I like to be optimistic but I have the feeling from your posting that the dehydration get beyond the point of no return. I had let mine get too dry last winter and by the time I noticed it, some leaf damage and loss was done. It took a summer outside to recuperate fully. One thing you really have to watch with palms is that many will not give obvious signs of dehydration until it's too late. Also, when we buy some of them (especially from the big stores), they come so root bound that the water merely pours right though the pot without any absorbtion. I don't know what's in those bark mixes but I've noted the same thing with recently purchased palms--which is why I almost immediately transplant to a somewhat larger container with a richer (but well-draining) soil mix. Good luck!

Thanks for the response. I bought this palm from a nursery in Chicago (and it cost quite a bit more than the big box stores, so I didn't think something like this would happen!) The guy who sold it to me said that I wouldn't even have to think about repotting it for a year. I didn't even have it for five months. Oh well.

How would I know if this plant is dead? Do all of the leaves turn brown and fall off? They're still mostly pale green. I don't want to throw it out yet if there's a chance that it will make it!

You said that one of the trunks pulled.--How are the other two? Still firm and green? If you, it could pull though. You really need to soak that root ball thoroughly though. Those pale and discolored leaves will not change back to healthy green, if it recuperates it will be by new growth at the top (and eventually side pups/suckers characteristic of this species).

The other two seem to be firmly in place, but they're definitely not healthy looking. They're shriveled, dry, and more yellow than green at the bottom. Things look bad for this plant. :-(

Well, I did have one good thing happen recently - I finally got an orchid to not only stay alive for more than 6 months, but re-bloom! The irony is that it was root rot that killed my first two orchids, and now dehydration is taking out the lady palm.

The thing to remember about palms is that although they demand excellent drainage and tend to resent saturated conditions, the vast majority have issues with deep drought and once the damage is done, it's difficult to recuperate. Palms from very arid areas of North Africa or the Southwest (Washingtonia)send down deep roots to tap into ground water in the desert oasis. Raphis is a nice indoor palm--one of my favorites. We all suffer losses, consider it a learning experience--painful though it be.

I think the other 2 can recover, but they are slow growing palms so it will take a while. I have a 3 gallon pygmy palm with 3 trunks, but the way the pot was probably too small and it dried up (even though I watered it every other day), and it Iost 2 out of the 3 trunks, but the 3rd one is still growing normally and is recovering. I would repot your plant to a pot that keeps some more moisture in it and fertilize. Then the 2 live trunks will re-grow slowly but surely.

Good luck!