Hi all, i recently bought a 5 feet palm plant and it was really nice & happy for rhe first two weeks but now since 2-3 days i noticed all leaves drooping to the extent that the palm cannot take its own weight. I really want to save this beauty - please help! Sharing before and now pics for reference
Ease the rootball from the container and have a look to confirm the problem. Soggy soil and mushy roots are symptoms of overwatering. If this is the case, remove much of the soil and all rotted material then repot in fresh soil. Standard potting soil is usually mostly peat and can benefit from the addition of materials such as perlite, pumice, and bark chips to make it more porous. The container must have drainage holes to allow excess water to drain away.
Hi i removed the nursery pot and saw this. Looks like over watering but wanted to confirm. Its my first time with a palm so need help! Also how do i know which roots are spoiled? and should i let it dry completely before repotting? And should i open the roots a bit before repotting?
Aside from being rootbound, the roots appear to be firm and of normal coloration. Then perhaps the problem is uneven and insufficient moisture being applied to the rootball, particularly its interior. I've not dealt with a multi-specimen palm before but I would consider cutting the rootball into three pie-shaped sections and replanting them into a bigger container, one perhaps a couple sizes up so that each section can be surrounded by fresh soil. There'll be root damage from the separation so some of the individuals may succumb to the operation. Hopefully someone with experience with a similarly rootbound palm can chime in. You may also want to consider other factors which may have caused the plants to droop. Are there any cold or warm drafts in that location? Are there extremes in temperature and humidity?
Is it really droopy? I see that one leaf bent over on the right, but is it an old leaf? It's going to always lose the old leaves as it gets new ones. It might have been wrapped up when it came into the shop, and it has opened now to its normal shape? I agree with potting it up into the larger pot. Feel how heavy it is before you water it, then water it thoroughly (in the sink or tub , where you can be sure you're giving it enough water - let the water run through), and feel how heavy that is. Don't water it again until it feels more like the pre-watering weight. That tray underneath doesn't seem large enough to protect your floor unless you always water at a sink or tub and wait until you know all the excess water has drained out. That would lead me to agree with Junglekeeper that some of the plant might not have been getting enough water.
Thank you for your inputs! I repotted it to a larger pot and watered it too along with trimming some loose ends.. I didn’t cut the roots into half as I am not very confident in that yet and didn’t want to harm the plant. Should i water it until the water starts dripping in the bottom tray? Changed the tray as well so its a big bigger now :) will share pics soon i felt it was drooping as when I got it the leaves were all upright but not anymore
When I'm not sure of watering required, if I can carry the plant to the sink or tub, I do water it until the water comes out the bottom and the plant is heavy (since on dry soil, water will run through right away without wetting the soil). Then I feel how heavy that is. After that, I water until it's that heavy (but make sure it's a lot lighter before you water it each time). If you water until water comes out the bottom, you have to make sure you don't leave it sitting in that water.
Warehouse stores in northern areas buy in large potted Tropicals grown outdoors in suitable climates like Florida. A lot of this material will not be able to do well inside ordinary rooms with typically low illumination and humidity; before purchases of such are made individual kinds being considered should be looked up to see if these are actually suitable for use as house plants. And even with those that may be there will still be a transition to indoor conditions that will have to be accomplished. When the involved production operations were located outdoors.
Thank you! I don’t think incan lift the plantfor watering as its heavy but I will keep in mind to remove extra water from the plate
I think your palm is more likely to be suffering from underwatering than overwatering. If it was happy for your first 2-3 weeks and then began its decline that suggests to me dehydration. From your photos it doesn't appear to show yellowing or browning fronds yet which you would expect with any overwatering. I would place a stake in the plant and then loosely tie the fronds together to give it some support. My suggestion then would be to take the pot and submerge it into a large pail or tub of water. You can remove the plant from the pot but if it is easier then just put the pot and all in the water. Enough to completely cover the pot and plant. Quite likely you will see air bubbles coming out of the root ball which will indicate that the plant is extremely dry. Leave it for a few hours to fully rehydrate the plant. After you remove it I would place a large clear plastic bag over the plant to help restore the humidity around the plant. Info in the link below for continuing care. Good luck! majesty-palm-drooping
Thank you! Its just that its so heavy that I am unable to lift it up. I had added some pebbles at the bottom up upon’s someones suggestion so its really heavy now! Should I put in more water directly in the pot?
That's no longer recommended, see The Myth of Drainage Material in Container Plantings Should You Put Gravel or Rocks at the Bottom of Plant Pots for Drainage? You could probably easily remove them now, and that will at least make the pot lighter. Is there someone who can help you get the pot into the sink or tub for a first soaking (and help remove the pebbles)? If it's that heavy without the pebbles, maybe it really is taking up water. It's hard to know, but it seems worth knowing.
Unfortunately no one there to help me! I am afraid if i remove the pot again it might be too much turmoil for the plant just in the last few days. Is it not ok to add more water in?
Looking at your last photo there doesn't appear to be a tray underneath your pot. If so, first, go to your garden centre or big box store like Home Depot etc, and get a plant tray much larger than your pot eg, if your pot is 8" in diameter get a tray for a 12" pot. Second, if you placed the pebbles in the pot and then placed the plant on top that won't help with humidity. If possible, lift the plant out and remove the pebbles and place the plant back in the pot. Now, place the pot in the new plant tray and fill the tray with water up to the edge. If the plant is as dry as I suspect the water will be absorbed into the rootball and hopefully into the plant. You can keep filling the tray with water until no water is being absorbed. This might take a couple of days. When these plants get dry the rootball can actually act like an umbrella and shed the water to the sides and out the pot at the bottom but the plant isn't actually getting the water it needs. If this does restore the plant then you can lift the pot up and place the pebbles in the tray and place the pot on top of the pebbles. Now, if you have water just to the level of the pebbles this will increase the humidity around the plant. Then you should be able to carry on with a regular watering schedule. The only time you need to worry about overwatering is if you allow the plant to sit in a tray of water constantly for days and weeks.
I wouldn't worry about causing any turmoil to the plant because as it appears right now, whether it's under or over watering, the plant seems to be in decline. If you are able to get it back on a better path it will recover quite quickly but leaving it in the state it is in now will likely lead to the loss of the plant. Perhaps someone at a local garden club could provide some help with moving it?
Not sure if anyone can help as I stay alone in a condo. But yes I will remove it from the pot and remove the pebbles and then put it back in water. Right now the only plate i have is the one with the pot so will need to buy a new one tomorrow.Hope that resolves the issues! will keep you all posted
Hi everyone! Thanks a lot for your inputs! Here are the ltest pics of the plant- its still not fully recovered but I feel its better than when I reached out last time- please do let me know what more can I do to bring it back to full health. Thank you so much.
Looks like you're on the right track now. Just maintain a consistent watering schedule. Maybe in a few weeks you could begin to fertilize with a granular houseplant fertilizer. Ask at a good nursery or garden centre and they should be able to direct you to the right one for you. You will lose a few fronds as there are some damaged ones after the plant was stressed but there should be new growth soon to take their place. Good luck.
Next time you water, feel how heavy the pot is. Don't water again until the pot does not feel that heavy. You can wait to determine how light it should get the first time until the leaves seem to be drooping a little (and the pot is feeling lighter).
