Palm gets yellow leaves or brown leaf tips

A palm with yellow leaves and brown tips is not in the best shape. Only a detailed analysis reveals what this damage can be attributed to. Failures in care are also among the triggers, such as diseases or pests. Only the knowledge of the actual cause enables effective countermeasures to save the suffering palm. This guide addresses common causes and gives practical tips for solving the problem.

Change of location

root cause

• unsuitable location

measure

• Change of location

One of the most common causes of brown leaf tips and yellow leaves is improper location. Take a look at the habitats of palm trees, they are regions where shade and cool temperatures are rare.

If there is a lack of light, the sun-hungry indoor plants reduce photosynthesis. As a result, the fronds turn yellow in the early stages and then die off from the tips. Immediately changing to a location with the following framework conditions can solve the problem.

This is how it works:

• sunny to shady location with at least 4 hours of sunshine a day
• from May to September on the south-facing balcony or in a sun-drenched place in the garden
• in winter at the full sun south window, in the bright winter garden or light staircase
• all year round not below the minimum temperature of 15 degrees Celsius

If there is no sunny location available during the dark season due to a lack of space, a daylight lamp compensates for the lack of light. The minimum temperature of 15 degrees Celsius applies to all indoor palms. Hardy species such as the needle palm or the Dwarf palm endure frosts down to - 13 degrees Celsius or colder. The requirement for a sunny location remains unchanged.

Increase humidity

root cause

• dry heating air

measure

• Increase humidity

Palms have adapted very well to the lower humidity in the Central European climate. It becomes precarious for tropical and subtopical ornamental foliage plants when they are exposed to dry, heated air for long periods of time in winter. The palms react to this stress with brown leaf tips. At the first signs of this effect, the humidity should be increased.

This is how it works:

• Spray the fronds and leaves daily on the upper and lower sides
• Use primarily lime-free, room-temperature water
• In addition, fill the coaster with water and expanded clay balls or grit

So that the decorative palm leaves are not marred by brown tips in the first place, the humidity in living and working rooms is optimized at the beginning of the heating season. Air humidifiers from specialist retailers, an indoor fountain, an aquarium or water evaporator for radiators are perfect.

Change water supply

root cause

• unbalanced water balance

measure

• Modify water supply

The vast majority of indoor palms prefer a substrate with alternating moisture. Specifically, this requirement implies that the root ball should neither dry out nor stand in water. If there is an imbalance in the water balance, yellow leaves and brown tips are inevitable. Fatally, these damage patterns occur both in drought and waterlogging.

Naturally, dried out roots are unable to transport water into the palm leaves. If the root strands are softened by excess water, the supply also comes to a standstill. In order to bring the water supply back into line, your horticultural instinct is required.

How to do it right:

• Only water when the palm soil has dried 2-4 cm deep
• Let the lime-free water run onto the root disc until the saucer fills
• Pour out the coaster after 20 minutes, unless it is filled with pebbles or expanded clay

The actual water requirement depends on a variety of factors. These include the type of palm, season, size of the bucket, substrate structure as well as the light and temperature conditions at the location. Therefore, please check regularly with a thumb test whether there is a current need for watering. During hot summer periods this may be necessary every 2 days, whereas during winter the watering can is only used every 1 to 2 weeks.

Fertilize properly

root cause

• Imbalance in the nutrient balance

measure

• Fertilize properly

The large family of palm trees gives us a multitude of different species that come with individual nutrient requirements. A fast growing petticoat palm (Washingtonia robusta) requires a higher concentration of fertilizer than, for example, the extremely slow-growing needle palm species Rhapidophyllum hystrix. The affected palm responds to an overdosing or underdosing of fertilizer with brown leaf tips or yellow leaves. Therefore, put the nutrient supply to the test to what extent the following basic requirements are met.

This is how it works:

• Palms fertilize organically or mineral-organically during the growing season from April to September
• fertilize small and slow-growing palm species in half the concentration
• stop nutrient intake from October to March

Despite their tropical and subtropical origins, palms also require a balanced Formulated from nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK), like all other green plants in Room culture. You are of course free to use a special, high-priced palm fertilizer.

A commercially available green plant fertilizer, however, also covers the need. Please use a liquid fertilizer that you add to the irrigation water. It is important to note that you never put fertilizer on dry substrate. The salts it contains damage the roots, causing brown leaf tips to form. Pour clean water before and after, avoid this problem.

Change substrate

root cause

• compacted earth

measure

• Repot in palm-suitable substrate

Palms are endowed with deep tap roots and a close-knit system of fine roots. Accordingly, the substrate should be loose and permeable so that the countless adventitious and hair roots do not come under pressure.

Under the influence of compacted soil, the supply of the palm fronds comes to a standstill, whereupon yellow discoloration and brown leaf tips develop. If you can identify this cause as the trigger for the damage, the problem will be remedied by immediate repotting in fresh soil.

This is how you do it:

• pot the palm to remove old substrate from the root ball
• Lay a water-bearing layer of potsherds on the bottom of the pot
• Enrich high-quality potted plant soil to a third with deciduous or coniferous compost and coconut fibers
• alternatively, as a substrate, a mix of 1 part each of clay and leaf compost, enriched with horn shavings and perlite
• Pot the palm in such a way that the previous planting depth remains unchanged
• Pour thoroughly with soft water
• Let it regenerate for 8 to 10 days in a partially shaded, warm location

Conventional potting soil is not suitable for your palm. Such a substrate is not structurally stable due to the high proportion of peat and tends to compact. Furthermore, in normal potting soil there is a lack of sufficient air supply, something which the fine roots in particular are dependent on.

If you don't want to mix the appropriate substrate yourself, you can use special palm soil from specialist retailers. Good quality products are already finished with aggregates for a structurally stable permeability as well as a sufficient supply of fertilizer for 2 to 4 months.

Lime-free water

root cause

• Leaf chlorosis as a result of excess calcium

measure

• Use lime-free water and apply iron fertilizer

Only a few palm trees can cope with a calcareous substrate. As a rule, an acidic, lime-free soil is preferred. If mainly hard tap water comes into the watering can for the water supply, an excess of lime builds up in the substrate. As a result, vital nutrients are established.

First and foremost, iron and magnesium no longer get into the palm fronds, although they are present in sufficient quantities in the substrate as micro-elements. A typical symptom of this deficiency symptom are yellow leaves, from which the green leaf veins stand out.

To restore balance:

• Immediately water the palm with boiled tap water or collected rainwater
• compensate for the iron deficiency with a special iron chelate fertilizer (without iron II sulfate)
• remedy the magnesium deficiency with pH-neutral kieserite or Epsom salt
• Dissolve the fertilizer in lime-free water and apply as foliar fertilization

It will take some time to correct the nutritional deficiency. The measures come too late for the affected leaves if the leaf chlorosis is already well advanced. However, do not cut off the fronds, because each cut weakens the already stressed palm. Wait until a palm leaf has completely died and then peel it off the trunk.

Placing in and clearing out

root cause

• Frostbite

measure

• Check in and clear out times

Indoor palms love it when they can spend the summer on the sunny, warm balcony. However, the exotic pieces of jewelry have not learned to deal with cool temperatures or even frost. If you move your palm too late in spring or do not bring it into the house in time in autumn, brown leaf tips are the result. If the root ball freezes partially or completely, the leaves turn yellow and die.

How to work around the problem:

• Immediately dispose of indoor palms with the first signs of brown leaf tips
• Set up in sunny, bright winter quarters at 18 to 20 degrees Celsius
• Garden palms cover with light and air permeable fleece
• place the bucket on wood and wrap it with bubble wrap

The brown tips of the leaves disturb the exotic appearance of a palm. You can cut off the damaged areas, leaving a small edge of the brown plant tissue. Please do not cut into healthy, green leaf tissue, as this will also turn brown as a result.

Acclimatize

root cause

• sunburn

measure

• Acclimatize

Palm trees are among the sun worshipers among indoor plants. Nevertheless, they can suffer sunburn if they are suddenly exposed to the blazing sunlight in spring. As a visible sign, the leaves turn yellow or brown leaf tips are formed. So that it doesn't get that far in the first place, harden the palms for 8 to 14 days in a partially shaded, warm location on the balcony or in the garden. Only then does the plant take its final place in the sunny location.

Yellow leaves as a result of sunburn can also appear on the south window sill of living and working rooms. If you bought a palm tree in the garden center, it was seldom found there in full sun. Assign your new roommates to acclimatize for 14 days by the partially shaded west window.

Fight pests

root cause

• Pests

measure

• fight ecologically

In a sheltered living room or winter garden, palm trees are by no means safe from pests. It is mainly spider mites that use the dry heating air during the winter to attack the leaves. The drama begins on the underside of the leaves.

This is where the first colonies settle, which can be seen in some species by white webs. Spider mites sting the leaf tissue and deprive it of the sap and thus the green color. If the yellow discoloration catches the eye, the infestation is already well advanced.

How to fight the plague with ecological means:

• isolate a spider mite-infested palm from other indoor plants
• Put the bucket in a waterproof cover to give the leaves a vigorous shower
• then wipe the fronds with an alcohol-soaked cloth
• Dab hard-to-reach leaf axils with cotton swabs that have been dipped in alcohol beforehand
• Fight stubborn infestation with a biological insecticide based on rapeseed oil or neem

The classic soft soap solution has proven its worth as a home remedy. You make this as a mix of 1 liter of boiled water, 1 to 2 tablespoons of pure soft soap and 15 ml of alcohol. Use this to spray the undersides and tops of the leaves every 2 to 3 days.

If your palm tree has not yet reached majestic dimensions, an uncomplicated and effective option is available. Spray the entire plant with soft water. Then put a transparent plastic bag over her. Under the influence of the high humidity and the lack of oxygen supply, the spider mites die off within a few days.

Wait

root cause

• natural vegetation cycle

measure

• Wait

If only the lower palm fronds turn yellow while at the same time a new leaf is growing in the treetop, no special measures are required. In this case it is a perfectly normal process in the vegetation cycle. Ideally, be patient until the palm releases the yellowed leaf on its own. Simply peel the frond off the trunk to avoid a cut.