The Grass Doctor

all indoor palm tree leaves turning brown?

I have a tall 5.5ft palm tree. All leaves are turning brown, including middle tender leaves. It is near east face window. At night, it gets light from recess lights in room. I water it 3 times a week. I used organic fertilizer (which is meant for herbs which smells bad) while potting. i noticed fungus like thing on the top soil. I am dusting the plant once a month. I love that plant. i don't want to loose it. what am i doing wrong? what is the right fertilizer for palm trees ?

Public Comments

1. Your palm is sick with fungus.This tree need the direct sun to survive.Maybe you are watering it in excess.You have a little chance to save the tree.Cut the brown leaves and spray the tree with some anti fungal or a soft spray used to kill garden bugs and take it outside for little periods.Good luck.
2. Don't fertilize till spring, and a palm tree doesn't like water 3 times a week, especially in the wintertime, once a week is fine, and if you happened to go away for 2 weeks , it would be fine. Try a little less water. Too much or too little water will cause the fronds to turn brown. Good Luck.
3. Keeping in mind the time of year, you're watering too much. Winter is not the active growing season for palms so they don't need fertilizer and should be left to dry out much more than spring and summer. I doubt if you can save it but you might try re-potting it in a clean pot and new soil making sure to rinse the roots off well before potting. Make sure the pot has drainage holes. You have to look at what mother nature does during the cycle of seasons when caring for some plants. Even if a plant is kept indoors it still has a cycle of growing and resting, blooming and shedding. Good luck!
4. Spray it with a fungicide and cut back on the watering. The palm should get sufficient water to the entire root system and not be watered again until the soil starts to dry. make sure that water is not gathering in the bottom of the pot. There are water meters that will help you with that. Fertilize your tree to try to regenerate growth or it will probably have a long hard struggle.