Hi all, This plant has been growing warped bent stalks since forever. Today I got it into my head to do something about it but I don't know what. I can't turn the plant because those stems fall to the floor without support. I've attached some photos. I don't know why this keeps happening to me. I have one in the bathroom under a skylight that is doing the same thing (although that one doesn't bother me so much because it's so small). I've attached a photo of the one too. Any ideas as to what to do and how to stop this from happening? Other than the crooked stems they seem happy enough.

palms lose a set of fronds every year ... if that is the right word .. frond ... it cyclical.. annual.. and normal ... once you see a new shoot developing.. it might be time to cut off the worst of this lot ... but not all at once ... did you move it to a new house?? ... if so.. its stressed due to all the cultural variables being changed.. light.. heat/temp.. you watering different than grandma .... etc .... i also wonder about when was the last time it was repotted into fresh soil .... see whats going on IN THE POT ... too often we over react to what we see.. and the problem is the part we cant see ... [i have experience with the bugt issue embo mentions] potting media is a water management system .... and it wears out ... leading to watering problems ... which leads to stress .. which leads to what we are looking at ... we had a houseplant palm for 20 years ..... no clue if it was this one ... but we kept it rather dry .. so if you are watering it.. and keeping it wet ... there might be a base issue ... there is a houseplant forum.. and you might get a lot of guidance there.. on how to care for it ... [and looking above.. i see you covered that] .... and probably also a palm forum ... but i dont have time to check that ... good luck. and try not to love it to death ... ken

Hey! Don't despair! It's quite likely it's got nothing to do with you or anything you're doing; it may well just be an issue there in that location that needs a bit of detective work to identify. A few questions that may help us get to the bottom of it: Can you have close look at the leaves, please, and tell us: - whether (what I think I see) the yellowing is starting in the leaf veins while surrounding leaf tissue remains green for a while, before turning yellow and dropping? - Is it the newer leaves mainly that are yellow, getting better/greener as they get older, or vice versa - the young leaves normal/green, but yellowing as they get older? - Also, how compacted clay-ey is that soil of yours? When it's dry, does it become almost rock hard? - If your home is new, is there a possibility there could be builders' rubble under your garden bed, eg lumps of concrete, bricks and so on, which could be leaching lime, making the soil in that area extra alkaline, esp after rain? - (Maybe others can answer this one; I'm def not an expert) - that yellow mottling of leaves wouldn't be Rose Mosaic Virus, would it? I have to confess that although Adelaide isn't really that far from Melbourne, I've never spent any real time there (in Melbourne). Everyone complains about the cold weather there, but I think that might just be Australians' idea of cold, which may not be quite the same as in places with actual cold climates! :-)

So Al, you mentioned that sips of water are not the ideal way to water. As noted in the piece about watering with a 'tell', watering in sips ensures there is no way for the dissolved solids in tapwater and fertilizer solutions to be removed from the soil. Eventually, the concentration of dissolved solids can get so high, water is actually pulled OUT of cells instead of entering cells during the essential osmotic process. This results in the tearing of plasma from cell walls, which is why the technical name for the issue is 'plasmolysis'. We commonly know it as fertilizer burn. I usually water most of my plants ether by running water through them untill fully saturated, or place them in a bowl of water and let them drink from below. The former is a better choice than the later. It's far more effective at removing accumulating dissolved solids from the soil. But i Have always been nervous to do this with all of my sans. so I do just give them sips of water every other week or so. How do you transition from sips to full saturation while knowing the soil will not stay that way and dry out in the appropriate time? The best way is to use a medium that drains thoroughly without any extra effort or special considerations. That's what I do. There are four other ways which immediately come to mind. After flushing the soil thoroughly, you can: 1) Hold small containers over the sink and move the container downward before reversing direction sharply to upward. You'll immediately see Newton's First Law of Motion in effect as water in the pot continues moving downward after the reversal in direction. You can remove ALL perched/excess water from manageable pots using this bit of science. 2) Tipping the pot and allow it to drain thoroughly. This is most effective when there are drain holes through the bottom of the pot AT the sidewall and the drain hole is at it's lowest point (after tipping the pot. Compare image B to A below. 3) Use a wick, which is best positioned through a drain hole in the pot's bottom at the sidewall. Let the wick dangle over the edge of a sink with the pot tipped as in B, until the pot completely stops draining before returning it to a collection saucer. For large pots, you might need to lift them above the collection saucer so water can drain. The wick should never be allowed to dangle in the effluent that exits the drain hole. 4) Efficient utilization of ballast, set in place when the planting is established, can eliminate 95% or more of a planting's ability to hold perched/excess water. Once it's become a part of the planting, it works passively to displace almost all soil capable of holding perched water, which is enemy #1 when it comes to root health. I’m very confident that the damage is mechanical. Me too. Do I need to remove the leaf? Or will it stop? It's not necessary to remove the leaf. Plants create walls or barriers to decay and injuries to protect viable parts of the organism. Dr. Alex Shigo wrote extensively about trees' ability to protect themselves this way, and came up with the acronym C.O.D.I.T., for compartmentalization of decay in trees, though the process is not limited to trees alone. So, if you remove the leaf, base your decision on whether or not you think the appearance of that particular leaf is tolerable. The plant would prefer that you keep it, and can chemically recognize when it's time to shed the leaf if/when it changes from an asset to a liability. Al