurt?
At least I can put this off a couple more weeks as it is staying warm. Only the new Caryota is indoors, and that is for wind. --Erik

Triangles and Spindle are putting out a new frond, so I will fertilize them.
But Bottle Palm has virtually stopped and it has a 10 foot wide 7 foot high south window 😕

Trial and error, here I come (again).

Bill, you don't have enough house (let alone windows) for 150 palms 😆
But that greenhouse will be great to see going up.

Erik, I think you guys are right...if they're growing, they could use some fert.

Thinking my palm special fertilizer 12-4-12+TE has too much N, a slight frizzle showing up at tips of older leaves.
Also some telltale small necrotic/orange round spots.

That points to Potash deficiency even though 12% seems ample.
Or too little Sulphur.

This explains it well.
http://www.dolinsgardencenter.org/palmfert.htm

Barb

Barb,

I just saw your post on IPS. The recommendation of one ounce to one gallon water is MUCH too high for potted plants, which is 950 ppm nitrogen. One teaspoon per gallon water will give you 158 ppm N, which is fine for adult palms in the active growing season. I use 25% of that rate for the cool season and slow growing seedlings at every feeding.

So good to get your reply, Steve.
Wow...

You use 25% of one teaspoon per gallon at every feeding?

So that's 1 teaspoon per 4 gallons?

Will the rust marks eventually disappear?

Why on earth do they recommend 1 oz?
<img src=" " width="375" height="500" alt="DSC03170" />

I even emailed Growth Products, and got no reply.
I felt nobody could help with this...Appreciate it very much!

Barb

Barb,

I believe they figured the rate of application on the 2% Ammoniacal Nitrogen only! I quit reading the recommended rates of application years ago and just do my figuring on the active ingredients. You are correct in your measurements. Palms do very well with frequent, lower rates of nutrient applications. The spots and fried leaflets are symptoms of toxicity and fertilizer burn which are permanent. If the leaf tips continue to dry up and turn brown further up the leaflets, I would recommend flushing the excessive accumulated salts through the bottom holes of the pots.

I think it depends on the palm.
A under story palm,grows on a lot less sunshine,which would be a palm that good use winter feeding,as it is in active growing mode,I think the chameadorea family is one that can benefit from some winter feeding,as there are use to growing in a lot less sunshine,which is what is needed to turn fertilizer in to food,chlorophyll,so the palm can take in the food it needs to continue growing.
My green houses are set up to get about 50% sunshine,as I have so many plants,if I had more sunshine,I'd be watering all the time,I just want them more or less stay alive and not growing,because the winter sun just isn't enough anyway for good growth,ant growth I get is very weak and tender,which is difficult to acclimate come spring,when I take them outside.
I do have some palms in a southwest picture window,that gets 4 good hours of sunshine a day,if it isn't cloudy,which is about 50% time anyway that I do feed with pond water only.These palms continue growing,but at a very slow pace.
I'm trying several varieties of palm here,Xmas palm,Carpoxylon macrospermum,Bottle palm,Howea forsteriana and Queen Palm,these are all growing spheres now,and getting water and feed twice a week with pond water.
I don't know how much fertilizer is in this water,but enough to keep the palms really green,as if they were still growing outside.
These palms all have a about a foot of trunk or more,I'm really wanting some large specimens of these,so I decided to try to keep these growing,but with only 4 hours of sunshine,there just not going to grow that much,they have put on one new frond so far,and a new sphere now,in 4 months,other than the queen,these palms are slower growers at best anyway.
So what I'm trying to say,if there ain't no sunshine to change the food into feed,why feed?It Might just make the plant sick and weak,if it can't get enough sunshine to change it into food,so the plant can take it in!Now all my water is well water,which probably has some amount of nutrients in it already,I know it has enough to keep my plants good and green all winter long.

Steve,
Excellent observation you've discovered on the fert label.

I really should've known myself ... gut feeling I ignored.
The smell of ammonia/humic acid when I opened the jug almost knocked me over, but I figured it's a palm special, that maybe it should smell that strong.
Opening a long-buried septic tank is the analogy.

If the leaf tips continue to dry up and turn brown further

Yup seems to be progressing further so will do as you suggest.
If I don't flush, they'll die?
Everything's indoors, so flushing will involve placing--and removing--large tub to catch water. Oh man!

Interestingly enough, I used the SAME app rate for the one-year old Wodyetia seedlings, and not a hint of damage on them. 😯

With all that N, what's the chance I've severely lowered pH, making Potash even less available to plants than before?
I won't even attempt to raise it with lime right now, but probably could use it in summer?

Thanks a ton, Steve! And I mean a ton!

Don, the first hints of this problem occurred this summer with the first fertilization outdoors in full light when they were actively growing...I should'a known
better as these aren't young plants. Had 'em for years and years, the CIDP might be 20+ yrs old. But obviously the baby Wodyetias didn't mind...yet!

Barb,

I would not worry about the fertilizer changing the soil pH with only 1-2 applications since 99% of your liquid fertilizer is water. If your water pH is relatively neutral, you should be fine.