Usually palm trees impress with their bright green fronds, which are responsible for the attractive appearance of the plant. If the foliage turns yellow or brown and falls off, there can be various reasons for this. Care errors are often to blame, but they can be eliminated quite easily.
Why is my palm tree losing leaves and what can I do about it?
A palm tree loses leaves due to natural processes, lack of water, lack of nutrients or pests. To save the plant, you should optimize watering, fertilize regularly and, if necessary, treat pests with insecticides.
Natural process
The fact that every now and then a leaf dries up from the tip and falls off is a natural process that is responsible for the plant's characteristic appearance. The lost leaves leave a small scar at the base and over time form a kind of trunk with the typical tuft of leaves.
In this case, only cut off the fan when it is completely dry, as it serves as an important nutrient reservoir for the palm tree.
Care errors
Will the plant:
- Watered too much or too little
- has nutrient deficiency
- or do pests settle on it
she acknowledges these care deficiencies with drying and falling leaves.
Water shortage
This not only occurs due to a lack of watering, but also when you mean too well to the palm tree. In the first case, the plant dies of thirst; in the second, root rot is often the cause. The damaged lifelines can no longer absorb enough fluid and the palm dries up.
Water the palm tree whenever the top centimeters of soil feel dry. Excess water is dumped away after a few minutes. If the plant has been too wet for a longer period of time, you should first repot it and then water it more sparingly.
Nutrient Deficiency
Palm trees that thrive in pots have significantly less substrate available than plants that grow outdoors. As a result, the nutrient supply is quickly exhausted. If you don't fertilize enough, the palm tree will rot and drop its fronds.
Fertilize regularly during the growing season during the summer months. Palm trees are quite frugal; it is usually sufficient to supply the plant with a commercially available palm fertilizer (€8.00 on Amazon) every 14 days.
Pests
Palm trees are unfortunately often infested with lice or spider mites. The harmful insects feed on the plant sap, the leaf is no longer adequately supplied, dries up and is thrown off.
Examine the plant thoroughly. If you find pests, isolate the palm tree and treat it with an appropriate insecticide.
Tip
If the fronds break, for example due to wind, they also die and fall off. Therefore, give the palm tree a protected location where it can develop freely.
