DavidKahn
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Date palm plant dying :(

Hi guys,

I have a date plant in a pot that is about 1.5 years old. Few days ago I noticed that one of its leaves had wilted and become brown. I saw lots of ants around and beneath the plant and thought that was the problem. I sprayed some pesticide and went away. I came back again to see it and noticed the same has happened to multiple leaves now and the ants are back; as shown in the picture (I could't wait till the morning cos I love this plant so much and am worried as hell).

Please tell me whats wrong with it? Is it the ants? Is it high temperatures cos where I live there a max of 45 degrees Celsius. Will re-potting help? Please respond fast I can't see it die.

Thanks in advance
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rainbowgardener
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The ants are a symptom, not a cause. They do not attack living plants, but they do help dispose of the dead parts.

I don't know anything about palm trees and their care, but the soil it is in looks very hard and so dry it has pulled away from the container. It doesn't seem like that can be a good thing.

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applestar
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You reminded me about a passage in Frank Herbert’s Dune

...hm... I couldn’t copy the text where I found it so here’s a screenshot:
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rainbowgardener
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(that would of course be one full-grown date palm, not a baby like yours, but you get the drift)

Incidentally, you put this in the Cactus Forum. I don't know if that was an accident, but a palm tree is not a cactus, not even related. Cactus needs very little water, not true of palm trees.

DavidKahn
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Yes posting it in the cactus forum was a mistake. So its all a lack of water? How often should I water it while it recovers so there is no excess and root rot doesn't occur? And lastly, should I completely remove it from the sun for a few days?

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rainbowgardener
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Water it thoroughly, so that all the soil in the pot is moistened. At this point that will take some working at. Now that the soil is so hardened up, water you pour on top will run through without really wetting it. Maybe set it in a sink of water up to the pot rim and let it sit there for awhile. Then take it out and pour water through until it is running freely out of the drain holes. Let it drain and then do it again. Once you are convinced all the soil is moistened, put it back and don't water again until the top layers of soil are drying out.

Proper watering is all about frequency. You avoid excess watering by not watering too often. When you do water, you always want to water very thoroughly.

DavidKahn
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Really hope it works. Thanks!

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rainbowgardener
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At some point, you probably want to repot it in fresh potting soil. It looks like who ever potted this up just dug up some (very clay) soil from their back yard. That doesn't work in pots, it settles and compacts and turns into basically an adobe brick, which is what has happened here. Soil in a container should be dark and soft and loose:

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