Nikau Palm turned yellow?

we recently planted a young nikau palm but the next day it started turning yellow, what could this be soil, water, sun!

has been watered well

Sorry to hear about your Nikau palm. It can be pretty frustrating when you put time and effort into planting something and it doesn't seem to be doing well.

First off, it's hard to say exactly what's causing your palm to turn yellow without seeing it in person or having more information about the conditions it's growing in. That being said, there are a few things that could be causing the issue.

One possibility is that the soil isn't draining properly, and the palm is getting too much water. Nikau palms don't like to have their roots sitting in water, so if the soil isn't draining well, it can cause the roots to rot and the leaves to turn yellow. You might want to check the soil around the palm to see if it's waterlogged or if it smells musty. If that's the case, you might need to adjust the drainage or even repot the palm in a different container.

Another possibility is that the palm isn't getting enough sunlight. Nikau palms are native to New Zealand, where they grow in shady, forested areas. However, they still need some sunlight to thrive. If your palm isn't getting enough light, it can cause the leaves to turn yellow and eventually fall off. Make sure the palm is getting at least a few hours of sunlight each day, and consider moving it to a sunnier spot if possible.

Finally, it's possible that the palm is just adjusting to its new environment. Transplant shock is a common issue when you first plant something, and it can cause the leaves to turn yellow as the plant adjusts to its new home. If this is the case, there's not much you can do except give the palm some time to acclimate. Make sure you're watering it properly and keeping it out of direct sunlight, and hopefully it will start to recover soon.

In terms of what to do next, I would suggest trying to identify the cause of the yellowing and addressing that issue. If you're not sure what's causing it, you could try giving the palm a bit of extra TLC - make sure it's getting enough water, but not too much, and consider adding some fertilizer to the soil to give it a boost. With a little bit of patience and care, hopefully your Nikau palm will start to thrive again soon!

young nikau are meant to be protected by canopy trees. They are notorious 'sulkers' when transplanted. The kermadec variants are easier and much faster growing. You will live your life and die before you see a small NZ nikau get much more than head high.

Their roots are very delicate and highly resent any disturbance, so youmay have stressed it out. as funkydunky has said they can take years to get going and even more to get to any size. we transplanted little ones under some trees when we moved here over 15 years ago and they are still small!

I planted two Nikaus from Piha that were about 200mm high about 18 years ago. One is now 4.4 metres high and the other is 4.1 metres high.

Transplant shock.Like funkydunky says they like to be under the shade of taller trees.I planted several over 10 years ago that all went like that.They looked dead but i left them in place & now theyre all up to my shoulder.Theyre lovely trees.Dont despair if they look dead for the first year.