Usually if they are not growing(and the leaves are shriveling) it means trouble,dont overwater it and keep an eye on the new leaves,it may have suffered some root damage,did you have it outside last season?could it have gotten frozen roots at any time?
If it got some root damage and your keeping it from being to wet it may come back,if the spear pulls its probably to late as this sounds to have started from the roots.If your palm can hang on without spear pull until spring/summer it has a good chance of coming back,if you really feel like you need to take action the best thing to do is sinse the soil off,check for root damage and if there is some trim all of the damaged stuff off, treat with root hormone,repot in a well draining soil keep it warm and hope,you can also try watering with superthrive after its been replanted,sometime its not a great idea to move a sick plant but then again it may save it,so,there it is.

OK thanx!

i have repotted it yes cuz i had noticed root troubles. But that was about 2 months ago. But nothin has been goin on now besides the new leaves dryin up. They have not moved at all since about summer. They were outside last summer. Then brought them in in about mid fall. I suppose the leaves have been dyin too cuz maybe the plant is tryin to gather enough nutrients to save itself?

I'm wondering if rot is a possibility, either crown rot or root rot. The spears won't always pull right away, not until the foliage decays enough. I would dump a little peroxide into the crown just to be safe.

crown rot? what is that? never heard of it.

Its not a good sign that the leaves are drying up,you'll just have to wait and see.If it loses its spear from the roots up its really to late to save. Usually if the spear pulls from cold,etc,or damage to the growth point(crown,spear) the palm can recover from inside out if it has healthy roots and some carbs(food, energy)stored up,I don't think it will recover once the spear pulls if there is root damage,you'll just have to wait and see,sometimes they have given up the ghost long before we can tell.Good luck!

I have lost the center spear in my three Windmills. The trees still look relatively healthy. We have just been through a long cold spell here in NC. Temps around 12 degrees a few nights. Any suggestions to help get trees through the next 3-5 weeks? I feel by reading some of the posts, my trees may be OK. Is it possible that cold just killed the new growth only?

pthompson, I wouldn't worry too much about your palms. Windmills are marvelous about recuperating from center crown loss (or so they say). I had a tiny T.wagnerianus recuperate from center loss last spring. Not sure why you lost your spears on the T.fortunei My mininum got down to 4 F. the leaves look less than great but the spears are plump and good to go for the Spring. Yes, damage depends greatly on minimum temps but also--sun exposure, wind conditions, soil type and moisture, humidity, general health of the plant, and even the unique genetics of the particular plant play a role. (PS., I leave the crowns exposed on mine but cover the trunks with a string of X-mas lights then cover the trunks with some very shear insulating blankets using bungees.--Takes me about 5 minutes per tree, about the extent of my exterior, X-mas decorating in December.) Good luck!

Thank you njoasis, Mine has probably been through wind chills well below 0. They are heavily mulched and I had them wrapped well. I don't think I protected the top of the trunk good enough. Do you think it's wise to use peroxide? I have read about some who use this method. By the way we have had temps in the low 70's this last week. I hope the worst is over.

The palm will probably come back without your help but I do know that a lot of people do use Copper sulfate as a preventive fungicide for center spears problems.

How long does a t.fortunei need to be in the ground before it is well established? I feel like wind is my problem. I will surely concentrate more next year on wind protection.