Potted Phoenix Palm

I have 2 plams in large ceramic pots, one has survived the harsh winter but I'm not sure about the other one. The new leaves just came straight out from the midlle and it is very wet in the middle. The older remianing leaves are very brown at the ends but otherwise not too bad. Is it to gone to save? Thanks

Re: Potted Phoenix Palm

Reply from Katy Elton

Hi Sue,

A lot of plants have suffered at the hands of the winter just gone, but if you’ve had signs of life since then it’s always worth trying to save it. I would initially think about improving drainage – it sounds as though it may be fairly waterlogged? Palms like a well-drained soil, so it may be worth re-potting in soil with grit added, and crocks at the bottom of the pot. Make sure your container has plenty of drainage holes too. It is also important to feed palms throughout the growing season (you can get special palm fertiliser which is ideal, but a general fertiliser will also do). Remove any badly browned leaves, but try to avoid removing too many as this can impede the plant’s vigour when putting on new growth.

Next winter it would be worth protecting the plants with horticultural fleece, bubble wrap, hessian – anything you can get your hands on to add a bit of extra warmth to the plant!

Hope this helps.
Keep us posted.

Katy