palm tree food

hi my palm leaves are starting too look withered and after reading looks like i need some palm food thing is it all seems to be from the u.s can anyone recommend any good fertilizer from the uk please

btw its in the ground and stands around 7" tall

 

can I ask what kind of palm it is ? thered.

It sounds a bit small to be planted out just yet.

Most ordinary plant food would be ideal.

 

i belive it is a Phoenix canariensis which is supposed to be quite hardy i was told i would need proper food for it as palm require a rich magnesium soil is this not correct and if not which food do you recomnend?

 

They are not as hardy as they say, many large ones were lost last winter.
Small ones stand less chance of making it through.

If its planted out, once it gets its feet down, it shouldn't require any feeding, they need time to establish.

 

just taken a picture you cant really tell from this very well but the leaves look like they are dying

 

I guess its 7 ft tall and not 7 inches tall then:D

How long have you had it, when did you buy it?

It looks to me like its been forced,..... with very long fronds that are not used to hot sun and dry air.

 

yes lol i got my ' and my " wrong it seems i thought it seemed a bit odd when you said it was to small

i have had it over a year it looks like its steadily getting worse the new shoots are still coming but they have a brown tinge to the ends of them

 

My Phoenix are containerised so need feeding, I use specific Palm Fertiliser bought at the Palm Centre.
Most large Phoenix are either Spanish or Israeli imports.

 

thanks i will order some food for them i have been scoring the web for palm food so thanks for that

im also interested in any other tips anyone might have for growing them nice and green

 

I'm not sure that it looks like a fertilizer problem. Normally if the palm needs feeding it will go a lighter shade of green, even yellowing. From the photo I'm wondering if its the conditions in the ground? could it be too wet/dry?

 

you cant really tell from the photo but it is lossing its green in the older leaves these are turning more of a yellow colour

 

...and i'm colour blind which doesn't help. :hehe: All I would say is that as a gardener I've planted hundreds of these palms over the years and I tend to think of them as being as tough as old boots, and it was just the dieing back from tips that makes me think it may be something other than fertilizer. ??

 

Has it been out all winter?
Where are you located thered?

I still think the fronds are far too long for the size of the stem, I've seen lots like this and they take ages to aclimatise or just die.
I dont think feeding will help, probably the roots arn't moving which is why its turning yellow.

 

im in the north east,i was told before not to water too much when i bought it as it makes the tips brown and split so it only gets rain water

the leaves are definately yellowing though which i suppose can mean a number of things how can i try and rectify

btw yes it has been out over winter and in the ground now for over a year

 

Here's my theory. :D I would suggest fertilizer won't do much if anything. I would dig it up and have a look at the roots. This is the engine room of the plant. :D

This must have been a large plant when you bought it, so there's a good chance it will have been pot bound. This means the roots have become so crampt in together they don't grow out in to the soil, so they don't find enough water to grow properly.

Somethimes pot bound roots continue to grow around and around the root ball. So if you did it up easly and the roots as pete says 'ain't moved' you could try teasing the roots apart. Then dig a big hole, fill it with compost and replant. Keep it well watered over the summer. Hopefully by the autumn it will have started to grow and you never need water it again. :thumb: Fertilizer probably won't ever be required either, only in seriously poor soil.