Washingtonia Robusta palm care?
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Hi, I have recently got two Robusta palm trees 3-4 ft in height from livingsocial site. I have planted them at the bottom of my garden into two big plant pots 42cm.
Since putting these in a pot i have noticed some the palm leaves have split or turned slightly yellow and the palm didnt feel secure enough in the pot so i added some support by planting a stick and securing the root.
My questions are. Too much water or not enough water? I water every other day depending on weather. If it rains than i miss a day. I use a watering can and water for about 5 seconds around the pot.
Plant not deep enough in the pot? Plant was planted just above half way of the pot but soil is 3cm below top of the pot
I have attached photos from when i got them till now. A week apart from each other and I am not sure if this is normal behaviour or am I doing something wrong?
Any help much appreciated.
I like to add. I will be adding pot feet on Thurs for better drainage.
Hi there my name is Norie. I love your plants they look very nice in those pots.
I couldn’t help but notice, I think you buried the plant a little too deep. I learned that the part of the stem where stem meets ground is called the crown and that it’s not a good thing to bury the crown. It’s like they can’t really breathe or something. Normally, when you’d pot the plant, you wouldn’t add more soil on top. You’d only add soil underneath it, for the roots. And on the nice photos, it does look like the root crown is now maybe 4 inches underground or 5 or maybe even 6?
I know some trees don’t really care, but I think palms are sensitive to this. Maybe that might explain some of the yellowing. A solution to that would be pulling the plant up a bit and moving the soil from above to below, kind of repotting I guess.
Second is that I think you’re watering a bit too much. It’s a good thing you watered when planting. But I’d only water once a week, no more. If you dig out the plant like I suggested above, you’ll probably notice the soil is maybe wet and soggy already, that’s not good for this palm.
Lastly the stake is there already so just let it be. I’m not so good with stakes, I usually just push it in but I’ve been told it might damage some of the roots. It’ll be ok if the soil isn’t too soggy.
I really love them they look so nice! I do hope they settle in fine.
Hi Norie thanks for the detailed reply i really appreciate it.
Update…
Since I have posted this plant it has got a lot worse. Its dieing by the second. Today I raised the plant so the crown is not covered in soil and hopefully the plant can breath. I have raised the plant pot with feet around 3cm so there’s better drainage.
Do you think the palm can recover or is it past it?
Oh I’m sure it will recover. You can see the only leaves that are really dying off are the older ones towards the bottom.
The larger newer ones still look bright green. Its when center leaves die that the palm is on its way to the other side…
The most important is to not water too much. Was the soil soggy?
Hi Norie, I have used Multi purpose compost for the palm. Also the soil was damp when i repotted yesterday. Do you think I would be better off buying some miracle-gro all purpose soluble plant food?
No, for now you don’t need to add fertilizer of any kind yet. The multi purpose compost is enough for now and for the next six months at least, I’m sure.
When you start off with a potted plant, there are still quite a lot of good things in the soil. It’s only over time that these disappear, either because the plant absorbs them, or because some of it washes out when there’s too much rain or water and it drains out from the bottom. That’s when you need to start fertilizing. Maybe set yourself a reminder for next February to start fertilizing during the coming spring?
Ok if the soil was still damp but not soggy anymore, that’s good news. You’d want to keep it from getting wet-wet. Oh I’m excited for your plants to go better! But remember these critters think in weeks, not so much in days. So it’ll be a while, like maybe 2 weeks, for the turnaround to start being visible. Do so keep me updated, please!
Good suggestions by Norie.
You need to change the watering frequency. Do proper watering once in a week and then wait for the soil to become dry and then water again. Best of luck!!
Growing as tall as you let them, these stunning palms are perfect as a centrepiece, or for adding height to borders. They also look great in pots on your patio, or as a pair placed either side of a door, gateway or path. Semi-hardy down to -5°C, so provide winter protection or move potted palms to shelter.
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