Washingtonia robusta turning a yellow colour

[sanatic1234]

Hi. I have 2 washingtonia robusta seedlings that i grew from seed this year and they both looked really good and very healthy till this past few days, its in a south facing windowsill and has been there for a good month or 2 now. What does it mean when it turns yellow, i did water 4-5 days ago. Any suggestions?, is it not liking being indoors?

[kata]

Have you allowed to dry out then watered,

Maybe they need consistency in their young development.

But what do i know?

Wait chum, for them that knows.

[sanatic1234]

Yeah i always waiting till the soil dries before watering now that it is winter mate. It is strange how its just come on all of a sudden?

[kata]

When dry and coming away from sides of the pot, mist them,

Thats really all they need in winter.Make sure you hit the plant (not just the soil) with the mister, and on a fine day (once a week) give them an airing out doors and a good watering.

[sanatic1234]

This is what im thinking also kata, is the hot dry air not doing it no favours? I think taking it out during the day would be a good idea. And i could give misting it a go it may do it some good, i always thought palms retainted its oisture thats why i haven't misted before? cheers kata anything is worth a go i don't want to lose them.

[Washielover]

I feel your pain. Yellow is not my favourite colour when it comes to palms. I just lost all 28 my 6 year old Robustas in this frigid, crazy winter here in the Southern US. I'm replacing them with Sable Palms and Windmills. They all survived without a glitch and it has been -17C here for days on end at times. We just went through a blizzard, then thick ice for a week and those babies are thriving.

[eddie]

I don't think yellow is a reason for panic. My seedlings are in their third winter now, and have always got some yellow leaves by the end of winter.

I believe it's because the palms don't grow during winter but the leaves are aging, so that means yellow leaves without new green ones. Doesn't look very nice, but they will probably regrow when spring comes.

I could be wrong though.....

[fgtbell]

Yellow leaves generally with potted plants are a sign of over-watering.

If you can do it without risking damage, I'd suggest gently de-pot it and have a look at the roots. If they are "flat" i.e. collapsed, papery, brown or slimy then they aren't happy. Healthy palm roots are firm and white/yellow.

Having said that, yellowing in palms can also be a sign of salt build-up. Have you been fertilising heavily with the likes of Chempak No 2 ? If so then the salts from the inorganic fertiliser can gradually build up causing this problem. If so then you could flush through thoroughly with water, so remove the salt. The yellowed fronds may not recover however.

Finally - and less likely - yellow fronds can be a sign of mineral or trace element deficiency in palms:

Try this link: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5990692_yello ... -tree.html. It explains the problems caused by lack of Potassium, Mangnesium, Manganese, Nitrogen and Iron. Any of these could be treated with a slow-release fertiliser containing the minor and trace elements.

[sanatic1234]

Hi fgtbell. My washies have made a full recovery mate it was the lack of light i was giving them, they are a healthy green now and leafs are fully open They also have new spears pushing out as well

[eddie]

Having said that, yellowing in palms can also be a sign of salt build-up.

Salt is not unlikely here, since i'm living at the north sea coast. So maybe it's not only the slow growth but the salt build-up to.....

[fgtbell]

Hi fgtbell. My washies have made a full recovery mate it was the lack of light i was giving them, they are a healthy green now and leafs are fully open They also have new spears pushing out as well

Glad to hear that. I think it was Dave Brown pointing out elsewhere that he uses a transparent parasol over his, specifically to let the light through. Washies are a "difficult" plant in the UK precisely because of this, our winter light levels are really not ideal for them.

[Yorkshire Kris]

My washies have been in a garage with a North facing window since October. They still look good. I think light levels are not that crucial when the palms are not in active growth.