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Problem Solver Plant Marquee

Plant:

Palms
Image of Palms
Adaptation
Warm parts of the country that don''t experience frost. Palms are also popular indoor plants.
Soil
Indoors: Use a potting mix specially formulated for palms. Outdoor: Tolerates many types.
Water
Indoors: How much: Add water until some drains through the pot. When draining is complete, empty the saucer. Water when the surface of the soil is barely moist. Outdoors: When the soil is almost dry.
Fertilizer
Indoors: Fertilize once a month during early spring and summer when the plant is growing actively. Fertilizing is not necessary during the winter. Outdoors: Use a slow-release palm plant food.
Light
Indoors: Most palms will grow better in full light, but many are adaptable to somewhat reduced light. Grow in an east-facing or curtained south- or west-facing window, or in a room with light from a number of windows. Outdoors: Full sun to partial shade.
Related problems

Bud Rot -

Image of Bud Rot
Bud Rot

Gliocladium Rot -

Image of Gliocladium Rot
Gliocladium Rot

Lethal Yellowing -

Image of Lethal Yellowing
Lethal Yellowing

Mealybugs - Palms

Image of Mealybugs - Palms
Mealybugs

Palmetto Weevil - Palms

Image of Palmetto Weevil - Insects
Palmetto Weevil

Scale Insects - Palms

Image of Scale Insects - Palms
Scale Insects

Spider Mites - Palms

Image of Spider Mites - Palms
Spider Mites
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Bud Rot -

Image of Bud Rot
Bud Rot
Description
The palm stops producing new fronds. The last new frond turns yellow and then brown before it dies. The entire bud can be pulled out. One by one the fronds next to the bud turn yellow and then brown and then die. Eventually the entire top of the palm falls away, leaving the bare trunk standing. Palms of all ages and sizes are affected. Most damage follows periods of cold weather and high rainfall.
Analysis

This often-fatal palm disease is caused by a fungus (Phytophthora palmivora) that enters the palm through wounds or other openings. The spores can also be washed down into the palm bud by heavy rains. Once infected, palms may die within a short time. Most severe bud rot occurs from spring to fall.

Solution

Fertilize with a palm plant food. Remove dead palms as soon as possible to prevent infection of nearby healthy palms. Apply a fungicide labeled for this disease, following label directions.

Close

Gliocladium Rot -

Image of Gliocladium Rot
Gliocladium Rot
Description
Brown spots appear on the leaf stems. Leaflets turn yellowish brown on one side of the leafstalk. The fronds die, starting at the bottom, leaving only several alive at the top of the plant. The whole plant can die. A pinkish brown mold appears on the leaf bases. Sometimes the central bud area rots and a pinkish brown mass of fungal growth covers the inner portions.
Analysis

This disease is caused by a fungus (Gliocladium vermoeseni) that infects parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) and some other palms. The fungus produces large numbers of pink spores on infected leaf bases and in an infected bud area. Air currents carry these spores, which will infect other palms if the leaves are wet. The fungus kills the leaves and may invade the central bud and kill it, too. Gliocladium rot is favored by low temperatures.

Solution

Remove any leaves that have symptoms. Avoid getting water on the fronds. Keep plants in warm rooms, and give them adequate light, water, and fertilizer.

Close

Lethal Yellowing -

Image of Lethal Yellowing
Lethal Yellowing
Description
Many palm fronds turn yellow and die, from the bottom up. On coconut palm, all the nuts usually drop. The nuts are black where they were attached to the flower stalk. New flower stalks are blackened and do not set any fruit. After several monhs, all the fronds and the bud have been killed. Shortly thereafter the entire palm top falls off, leaving only the bare trunk. No insects are visible.
Analysis

This serious palm disease is caused by bacteria-like organisms called phytoplasmas, which are carried from palm to palm by a planthopper (Myndus crudus), a tiny sucking insect related to leafhoppers. Planthoppers feed on fronds, especially the newly emerging ones, and are difficult to detect and control. Coconut palms and many other palms are susceptible.

Solution

Planthoppers are difficult to detect and control. Lethal yellowing cannot be cured. Avoid planting susceptible palms. Remove infected palms to avoid spreading the disease.

Close

Mealybugs - Palms

Image of Mealybugs - Palms
Mealybugs
Description
Oval, white insects up to 1/4 inch long cluster in white, cottony masses on leaves, on stems, and in the crotches where leaves are attached. A sticky material may coat the leaves. Mold may grow on the leaves. Leaves may be spotted or deformed. When the condition is severe, leaves and plants may die.
Analysis

Several species of this common insect feed on palms. Mealybugs damage plants by sucking sap, causing leaf distortion and death. The adult female mealybug may produce live young or may lay eggs in a white, fluffy mass of wax. The immature mealybugs, called nymphs, crawl all over the plant and onto nearby plants. Soon after they begin to feed, they produce white, waxy filaments that cover their bodies, giving them a cottony appearance. As they mature, they become less mobile. Mealybugs cannot digest all the sugar in the sap, and they excrete the excess in a fluid called honeydew, which coats the leaflets and may drop onto surfaces below the plant.

Solution

Separate infested plants from those not affected. Apply an insecticide labeled for mealybugs. If only a few bugs are present, wipe them off with a damp cloth or with cotton swabs dipped in rubbing alcohol. Inspect new plants thoroughly before putting them in the house.

Close

Palmetto Weevil - Palms

Image of Palmetto Weevil - Insects
Palmetto Weevil
Description
Palm fronds turn yellow, droop, and fall over. Entire tops may collapse within days. On inspection, large snout beetles and fat grubs may be found within the crown.
Analysis

Rhynchophorus cruentatus This weevil is a Florida native whose primary food is cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto), but it will feed on saw palmettos (Serenoa repens), Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis), Mexican washington palms (Washingtonia robusta), royal palms (Roystonea), Bismark palms (Bismarckia noblis) coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) and some other palms as well. It is attracted to damaged or dying palms. The adults are black and red, or all black, beetles up to 11/4 inches long and have long snouts. Their young are legless yellow grubs to 11/2 inches long. They feed on the new leaf tissue around the central bud, killing the leaves and eventually, the entire plant. Adults fly actively, and are most noticeable in late spring and early summer. Palms under stress, including newly planted palms, are at the greatest risk from palmetto weevils.

Solution

Once trees begin to show symptoms, they cannot be saved. Cut them down and destroy them to keep the grubs from maturing. Keep trees healthy with regular feeding and watering, and avoid wounding them. Grow palms that are adapted to your climate and not stressed by normal weather.

Close

Scale Insects - Palms

Image of Scale Insects - Palms
Scale Insects
Description
Stems and fronds are covered with white, cottony, cushionlike masses; brown, crusty bumps; or clusters of somewhat flattened reddish, gray, or brown scaly bumps. These masses don''t move when touched. The bumps can be scraped off or picked off easily. Fronds turn yellow and may drop. A shiny or sticky material may cover the lfronds and stems. Sooty mold may develop on the sticky substance.
Analysis

Several different types of scale insects attack palms. Some types can infest many different plants. Scales hatch from eggs. The young, called crawlers, are small (about 1/10 inch) and soft bodied and move about on the plant and onto other plants. After moving about for a short time, they insert their mouthparts into the plant, feeding on the sap. The legs disappear, and the scales remain in the same place for the rest of their lives. Some develop a soft covering, others a hard covering. Some species of scales are unable to digest all the sugar in the plant sap, and they excrete the excess in a fluid called honeydew, which may cover the fronds or drip onto surfaces below.

Solution

Isolate infested plants as soon as scales are discovered. Remove as many scales as possible with a cloth or toothbrush dipped in soapy water. Avoid bringing scale crawlers into the house. Apply an insecticide labeled for these pests, following label directions.

Close

Spider Mites - Palms

Image of Spider Mites - Palms
Spider Mites
Description
Fronds or leaflets are stippled, yellow, and dirty; they may dry out and drop. There may be webbing between leaflets or on the lower surfaces of leaflets. To check for mites, hold a sheet of white paper underneath an affected plant and tap the frond sharply. Minute specks the size of pepper grains will drop to the paper and begin to crawl around.
Analysis

These mites, related to spiders, are major pests of many houseplants, including palms. They cause damage by sucking sap from the undersides of leaflets. As a result of their feeding, chlorophyll disappears, causing the stippled appearance. Spider mite webbing traps cast-off skins and debris, making the plant messy. Under warm, dry conditions, mites can build up to tremendous numbers.

Solution

Isolate infested plants from others. Take plants outside or into a shower and wash the mites off the leaves with a strong spray of water. Keep air humid to help prevent infestation and proliferation. Avoid bringing mites into the house. Apply an insecticide labeled for these pests, following label instructions.

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