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Windmill Palm care

15 years ago

OK so the windmill palm I have is doing good, but I have a few question. First, About how long does a single leaf live for? Second, If there are brownish looking spots about the size of a penny(maybe a little smaller)does that mean that there Is root rot? Third, one of the leafs on the windmill palm is kinda not growing. It has been the same for about 3 months. It is a new leaf with the stem not showing and the spiky things(frowns? i dont remmeber what there called) are just hanging down on the side of the plant. does anyone know why this is? is it normal? there are still other new leaves growing and have become fully grown looking.

Thanks!

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Comments (2)

User
15 years ago
Your posting provides no information on the following points:

1.) In which climate zone are you located?
2.) Is the palm being grown as a containerized indoor palm or is it in the ground?
3.) If it is containerized, what size is the palm and its container?

My windmills are in the ground at have gone dormant for the season at this point as it's too chilly for any active growth. (Not sure about how long the leaves remain, guessing 9 months to over one year, depending on winter damage if in the ground in colder zones.)
jimhardy
15 years ago
Try giving the spear leaf(newest folded leaf)a gentle tug,if it pulls out you need to apply some fungicide into the hole where it pulled and pray because if what your discribing is that the spear is not moving and the other leaves(fronds,stems of the leaves)are drooping it may be because the center is dead or nearly dead,I would say if the spear pulls and the other leaves are already drooping you need to cut across the trunk and see if there is any living tissue,if you find some and the outer edges are not rotted you will need to apply fungicide and pray that a new spear begins to rise up.Is this palm planted outside?,if so what zone are you in?If it is outside and you have spear pull and are in zone 7b or less you may want to consider bringing it inside for the winter to help it recover but try the above steps first,if there is no spear pull,is it possible that your under watering it?how about a picture?
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Hi, Welcome to the site! As for your windmill palm, there are a few things that could be causing the problem. If its close to a heater, then the air is definitely way too dry for it. Windmill palms like humid air and dont do as well in dry situations (but they usually manage to do very well indoors when not directly near a source of heat). Also the soil can dry out a little bit. It should be moist, never soaked in water. Put your finger in the soil and its the soil is a little moist on top, then its good and you dont have to water. If its starting to get dry on top then give it just a little bit water. I rarely water mine during the winter (and it stays outside whenever night temperatures are above 25F which means most of the winter this year) So its either too wet, too dry, or gets too much dry air. A drafty window might work well for a windmill palm. It would get some fresh air and probably more moist air as well. But the cooler it is, the less you have to water it so dont over water it if its in temperatures that are cold. I never water mine when its below 60 degrees outside (rain water is the only water it gets and sometimes I will protect it from that water as well), but when its in the 70s or higher outside, I make sure its always getting enough water. Good luck! -Alex
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I would look under the pot to see if the roots are coming out of the drain holes. If they are, grab hold of the trunk and pull the entire plant out of the pot to see if they are root bound. If they are, then you know its time to repot. I have 2 that are about 2.5 feet tall with 8-10" trunks that are 3" thick at the base, and their pots are no where near 12x12. They grew like crazy last summer. If you do repot, it might be a good idea to mix in some dried up leaves for compost and fertilization. I did that when I first potted mine, and I think that's why they grew so nicely.
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These were about 3 feet tall to the top frond when I got them. The first year I didn't protect them at all. They were totally buried in snow several times in 2010. In '11 and '12 I did cage them with C9 xmas lights clipped to the inside of the cage and stuffed with leaves, and covered with a frost blanket. This seemed to give them a head start for the growing season. But I uncovered them a bit too early this year and it didn't seem to matter. They've consistantly pushed out a 10 -12 fronds each year and seem to almost double in size. They only receive about 4 hours of direct sun each day. My yard is shaded by a lot of trees. Yet they thrive. I fertilize with "Nurseryman's Palm Fertilizer" in April and July. These are super hardy palms!
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I also recieved a 3 gallon windmill palm off of ebay about a year and a half ago in March of 2009 and planted it in the ground in early march soon after I recieved it. It saw one or 2 nights below freezing and of course had no problems! It didnt grow too much until this past summer. I protected it with some Christmas lights followed by a frost cloth and a plastic garbage bin over it to retain some more heat and keep it dry. It kept the palm about 20 degrees warmer than the actual temeprature outside which was more than enough to keep it happy. Its easy to apply and works well. Its also not that hard to find the supplies. The only downside to this method of protection is that your palm will eventualy out grow it, but not for at least 4 years or more from a 3 gallon. Good luck! -Alex
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