Florida palms swaying in the breeze mean just another day in paradise for basking in the sun and playing in the yard. Many varieties of palms dot our tropical landscapes and are one of the easiest and most drought-tolerant trees in Florida. Do you know what your palm tree needs to be healthy?
Q. I receive frequent mailings suggesting that my Washingtonia palm needs to be taken out and replaced for free. Is this something that I should do?
A. The only reason to replace your palm tree is if it's not healthy, in a bad location, or if you would like to have something else there. Be leery of all "free" offers about your landscape plants. If you want to get rid of something that somebody else wants - then it's up to you to accept their services. But if you didn't even have the thought in your head and you enjoy your palm tree, why let anyone else tell you that you "should" replace it and put something else there? That's a very old manipulation technique of getting free plant material and making big bucks selling it to another unknowing, naive homeowner.
Q. One of my sago palms has recently developed several patches of discolored needles that are very brittle. When I broke a few of the needles, they snapped like dry spaghetti? What's wrong?
A. This sounds like a nutritional deficiency, possibly potassium. Make sure you are feeding your sago every three months with a complete (all the major nutrients) palm fertilizer that is composed of not just nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, but also includes boron, zinc, manganese, chlorine, molybdenum, copper, and iron.
Q. Some of the spiny palm leaves on the lower portion of the palm have turned brown, which I am assuming is normal, and part of the growth process. I believe these will need to be trimmed off. However, some of the higher leaves looked frayed. We have had some high winds recently. Is this fraying caused by the winds, or is something else going on with the palm.
A. It can be normal if it's not all the palm fronds at the same time. Winds can be a cause of frayed ends but if the fraying ends are swirled and stunted, it could be a nutrient deficiency. You can send a digital photo to me if you can't take a sample palm frond to your local Extension office to determine the problem.
Go To Page: 1 2
