palm plant help please…?
i repotted a palm about a week ago, now the shoots are turning yellow & the soil on top is kinda moldy. what do i do? im not sure, but i think its a kentia palm.
Did you use a sterile potting mix? If you use a sterile medium, rather than just soil from the garden, it should prevent the palm from being infected with something in the soil.
if there’s just a little mold growth on the top of the soil it may be coincidental to the palm’s lack of health.
The yellowing shoots suggests a couple of things to me – over-watering, or drying out too much, especially if the shoots are dried, some other stress, such as cold temperatures. If the plant has remained in the same situation, then it shouldn’t generally be the temperature or light causing the problem, so something else must have caused it.
Kentias are generally good in fairly low light levels, and can get a little sun bleached if moved quickly, without a transitional period, into a high light environment. As I’m guessing that you’ve had your Kentia for some time then I’m assuming it’s still in the same place.
It’s worth idenfitying your palm, so that you’re sure it’s a Kentia – of the popular houise palms Kentia tends to have the wider leaflets on its palm ‘fronds’. Areca and Parlour palms tend to have narrower leaflets, if you’re still sure it’s a Kentia, it’s worth updating this, if no-one has given you the perfect answer.
Here’s a Kentia – http://www.gpplantscape.com/allplant/images/Kentia%20Palm_jpg.jpg
An Areca http://myinfoland.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Areca-Palm2.jpg
A Parlour palm – http://www.indoor-plants.co.uk/parlour.jpg
Sometimes when re-potting plants air pockets can remain in the new space inside the pot, and this can cause the roots to dry out, and the plant not manage to take up enough water, I’d check that there’s no possibility of this by firming it down, and see if the soil gives at all.
If you haven’t over-watered, or left the pot standing in water for a lengthy period then the moldy growth should be minimal and could be sraped away.
Stressed plants need to be cared for and rested, so avoid anything else that could stress it further, including masses more water, feeds or temperature/light changes that are drastic. If you changed the position of your plant, after potting because it seemed better in the new slot, consider moving it back to where it fared more healthily. Whilst this is a sudeen change, at least it would be to a place that it’s likely better suited to.
If you think there has been drying out, misting will help temporarily, though having some standing water, underneath or close by will raise the humidity levels around the leaves. Don’t let the roots sit in water, raise the pot off away from it with a few clean pebbles etc,
I’ll check back later today to see if you’ve added any feedback, if you didn’t quite get the answer that you needed.
Hope this helps. Good luck! Rob
May 26th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
I give hereunder all you might like to know about PALM, its POTTING, CARE FOR HOUSE PALMS and FERTILISING. If you want to know more, visit the site.
POTTING
The main thing to note about repotting a palm is NEVER bury the growing point of the plant. As with the general rules, have the palm sit at the soil level it was previously on. Plant too deep, there is a chance of rot settling in. Plant too shallow, the plant wobbles and the roots never get a chance to anchor firmly into the soil.
Depending on the potting medium, you would need to ensure that there are no air pockets after filling in the medium. Do not over-compact the soil, just a light shake of the pot will get the soil to settle into the airpockets. If the soil is moist, there is usually no need to water until the day after. But if you must water, then make sure that you really water thoroughly through and the water flows freely through the pot drainage holes before that could be considered proper. Watering helps to close up air-spaces in the potting medium.
Adding a few drops of plant hormones with Vitamin B1 could help the repotted palm to get over the transplanting shock. Read the instructions on the bottle for use. Again, too much does not necessarily mean a good thing.
CARE FOR HOUSE PALMS
Plants in the dry interior of the house will attract unwanted vermins like spider-mites. As a care routine, take the plant out every week or so and use water to hose down the leaves. Alternatively, you can use a clean wet cloth and go through the leaves although this is painfully slow for palms like Raphis. I personally avoid using those leaf-shine/gloss products.
FERTILISING
Feeding plants is almost always the first questions people ask of a nurseryman. How much, what type, how often. Yes, container palms need to be fed, but they do not require the frequency like humans need on a 24 hours clock. Palms are slow growing and the best fertiliser (and safest) one can give them would be the coated Osmocotes pellets. Choose the ones with a higher Nitrogen content. Spread the pellets on the surface of the soil away from the palm. Osmocote when used under normal indoor conditions can last for months.
Most of the time, potted palms will be able to get enough nutrients in the soil. This is provided that the soil/potting mix pH is correct (not too acidic or alkaline) and the roots can actually absorb the available dissolved nutrients. Note that most tropical rainforest palms grow well in a neutral to slightly acidic potting mix/soil.
References :
http://www.greenculturesg.com/articles/aug05/gcs010805b.htm
May 26th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Did you use a sterile potting mix? If you use a sterile medium, rather than just soil from the garden, it should prevent the palm from being infected with something in the soil.
if there’s just a little mold growth on the top of the soil it may be coincidental to the palm’s lack of health.
The yellowing shoots suggests a couple of things to me – over-watering, or drying out too much, especially if the shoots are dried, some other stress, such as cold temperatures. If the plant has remained in the same situation, then it shouldn’t generally be the temperature or light causing the problem, so something else must have caused it.
Kentias are generally good in fairly low light levels, and can get a little sun bleached if moved quickly, without a transitional period, into a high light environment. As I’m guessing that you’ve had your Kentia for some time then I’m assuming it’s still in the same place.
It’s worth idenfitying your palm, so that you’re sure it’s a Kentia – of the popular houise palms Kentia tends to have the wider leaflets on its palm ‘fronds’. Areca and Parlour palms tend to have narrower leaflets, if you’re still sure it’s a Kentia, it’s worth updating this, if no-one has given you the perfect answer.
Here’s a Kentia – http://www.gpplantscape.com/allplant/images/Kentia%20Palm_jpg.jpg
An Areca http://myinfoland.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Areca-Palm2.jpg
A Parlour palm – http://www.indoor-plants.co.uk/parlour.jpg
Sometimes when re-potting plants air pockets can remain in the new space inside the pot, and this can cause the roots to dry out, and the plant not manage to take up enough water, I’d check that there’s no possibility of this by firming it down, and see if the soil gives at all.
If you haven’t over-watered, or left the pot standing in water for a lengthy period then the moldy growth should be minimal and could be sraped away.
Stressed plants need to be cared for and rested, so avoid anything else that could stress it further, including masses more water, feeds or temperature/light changes that are drastic. If you changed the position of your plant, after potting because it seemed better in the new slot, consider moving it back to where it fared more healthily. Whilst this is a sudeen change, at least it would be to a place that it’s likely better suited to.
If you think there has been drying out, misting will help temporarily, though having some standing water, underneath or close by will raise the humidity levels around the leaves. Don’t let the roots sit in water, raise the pot off away from it with a few clean pebbles etc,
I’ll check back later today to see if you’ve added any feedback, if you didn’t quite get the answer that you needed.
Hope this helps. Good luck! Rob
References :
May 26th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Wow! Way too much information offered up here that is not related to your question.
Repotting is very stressful for most plants, especially new plants and most Palm species. The repotting is responsible for the leaf yellowing and for the mold. Unnecessary repotting is the single most common cause of plant failure because it often leads to root rot.
The best thing for you to do is undo the repotting that you did. Remove all of the soil that you added – which was contaminated with fungus spores – and put the Kentia with just its original rootball and soil back into its original pot. This will eliminate the mold problem and prevent root rot. You may still see some older frond yellowing for a week or so, but over the long term it will do much better.
If you want simple Palm care information, email me at:
wcreed@HorticulturalHelp.com
References :
http://www.HorticulturalHelp.com