Windmill Palms Declining?

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wxman
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Windmill Palms Declining?

Post by wxman » Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:11 pm

I'm wondering if my windmill palms have reached the end of their rope up here in Wisconsin. When I uncovered them back in March, they were 100% green. We've had temps in the 30s/40s/50s since then and no nighttime lows below 23 or so.

Well over the course of the last month, I've noticed brownish splotches increasing in size on the fronds and also the fronds are closing up on the ends. Normally that would mean the trachy is too dry, but we've had a decent amount of rain this spring. So maybe root rot? Who knows.

The spears are still firm and don't pull, however they have not grown at all since I uncovered the palms (I marked them that day).

Here are some pictures.

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lucky1
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Post by lucky1 » Fri Apr 19, 2013 7:19 pm

Looks like a bit of cold damage since uncovering.

Hope you didn't fertilize them when it was cold.

Barb
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wxman
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Post by wxman » Fri Apr 19, 2013 8:37 pm

lucky1 wrote:Looks like a bit of cold damage since uncovering.

Hope you didn't fertilize them when it was cold.

Barb
Nope I don't fertilize til May!
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Mario509
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Post by Mario509 » Fri Apr 19, 2013 9:30 pm

I doubt is root rot. Those palm can take alot of rain. Thy have Windmill Palms in seattle and they get tons of rain. Windmilld thrive in seatttle
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RyanNiagara
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Post by RyanNiagara » Fri Apr 19, 2013 9:59 pm

Looks like shock. Heated protection in the winter then sudden exposure to cold will do it.

Beny
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Post by Beny » Sat Apr 20, 2013 4:57 am

Im agree with Barb, mine doing that sometime after taking off the protection. Thats happen we temp. drop Under the freezing point. I think is a protection from the palm. When the temperature go up, everything looks good after. Except the burn tips :wink: ..

Ben

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hardyjim
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Post by hardyjim » Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:24 am

They will be fine.


BTW-if you use the IMG code under the HTML on Photobucket you can post your pics here.
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InsanePalmNinja
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Post by InsanePalmNinja » Sat Apr 20, 2013 2:20 pm

Looks like Freeze Damdle to me. I have that happen to me all the time because am not sure how to get heat to my garden at this time. I think you took the protection off too soon. I lost my Mule palm and one Needle because of it also. Am going to buy more Mule Palms when my tax return comes. I think, I need to get my pimp hand ready for the US Government slap.
Nobody panics when people plant normal trees because its part of the plan... if someone plants a Palm EVERYONE LOSES THERE MINDS!

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GlennKing
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Post by GlennKing » Sat Apr 20, 2013 4:08 pm

Looks like our cold,wet and windy Wisconsin spring may have beat them up a bit.....I would thing they will be fine once the weather gets warmer....
Glenn zone 5b SE WI

wxman
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Post by wxman » Wed May 01, 2013 6:16 am

Well after warm weather the past week - 60s, 70s and 80s (was 87.9 yesterday), my largest one is still showing NO GROWTH. I marked the spear when I uncovered in March and it's still in the same darn spot. No spears pull, but a lot of the existing fronds are bronzed in areas (sunburn? cold damage?). Makes me mad because I protected the same exact way each winter and never had issues with bronzing of fronds or lack of growth once spring commenced.

I think the same thing is happening to my windmill palms that my washy experienced several years ago. The roots finally grew out of the enclosure after several years and were fried from the cold.

I'm holding out here for the best, but with no growth at all since uncovering (last week of March) and especially with a warm week now, I'm getting discouraged. This palm put out 13-15 fronds last year and was going gangbusters. 4 feet of trunk, 8 feet overall height. Now looks like it might have given up its ghost.
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CTPalm
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Post by CTPalm » Wed May 01, 2013 12:18 pm

My waggie looks like that. I had it in the house for protection. When I brought it out last month on a cloudy day - went to work out came the sun and fried it.

Actually every year when I bring out the trachys a lot of the fronds do that and I have to cut them off.

I actually wondered how you guys cover with no lights all winter and expose to the sun without frying.

Mine get full sun in a window and I fry them every year.

Hope that's all it is for you.

Paul
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wxman
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Post by wxman » Wed May 01, 2013 5:54 pm

Some updated pics.

Image

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Still no visual growth.

Here is the other one. I think it has less burn and it's already pushed its spear over an inch this spring.

Image
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lucky1
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Post by lucky1 » Wed May 01, 2013 6:57 pm

Tim, that is cold after they came out of protection.
But they'll be fine.

Once heat and water are available, you won't even remember this.

Barb
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TimMAz6
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Post by TimMAz6 » Wed May 01, 2013 7:01 pm

Hi Tim,

your palms are beat up but look like they are ready to take off again.........we'll see another foot of trunk by season's end. 8)
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