"Dave Poole" wrote in message
...

Generally, I look at repotting or potting-on my palms every 3 - 4
years depending upon the vigour of the plant. Your best bet would be
to *carefully* repot as outlined above and water more thoroughly from
now on. Imagine the 'donkey and carrot-on-a-stick' situation; by
allowing the compost to become dryish before watering deeply and
thoroughly, you encourage the roots to grow and search for moisture.
This keeps them active and healthy. Insufficient moisture over too
long a period causes the roots to become inactive or even start to
die, while too much water all of the time causes the compost to
degrade rapidly and the roots to rot.

I have had a Neodypsis decaryi for around 25 years. It has grown slowly but
consistently over that time, with its "trunk" barely 20cm high, but the
leaves extending to 2.5 metres. I repotted it once around a dozen years ago,
but about 18 months ago decided it could do with some new soil, as its pot
was a mass of roots. So with minimal teasing of the roots I put it in
well-drained soil in a larger pot. Its leaves have slowly died back, and
the new bud forming in the base has remained unmoved for at least a year.
To misquote a well-known parrot sketch, I believe it is now an ex-palm...

I am not sure why it has died, but the build-up of salts mentioned in your
first post could well be a major contributory cause.

--

Jeff