Question

Pygmy Date Palm  

Pygmy Date Palm   We had a Pygmy Date Palm planted last week. It looked great when planted but now is looking a little wilted and I am concerned it isn't healthy. Do they suffer from shock when planted? It is about 6 ft tall and was wrapped in burlap when planted. I also noticed that they cut off some of the bottom before planting, is this normal? I was told to water everyday for 30 days with a lite trickle from the hose. I hope you can answer my questions and advise what I might do to ensure it thrives. I do have another one that we planted many years ago and it is doing great.
Thanks in advance. The first picture is 3 days after planting, the second was this morning. Also noticed the seed pods drooping.

Answer
Hi Denise, I just now got your question, because for some reason it went to my spam folder, but I found it so lets address this, first of all ensure that they planted it with the first lateral roots right at the surface, not even a couple of inches deeper, this is imperative; second, it is normal for a little stress from the initial planting, so regular watering for a couple of weeks anyway, is needed. It was difficult to see the condition of the Palm with your pictures,,,too far away, but I would recommend going to Home Depot and getting a bottle of "Palm nutritional spray",,,,follow the directions on the label,,,ensuring that you spray the fronds in the morning when the palm is covered with morning dew, this way the pores that are known as "stomata" are open and will take the spray into the innards of the Palm, otherwise if the palm is dry and they are closed,,,it will just run off and not help at all. That is all for now, make sure you don't see any browning of the spear,,,which is the emerging frond in the middle, this is the key,,,if it turns brown then the heart is dead and the palm also. The company that put it in should have a guarantee,,,so check into it also. Nick