Palm Plant With Dead Leaf Finishes

Friday, January 17, 2014

Palm Plant With Dead Leaf Finishes

Pinnate leaves, like those on this palm, are featherlike.

Palms can be divided into two different groups based on the type of leaves they have. The fronds of plants with palmate leaves are fan-shaped and originate from a single point. Pinnate leaves grow along each side of a straight, central column like the quills on a feather. Although the leaves may differ, the causes for dead leaf ends are the same for both groups.

Leaf Burn

The tips of lower leaves turn brown when palms are over-fertilized and salts build up in the soil. Choose a fertilizer designed specifically for palms to ensure it contains the right amounts of nutrients. Palms need 8-2-12-4 (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium-magnesium) fertilizer. Fertilize lightly during the growing season; don't use turf fertilizer around your plant's root zone. Rinse indoor palms to leach extra salts out of the soil, or set them outside during rainstorms.

Nutrient Problems

The tips of palms in the Chamaedorea genus, which includes parlor palms and bamboo palms, turn brown when exposed to too much fluoride. Don't water plants with water containing 1 ppm fluoride. Don't use perlite in your planting media because it contains fluoride. Soil pH should be between 6 and 6.5. Palms in the date group develop orange-brown tips when lacking potassium. Oldest leaves develop symptoms first and, as the deficiency continues, the entire leaf withers and looks burnt. Potassium deficiencies can be fatal to palms. Iron and manganese deficiencies are usually cosmetic problems, and severe deficiencies can result in brown leaf tips. Plants with iron deficiencies develop yellow leaves with green veins, as an early symptom, while those with magnesium shortages have yellowing in the margins of the oldest leaves.

Moisture

Lack of moisture is another common reason why palms develop brown leaf tips. Palms need to be watered thoroughly, until water runs out of the drain holes, as soon as the soil dries out just below the surface. Pour excess water out of the tray afterwards.

Cold Damage

Palms require warm temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and around 60 degrees during the night. Indoor plants should not be placed near windows, doors or air conditioning. Exposing palms to cold or freezing weather can cause the leaf tips to turn brown, or the entire leaf may dry out. Symptoms may not appear for several days. In addition, plants may develop a bacterial bud rot infection several months after exposure to cold weather.

Palm Decline

Texas Phoenix palm decline is caused by a type of bacteria called phytoplasma. Flowers die on infected palms, and mature plants drop their fruit. Leaves become yellow then brown, starting at the tips of the oldest leaves, then moving to younger leaves. The spear leaf dies and the palm no longer produces new leaves. In addition, the roots become soft and decayed, and they break easily. Once the spear leaf dies, this disease can't be treated and the tree should be removed. If the spear leaf is still alive, an antibiotic called oxytetracycline HCl can be administered, but the palm will need to be treated every four months for the rest of its life.

Century bird cages

Friday, January 17, 2014