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Please save my Canary Island Date Palm

rybicki.grzegorzrybicki.grzegorz Posts: 2
in Problem solving
hi guys
I've bought CIDP in September last year and it's been dying ever since. Now all leaves have turned yellow and dropped off (there is tiny new leave sproutig so its not completely dead yet). Not sure how to help it. Its planted in a large pot with mix of clay, sand and multipurpose compost. It gets southern exposure so plenty of sun during the day.
I check soil humidity and it's always on the wet side despite very little watering (I'm on the south coast to loads of sun but also heavy rain now and then).
Recently bought special fertilizer for palms and starter addig it on a weekly basis.
Any ideas what I do wrong and how to save it?
thanks

Posts

  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Has your plant been outdoors over the winter?  These palms are not fully hardy and will suffer in temperatures below freezing.  A soil based compost like John Innes No 3 would be more suitable for your palm to ensure that it is free draining.  Your pot also needs a drainage hole which is not blocked and the pot needs to be elevated on pot feet or similar to allow free drainage.  The pot should also be the right size for the plant - just large enough to get your hand around the rootball on either side when you are potting it. If it's too big, the soil will not dry out between waterings.  Palms won't enjoy permanent wet conditions, the roots will be deprived of oxygen, leading to leaf loss. 

    I'd repot the plant in an appropriate sized pot using the soil mentioned above, move the pot into a sheltered spot where it won't get too wet for a while and don't apply any fertiliser until it shows signs of recovery.  Then you can move it back into the sun and water only when the top two inches of soil feel dry.  Hope this helps!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • rybicki.grzegorzrybicki.grzegorz Posts: 2
    thank you. moved it smaller pot (most roots died off so now its the proper size), change the soil to JN3 and added some perlite to improve drainage. hopefully will recover. 
    thanks again

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