Foxtail Palm – Fronds Not Opening

Q: I have a foxtail palm on which the fronds are not opening. I had a local service tell me it was a boron deficiency and they fertilized it but it hasn’t helped at all. 

A: A typical symptom of boron deficiency in palms is the foliage on new fronds sticks together so the frond does not open. It looks like a stick is emerging from the trunk. Assuming an boron deficiency is what you have, it is extremely important to know what your landscaper applied. There is a fine line between too little and too much. Excess boron will kill the palm if you follow one application with another. Find out exactly what the story is and if you need more boron, apply a product named Solubor exactly according to the label directions.