Problem with windmill palm

Hello,

I had a landscaper plant a windmill palm in my backyard in March. I noticed some slow deterioration of the plant about a month into it being in the ground. I thought it was just shock from its new home in the ground. Within the past few weeks, I have noticed a considerable decline the in the health of the plant. This is my third windmill in this spot. I've killed two so far. I planted one in 2010 right next to it and its had no issues and looks great. Not sure why I am having so many issues with this one. I noticed the ground had poor drainage, so I tried building up the base a little so water wouldn't be standing when I watered/it rained out. I've attached some pictures so you can view my issue. I am not so concerned about the low hanging fronds that are browning. I am really concerned about the ones that are standing up straight and are turning brown.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated because my landscaper is no help at all.

Thanks,
Mike

Picture number 5-
Is it planted deeper in the ground than it was in the container?

I see in the other pics that there are apparently 2 types of leaf dieback.
1) is from the outside. The leaves are browning and folding as they dry. I usually associate this with drying out. The plant roots cannot pick up the water fast enough to keep the leaves green. But some leaves look just fine! I have seen similar effects when pests like spider mites get on the leaves.
2) At least one leaf is dying from the inside while the outer area looks OK. Is that central brown area mushy? I usually associate this with some sort of disease.

I know parts of Tx can be very hot. Is this plant in full sun? Can you try shading it from the sun during the hottest part of the day? If the plant is having a hard time getting water up to the leaves that might help.

I was about to suggest the same type of problems as Diana, I honestly think the plant is too dry, obviously it's a very young plant and with no shelter from the hot sun, it will struggle to stay healthy, As stated by Diana, there are some green leaves / fan's therefore I would remove the brown dead / decaying leaves including the stems / branches, this should help expose IF there is soft tissue at that area of trunk, it will remove some stress from the palm and allow you a closer look at some areas.

Most plants regardless of type need re-planting at the same depth as it was while growing in pot or ground previously, any deeper you are allowing the hard wood part to get soft and disease can enter causing more stress after re-planting.
If you set the plant HIGHER than it was growing before, you are then exposing area's where small fine hair like roots are growing as these seek out water along with the roots deeper in the soil, the big thick roots we find are actually growing to keep the plant stable and upright so the smaller thinner roots seek out to give nourishment, moisture and air to the living plant.

Have a look at the Palm in question, take special care to see IF the planting depth are OK, IF needing corrections, do this at the coolest time of the day / night.
Also check AFTER you water, by removing depth 3-4 inches down and see IF any of the water has managed to get down there as the plant looks water starved to me. however the water needs to get even further down than that.

In your situation and temp's, when you do have to plant large plants out into the garden, it is a good idea for the first couple of years to make more provision for root watering.
Get a clear plastic drinks container, remove the bottom and cap, dig a hole down to the root area, depending on the tree / shrub, this is normally about a foot away but for palms in may be closer as some dont really spread out roots as normal trees do, anyway, sink the container into the hole and leave an inch or so out from the top of the soil, as you water, fill the container up a few times, this water will be taken way down to the roots where it is mostly required, you can leave this type of watering in place for a couple of years till your happy that the tree / shrubs can sustain themselves from the soaring heat and ground dryness.

For other types of shrubs / tree's, it's an easier way to offer feed when required.
Some botanical gardens do this style of watering for new planted areas by sinking large wide black hosepipe and it's left in place for years without anyone noticing it unless they know to look for it, they just drop the normal hosepipe into the bit sticking out the soil.
I've used this clear container method for years now and we live in a high rainfall area, when the sun dries out the top soil it forms a crust and water cant penetrate this crust so the plants get starved of moisture when they most need it.
Hope this can help you out and you can save your plant, it's upsetting to watch a plant give up and die on us.
Good luck, best regards. WeeNel.

Hello,

Thanks for responding. The palm was delivered as a B&B plant, and I believe it was planted at the proper depth. When I started hand watering the tree, I noticed that the water was having a tough time seeping into the ground (the water was standing taking a while to drain). I was really concerned about over watering since I was told I killed my last palm due to watering too much. I hear that windmills need well drained soil, so I was told my local gardening store to try to create better drainage by building up the base a little so the water is not standing on the soil. I even purchased a mini-soil tester that shows you how much moisture is in the soil (can get it down to about 5-6 inches). My readings have shown that most areas around the root ball have been moist.

Perhaps the soil further down is dry?

I am not sure what you mean by the central brown area being mushy. Are you talking about the new frond that is beginning to brown? (FYI - I have Southern Ags copper fungicide so I sprayed the crown the other day in case it is some sort of fungus)

I have been told by others that my problem is that the fronds are getting sun burnt. They suggested using a shade cloth to help with that until late fall. I would have a hard time creating structure big enough to have the shade cloth raise above the fronds. Would it be okay if I simply draped the cloth over the palm and used one large wooden pole to keep the cloth off the central spear/growth? My palm gets full hot sun all summer. I know these due better with some shade. I wish my landscaper put smaller ones in so I could easily build something to shade them with to get acclimated to the sun here.

I have heard removing the browned out fronds is not a good idea. I've also heard what WeeNel said (remove the dead ones). Curious to see what others think. I'm especially concerned about removing dead fronds that have not dropped down like they normally do on a health palm.

As far as testing the soil down closer to the roots, is it okay to dig down closer to the roots or will that cause even further issues?

Thanks again for the tips.

-Mike

Hi Mike, I truly understand all your confusion as there appears to be a lot of others giving you differing info while others agreeing with what has already been mentioned here on this thread so, without being rude or un-interested, I think I'm going to allow you to get on with the problems you seem to be having and trust that your guided in the right direction.
My parting advice would be to get in touch with the landscaper as they have obviously been paid for more than one of the same type of plant and NONE of them have survived, so they should be given first opportunity to fix the problem's you have with the palms this company sold you AND planted, I take it in good faith and are a reputable company.
Wishing you the very best of luck and also kindest Regards.
WeeNel.

If there were a danger of frost, keep the dead fronds and tie them over the crown. They might protect the crown. Otherwise, remove them.

Yes, a single stake and draped shade cloth will help. It does not have to be in shade all day, just in the hottest part of the day- maybe as early as 10AM? Certainly from about noon-4PM.

I would try adding some surfactant to the water (Water Wet, Water In, dish soap...)
Perhaps the original B/B roots mass is not getting enough water. Especially if you are having problems sticking the probe into the soil.
If you use the liquid that is for hand washing dishes use 1 tablespoon per gallon of water, soak the root zone once with this, then follow up with more water without any soap. Is there any sort of berm or dam that holds the water near the root zone until it soaks in? Or does the water just run off?

No danger of frost anytime within the next five months or so. I will probably just cut them off.

I will try to add more water. Would everyone agree by looking at the pictures that the issue isn't over watering the plant? I was really concerned about soil not being well drained, so I was trying not to water too much.

Given the high temperature, I think whatever water you have been putting on the soil has been evaporating so fast that it is not really benefiting the plant. Good to watch it when you know the drainage is poor, but I think a deep soaking is in order.
Water that is deeper in the soil around the roots will take longer to work its way up, so it won't dry out so fast. While that is exactly the problem with poor drainage (Soil stays too wet) I do not think that is a problem in the hot summer months with a new plant. It needs the water.
A well established plant has the roots well spread throughout the area, and can get moisture from a much larger reserve. The new plant does not yet have roots any larger than the original amount that were dug up in the field where it came from.