Queen Palm Disaster
by
Sherrie S
+22
This tree is about 3 years old and looked lovely till recently. Is it dead or should it be?
Any ideas of what caused it? I really like the tree & hope it can be saved.
Any ideas of what caused it? I really like the tree & hope it can be saved.
sad
no comment
horrible
25 answers
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Looks like Manganese deficiency to me....but I'm no palm expert. Google some images to see if you agree.
Walter Reeves
on Apr 15, 2012
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Walter, thank you. Most of my plants/trees require little care since I have a well that does a great job. However, I do feed citrus plants that require citrus food and special plants like the Queen Palm that I give Palm food. Something has gone terribly wrong with my Queen Palm. My next door neighbors don't feed them anything & their queens look great.
Sherrie S
on Apr 15, 2012
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They have many different foods for palm trees but I have the same tree in my yard and I always make sure I remove the dead fronds quickly and ours is now almost 20 feet tall
Jackie W
on Apr 15, 2012
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I'd cut the branches off and see if it sprouts new ones. I have 3 that we cut down and they came back, slow growers tho
Patty B
on Apr 15, 2012
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We have lots of Queens Palms in Vegas. They're pretty tough. They've frozen, turned brown and we've sworn they were all dead, just to have them come back when the weather warmed. Brown/yellow leaves can be a sign of overwatering. Have you had a lot of rain in FL recently? Just remove the brown/dead portions and I would just about bet it comes back.
Leslie D
on Apr 15, 2012
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epsom salts is good for them
Anna R
on Apr 15, 2012
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yes epsom salts is good and we sell a palm nutritional liquid concentrate at work for palm yellowing and frizzle top...if its in the same spot for three years soil might be deplenished of nutrients so fertilize it ...also any time you deadhead or remove old it helps plant send energy to produce new growth..usually yellow is a sign of lack of nutrients
Rhonda I
on Apr 15, 2012
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and brown is a lack of water
Rhonda I
on Apr 15, 2012
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IF the fronds turn yellowish green, that indicates a lack of magnesium. Epsom salts is a good source and WAY less expensive than fertilizers. However they do need other nutrients as well so fertilizers and Epsom salts are probably a good start. Brown does NOT indicate a lack of water, as the fronds turn brown when they are getting ready to drop off. DO NOT cut the top off. Palm fronds develop in the truck and then push to the top. IF the trunk feels squishy or soft, pretty safe bet the tree is dying from the inside out. Could be disease, could be insects, could be any number of things.
Carol A
on Apr 15, 2012
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Oh, I am so glad someone didn't tell me to cut it down. I gave it palm food with magnesium, maganese and epsom salt t but that was only after I realized how horrible it looked. Rhonda I, it is mostly everything but green but we have had drought in Florida so I also gave it a little more water. Carol A, the trunk is not squishy or soft. I think I can, I think I can save it. Thank you all so much. If she lives I will post a pic.
Sherrie S
on Apr 15, 2012
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Remember that magnesium and manganese are two different elements. They are spelled similarly but might be contained in different products. Epsom salts is magnesium sulfate.
Walter Reeves
on Apr 15, 2012
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I found this, as well. http://urbanforestry.ifas.ufl.edu/Publications/Queen%20Palm%20Disease.pdf
Leslie D
on Apr 15, 2012
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Sherrie, palms are susceptible to nutrient deficiencies and definitely require a special palm fertilizer to provide them the trace elements they need. It doesn't appear your queen palm is near your lawn, but you should try to avoid getting lawn fertilizer on your palms. It would be far better to put palm fertilizer on your lawn than the other way around. You should re-apply the fertilizer every two to three months during the active growing season.
Douglas Hunt
on Apr 16, 2012
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Leslie D, I read the great link you sent & it gave me some hope. I will try to save the palm. Douglas, the palm is nowhere near lawn. I think I have been remiss in caring for this tree. Thank you all for the help.
Sherrie S
on Apr 16, 2012
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Good luck with your palm, Sherrie.
Douglas Hunt
on Apr 16, 2012
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My tree care people think it will live but can't tell me what went wrong. They cut off the brown dead branches and removed part of the bark & recommended that when the bark can be removed easily it was good to do to rid the tree of ants and other bugs.
Sherrie S
on Apr 18, 2012
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Looks dead to me
Margarita S
on Apr 18, 2012
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I can't disagree with you Margarita S but I will give the palm a month or so before I make the decision to keep it or have it replaced.
Sherrie S
on Apr 19, 2012
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i do not think its dead
Rhonda I
on Apr 19, 2012
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Thank you Rhoda I. I hope you are right.
Sherrie S
on Apr 19, 2012
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Sorry Rhonda, I misspelled your name. Whoops! I still hope your are right about the queen palm
Sherrie S
on Apr 19, 2012
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Sherrie, you may have to give your palm more than a month. It can take awhile for them to recover from a mineral deficiency.
Douglas Hunt
on Apr 20, 2012
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Douglas, could it have been a water problem. I had my sprinklers changed and I don't think it was getting as much water as it used to. I recently had that corrected and also started adding water from my Koi pond. That is my secret ingredient for any plant.
Sherrie S
on Apr 20, 2012
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You should bottle that koi pond water. You could call it Sherrie's Solution.
Douglas Hunt
on Apr 20, 2012
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Douglas, I would put Douglas Hunt's name on it since he is well known and trusted. Me, I'm just learning.
Sherrie S
on Apr 20, 2012
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