The Grass Doctor

How can I save my palm tree from dieing?

I have a few palm trees on my front lawn. They are probably only 8 or 9 feet tall. I went away for 5 weeks and they got no water at all. One looked pretty sick and only had one green (measly looking) frond left. Last night it got windy and blew that last frond off! So all that's left is the trunk. Should I bother with a lot of water and fertiliser, or is this palm tree a goner? Thanks

Public Comments

1. Many palms will lose all of their leaves after sharp frosts and still manage to re-sprout, so yours in theory could do the same. I would continue to water it to give it this opportunity, allowing it several months to de-stress, and trust to luck. There's a good chance that it will re-grow, if it has enough energy reserves within it, and its roots have not been damaged severely - though these can regrow too. Some palms just grow from 1 point, whilst others sprout and form clumps - I don't know which species you have, so can't 100% say how it will fare - the single growing point type don't generate another, after it has been lost, so would die. If yours can grow new shoots at the base, then it could re-grow as a clump, or could be trimmed to just a new single growth point. Don't feed it if its roots are dry though, as this will stress it further, and I wouldn't feed it much, if at all, until it starts to regrow either. Hope this helps. Good luck! Rob
2. Unfortunately,The best course of action is you would water an outdoor palm in a pot once per day [ As it will need more water outside in this weather than it did inside]
3. if the palm has lost (died) its centre frond than unfortunately its a goner. dont bother trying to revive it. if, the center frond is still green and firm than start dosing your palm with half strenghth liquid seaweed. repeat this every 5 days for 2 weeks. make sure there are no exposed roots. if so, cover lightly with garden soil. apply a slow release fertiliser, preferably something organic, water in well, then apply sugar cane mulch at a depth of 50mm. keep the water up and every two weeks a dose of liquid seaweed. it'll recover.