Question
The middle of June, I had a tree nursery plant 4 triple 14 ft. foxtail palms.  Within a few weeks, existing fronds were bending/breaking about a foot from the trunk of each tree.  This problem persists with a loss of 23 fronds from 2 of the trees and about 4 fronds from the other 2 trees.  There is new growth emerging from the crown.  The nursery owner said this is "normal".  I'm concerned that these trees were damaged from the cold of last winter and may not survive this winter.  I live in the Kissimmee area.  

Answer
Hi Beth, there is a syndrome effect from the sever Winter we had this past year, where newly emerging fronds bent and broke at the petiole (stem holding the frond to the trunk..), but existing fronds should not do this, at least in the amount that happened to yours; I would get a guarantee from the nursery, (they are supposed to give a 6 Month guarantee anyway) that they will persevere. Many times palms will decline slightly after planting, due to transplant stress, but the new emerging fronds should eventually show vibrance and health and the palm should begin growing in a natural manner. The newly emerging fronds are the key to success, they should not be stunted at all, so watch for the new fronds to be full length and healthy, if not, get the nursery back out to replace them. Nick