Help! My Madagascar Palm Is Looking Rough

I bought this (Pachypodium Lamerei) about six weeks ago, and it started looking rough within the first couple of weeks and has gotten worse. I started out by watering it once per week, per the guy at the nursery, but I've just started watering it twice a week. I can't tell if it's not getting enough sun, too much sun, not enough water, too much water, etc.

I live in Santa Fe. My living room gets tons of light -- there are windows on the north- and south-facing walls, and on the west wall is the (permanently closed) door you see pictured. My thought is that maybe the top of the plant isn't getting enough direct sunlight...?

Here's a photo of it the day I brought it home: http://i.imgur.com/eQPBK.jpg

The other photos posted are from this morning.

I'm a complete amateur at keeping plants, so please be gentle. Might not have been the greatest pick for me, but I have it now and don't want it to die.

It's an easy plant to care for. MOST important is to guard against over-watering and keep a look out for pests, especially mealybug.

If where it's sited in the picture is its new home, the leaf abscission (loss) is not surprising. This is one of the plants (like Ficus) that practically throws it's leaves on the floor in a tantrum if you move it from a bright location to one dimmer - so work on that if you can - the plant really needs extremely bright light.

I'd suggest you use a very fast draining soil (I can help with soil information if you're interested. The info I'd point you to probably represents the largest step forward a container gardener can take at any one time) and fertilize monthly while the plant is growing with a 3:1:2 ratio fertilizer like Foliage-Pro 9-3-6, with a little potash (potassium chloride) added to the solution. Miracle-Gro 24-8-16 and 12-4-8 are also 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers, and more widely available than Foliage-Pro, but there are several advantages to using the FP.

Al

Joe, yours is one huge Pachypodium/Madagascar Palm.

Watering

Although Pachypodium is a succulent, during growing season, soil should be watered more often than greyer times of the year. It needs a hearty drink, until water seeps out of drainage holes, then left to dry before more water is added.

The pot is rather small, therefore more watering will be needed. Did your Pachypodium come in that particular container?

If roots are sticking out of drainage holes, you should consider repotting in well-draining soil.

Sun

Pachypodiums require direct sun. The brighter the better.
It's normal for leaves to drop when days grow shorter; they also fall in low light conditions. Since its leaves dropped, most likely, your Pachypodium isn't getting enough sun. Do you have an area with brighter light/direct sun?

Fertilizer

Since Pachypodiums are semi-slow growers, little fertilizer is needed. None during dark, winter months. Pachypodiums go dormant as days shorten, so forcing growth by fertilizing will kill your plant.
Once every other month, during growing season is sufficient.

Mr. Tapla recommends Foliage Pro. I've never used this fertilizer, but heard it works wonders. Follow directions on bottle/box. In most cases, half-strength dossage is safer than the amount most manufactures wants us to believe. They're out to sell their product.

Soil must be well-draining. Heavy soils hold too much water, therefore a grittier mix is recommended. Heavy mixes, especially during winter, or rainy seasons will cause rot.

Don't worry about leaf drop. As long as your Pachypodium is healthy, gets proper sun, new leaves will grow in.
Good luck, Toni

Thanks for the reply, Tapla.

Here are images the the type of soil and food I'm using: http://imgur.com/a/5QsRL

He said to use a capful of the Age Old Bloom once per week. You'll also see a bunch of photos of my living room. If you can identify a place it'd be better off, I'm all ears, but the place it is now (situated in front of that non-opening glass door) does get about 3 hours of very intense sunlight in the evenings (it's facing west).

Funny what you said about it throwing a fit -- the guy at the store told me the same thing, that there'd be a period of adjustment.

Toni: It was in a pot about half that size in the nursery. The man working there recommended this one.

Thanks for all of the info. I'm not sure where to put it where it'll get more direct sunlight other than outside, which I'm told will definitely kill it here.