How do I know if my palm tree is dead?

I planted a precious palm tree in the summer. It was doing great! Now that it is cold and icy I've noticed that it is turning brown but it is still standing. Should I take it out or give it a chance?

How do I know if my palm tree is dead?
[WiseBonza is correct]





You don't have to wait to find out whether alive or.....


Simply use your fingernail [or carefully, with a knife edge] to Lightly scrape the outside skin of your Palm's trunk.


If you see Green, it's alive.
Reply:Give it a chance. as the leaves get older, they fall to the sides and turn brown. You can remove those. If it has no green leaves, then it may be dead, but palm trees are tough, so wait until spring to be sure.
Reply:no , give it a chance . you'll it's dead if new fronds don't appear from the centre ( and time won't allow you to determine this ; i.e they can be real slow particularly in the dormant period of winter )


it takes a bit to kill off a palm , and unless you've got palm borer in your plant ( which in all honesty , in your neck of the woods , are beyond remote possibility ) indeed I'd be a monkeys uncle if there is anything wrong with your palm proper .


but like anything , anything is possible , but if you are thinking of


spraying the palm , do not , absolutely not spray with white oil , you will lose it for sure and certain . p.s did you buy it from a nursery or a supermarket ? reason i ask is that plants grown under certain conditions and then end up in air - conditioning , find themselves adapting to those conditions , and vice - versa .


it does have an affect


my advice is hang in there and wait and watch . good luck .
Reply:You did not say where you live.


Palm tree do not grow naturally where there is frost.


On Palm trees, when the heart of the palm, the place where new fronds sprout is injured, like in a hurricane, the palm will die.


I imagine when frost kills the heart of the palm it will also die.


If after planting the tree did not get enough water for the roots to establish themselves, the fronds will turn brown.
Reply:I would find the newest emerging frond and tie a colored string at the base of it. Check to see if the string moves upward. I'd leave it alone until spring.





p.s. Some palms DO survive in temperate climates. I live in zone 6 and I have 3 varieties: Mediterranean windmill palm, needle palm and saw palmetto. They are in protected spots, but they survive.





Others can be used (with luck!) as die-back perrenials, like Chinese fan palm.
Reply:The leaves are going to die off for winter, but the trunk is where the life is at. If the trunk is alive, then the tree is okay. My guess is it's okay.





If it's not a thick trunked palm, then you can scratch the trunk. If it's still green inside, it is alive.





Good luck.
Reply:i'd cut it back, and wait till next summer to see what happens. palm's are for tropical climates. next time you might want to cover it with a blanket or something to try to hold in every bit of heat that you can
Reply:Palm trees normally live year round do they not? And in proper weather conditions (eg islands) they dont die. I have not seena ny of my palm trees die where do you live canada?rofl?