Bangalow palm

1greenfinger

I have no idea if this is in the right section.............. I've just bought and re-potted a Bangalow Palm into a large pot on our sunny deck in Nelson NZ. Lots of full sunlight and a daily watering and within days leaves are starting to brown off. Pot filled with potting mix and about 20% peat and drains well .
Can't decide if too much water, not enough water, too much sun or just a crap job re-potting........can anybody help. New shoots in the middle still look healthy for now! I don't mind buying another to replace it but don't want to risk the same problem.

Attached Files

Bangalow.pdf (2.67 MB, 183 views)

Urban Treecare NZ

Hi Greenfinger,
Where was the palm located before? Could be sunburn if the tree is now in full sun and was previously in shade.

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www.urbantree.co.nz www.urbantreecare.co.nz

1greenfinger

Purchased from the garden centre, filtered sunlight, and also in a shady corner. Label says best in full sunlight......so I did. What next ?

Urban Treecare NZ

The tree needs a bit of a transition to full sun, the new leaves will harden to the new amount of light but the old ones will likely burn and die off and the new fronds will replace them. Maybe you can put the palm in the semi-shady spot to begin with and see if it improves.

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www.urbantree.co.nz www.urbantreecare.co.nz

1greenfinger

Well you can learn something every day.......never thought a palm tree could get sunburn. Mabe I'll give it filtered sunlight till autumn [end of April] and then back in the glow. Thanks Matt.

Eric Frei

Have you ever seen or heard of the term "sun hardened"?

In a large palm nursery here prior to selling they sun harden the palms, likely they had too many complaints like yours.

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Victor Lindsay

Abiotic stress.

1greenfinger

So the consensus of opionion is that the change in habitat has been too severe and the palm would now benefit from a move into part shade/filtered sunlight unitl such time it becomes sun hardened. What is the prognosis doc?

Eric Frei

You don't stick it out in the sun in summer either, but also avoid frosts in winter.

Also use a wetting agent, often the stuff in the pot they grow things in at a nursery is far from soil, more like some woodchip mix, gets hydrophobic.

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1greenfinger

Wow, there's a lot more to this growing stuff than you think.. I thought I'd bought myself the ultimate in grow fast in the sun, water me daily, robust palm tree, ideal for planting around swimming pools. Good job it's in a pot that I can move.

Now for my next question .............what's a wetting agent? and what do I do with it?

Keep the answer simple

Eric Frei

It's a surfactant that helps soil retain moisture rather than let it bead up and wash away.

Ever seen dry soil not allow the water to penetrate? That's called hydrophobic and a wetting agent fixes it.

Potting mix turns hydrophobic within a week or two without surfactants and that means you water like crazy and it pisses out the bottom of the pot but the plant starves.

Go to a nursery/garden centre and get yourself some wetting agent, cheap it is. Get some seaweed stuff too, and a few beers.

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1greenfinger

The beers sound good but I'll skip the seaweed......just out of interest do you smoke it or chew it?

Have a look at the info I got with the palm [attached] let me know what you think.

Cheers,
1greenfinger

Attached Files

Palm Instructions.pdf (1.33 MB, 176 views)