HOW TO BRING A DYING PALM TREE BACK TO LIFE

If you are wondering why your palm tree is dying and want to know what you can do to bring it back to life this post should help. Here we will show you how to properly care for palm trees so that they always stay in good health and look their best. Read below reasons why your palm tree is dying and steps to bring it back to life.

WHY IS MY PALM TREE DYING?

BRING A DEAD PALM TREE BACK TO LIFE

If you think your palm tree is dead, there are some things you can do to bring it back to life. Proper watering, pruning and fertilizing your dying palm tree will is the best way to bring it back to life. Follow the steps below to properly care for your dying palm tree.

1. ADD THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF WATER

Watering your palm tree too much will cause the fronds of your to start turning brown or yellow and fall off before dying. Furthermore, not watering your palm tree enough will dry the leaves out and starting turning brown. Adding 30% sand to your soil will provide great drainage to prevent overwatering and using a soil meter will help you avoid not watering enough.

TIP – Palm trees should be watered less in the winter and more in the summer (Summer is when your palm tree will grow the most)

2. USE HIGH-QUALITY FERTILIZER

If your palm tree is not receiving enough nutrients it will be more susceptible to diseases. Giving the palm tree the nutrients it needs will ensure healthy development and growth of the palm tree. Avoid cheap fertilizer products and they will not work.

Tip – Get a high-quality slow-release fertilizer to avoid the nutrients being washed away by rain or watering.

3. KEEP FERTILIZER 2 FT AWAY FROM ROOTS

If you add fertilizer too close to the roots you could actually burn them. You should always keep fertilizer at least 2 ft away from roots to avoid the tree becoming susceptible to insects, fungi and diseases. Copper fungicide offers great protection from bacteria and fungi.

4. USE HIGH-QUALITY SOIL

This step is for new palm tree owners only. Using the correct soil with a new palm tree should provide the right moisture and soil drainage the tree needs to grow happy and healthy. Do not mix fertilizer with soil as it can burn roots as we mentioned above.

5. ONLY CUT FRONDS AFTER THEY ARE COMPLETELY DEAD

Do not cut palm tree leaves right away after noticing tips turning brown. Cutting the leaves too soon will result in nutrient loss. Pruning too soon will prevent new growth. Only cut brown palm tree leaves once they are completely dead or brown colored.

6. DON’T PRUNE DURING HURRICANE SEASON

Some Arborists will say you should prune palm trees before a hurricane or monsoon season to get rid of extra weight. This is false and you could be putting your palm tree under more stress by removing its fronds. The fronds actually provide protection from the wind.

Tip – Try tying the fronds together vs cutting them off.

7. PLANT PALMS TREES AT THE RIGHT LEVEL

This step is for planting a new palm tree or replacing an existing palm tree. When planting a new palm tree it is wise to plant the palm tree only deep enough to cover the root ball of the tree (the circular ball of roots at the bottom of the tree). However, Mexican Fan Palm trees can be buried 4-5 ft deeper than the root ball. This offers a great advantage to landscapers who want to match tree heights.

8. MAKE SURE IT HAS THE RIGHT NUTRIENTS

Make sure your palm trees have enough potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Without these nutrients, a palm tree can become deficient and experience a whole list of problems. Leaves will gain spots in the event of a potassium deficiency. Leaves will appear deformed and stunted in the event of a calcium deficiency. In the event of a magnesium deficiency, leaves will have yellow bands running along the border of the fronds. And in the case of an iron deficiency leaves will have broken ends, green spotting, and thin green veins.

9. INCREASE OR RESTRICT SUNLIGHT

New palm trees can become sunburned if left in direct sunlight. On the other hand, when not enough sunlight is present, the leaves will start turning brown. However, if your palm tree has been established in the shade for a long time, it has most likely acclimated to that amount of light.