Hello Houston
It seems like the cold weather has finally come to an end
with warmer temperature's spring seems right around the corner
the big question on the minds of Houstonian's that have palm tree in their yards are what to do now
First - cut the old dead leaves away in the next two weeks - if you have storm broken leaves cut them ASAP - do not over trim leaves close to the very heart of the palm - you can destabilize the crown
Second - if the center leaves look dead - [wearing gloves] give a steady pull - if the leaf spear or central leader comes up - dont worry - its still not a dead palm yet! Part I - if you smell a rotten soggy smell - you have fungus and possibly crown rot - Part II - if you see little white worms that look like maggots - you have palm beetles. Both are curable
If the central leader stays - even better -
We suggest spraying the heart of the palm two times with a fungicide and insecticide even if you do not see either condition.
We always suggest having a 1 or 2 gallon tank sprayer dedicated to your palms - NEVER use a sprayer that has sprayed Round Up or lawn fertilizer - its worth the 15 -22 bucks to get a new one - label it palms and use it only for your palm trees. Its ok to tank mix both the fungicide and insecticide - always use common sense - water proof gloves - long sleeves - long pants - work shoes - a hat - spray in the cooler part of the morning or on a windless and / or cloudy day is even better. mix the fungicide and insecticide according to manufactures' instructions. 1 gallon should teat 6- 8 nice sized palms.
Spray what I call the neck - its the outside of where the leaves come out - get it also on to the new growth and down into the crown - if you had rot - make sure to pull out all of the old dead leaves and cut ALL of the rest of the palm leaves - get the chemicals down into the hole - and treat again in about 2 weeks
we always suggest a 2nd application about 2 weeks after the 1st - but most fungicides are photo toxic / binding and overuse will cause damage to new growth or even palm mortality
for fungicide we recommend Cleary's 3336 - its systemic - available from many fine retailers on line
another two suggestions are Copper Based Fungicide [all big box retail stores] or 20/20/20 Triple Action [Consan] available on line and many retailers -
For an insecticide we prefer Merit 2F by Bayer or Bifenthrin - Talstar or Bifen - are probably the most effective - being available for purchase on line - most poison's available at big box stores are not effect for this kind of treatment
Trees that have lost their heads should not be considered a lost cause until June - if they stink - break - or you see indications of insect infestation - remove at once - BAG and dispose of waste - treating the palm waste one more time to reduce insect populations
Trees that are just trimmed back should start pushing out new growth as soon as the year heats up
Sometimes after a drastic trim back the palm may take a little extra time to recover - keep on the look out for fungus and bugs - any rotten smell or holes / oozing from trunk is an indication of both
We hope this blog helps guide you to accurately treat and prevent fungus and insect mortality on your cold stressed palms.
Jeremy Goldstein
169sod.com
13280 Northwest Fwy
F247
Houston TX 77040
email sodmonster@gmail.com
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