Anyone know why my Robusta fronds are drooping?

igor.glukhovtsev · Post by **igor.glukhovtsev** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:46 am

Transplanting shock? Cold and wet? Hot and dry? I would cut most of leaves off. The roots have no enough "power" transporting "the juice" up giving some water to leaves.

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:53 am

Rot? Check around the base of the trunk for soft spots, and the growth spear for rot as well. Those suckers hate humidity generally speaking, but cold and wet is worse from what ive read... How long has it been in the ground?

igor.glukhovtsev · Post by **igor.glukhovtsev** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:01 am

canadianplant wrote:Rot? Check around the base of the trunk for soft spots, and the growth spear for rot as well. Those suckers hate humidity generally speaking, but cold and wet is worse from what ive read... How long has it been in the ground?

Jesse, this a newly planted palm.

Mario509 · Post by **Mario509** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 10:22 am

Ya i just planted it a few days ago and temps havent dipped below 50 and i water about 2.5 gallons everyday. Temps are 50s at night and around 70 for daytime high

Beny · Post by **Beny** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 1:20 pm

Hey Mario,
I have had the same problem here last year when i transplant my Washingtonia robusta. But mine had lost all the soil from the roots ball during the transport. And i left it exposed to the sun for 3 days before put it in the ground. And a few days later it started to lose all his fronds. But it survived and started to grown a new palm at the end of the summer.
There s few pics before and after the shock..

Ben

chadec · Post by **chadec** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:02 pm

After riding around on a trailor for some time. I would go with shock.

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 6:33 pm

Do the petioles feel rubbery? Not a good sign my friend. I had a robusta that looked like that and it gave up the ghost -- root rot from too much moisture / cold soil.

Buy a temp probe and take the soil temp next to the palm. If it's below 55-60 you won't be getting any new root growth and the water will be rotting what's left of the roots.

seedscanada · Post by **seedscanada** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 6:56 pm

2.5 gallons a DAY?!?!?!?! You'd better not have any clay soil.
Wow, nothing I have ever gets more than a litre a day under the MOST demanding circumstances (i.e. dead of summer)

I suggest to stop promoting potential rot. Cut out the excessive watering.

Also, you want good drainage, but your palm will want the soil of its new home to be jam-packed, whacked tight right up to the roots, I mean use a sledgehammer to eliminate any "fluffy soil" or air spots or soil shrinkage or "down-there erosion", and slam that soil tight, TIGHT! the palm will be convinced it is still potted. That is a good thing.

Sorry, but I went thru this last year with my 5 foot tall sabal. After a emergency, two month later root rot trim and replanting.

I wish you luck. : )

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 7:40 am

My guess would be the petioles(connection to trunk) are just getting weakened by the wind,
they look a little stretched out ,probably from being grown in a sheltered/shady area.

I would lose the mulch around the trunk,you don't want to keep the soil to moist.

Mario509 · Post by **Mario509** » Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:09 am

Im sure its just shock... But 2.5 gallons a day i dont believe is too much. I got this plans in a 28 gallon box its roots are still in sand from the box with good mix of potting soil and natural soil