Is there a Palm Tree disease ?

[chico bill]

My 25' palm tree seems to have died. All the berries dried up dropped off in one week then all the fronds dried up and are dropping
Anyone have this issue or know what could have happened.

Guess I will have to cut it down ? Any ideas ?

 

[AlterEgo]

I hope not, but you just reminded me….. we had three huge gorgeous Royal palms for decades. Out of nowhere, this year one of them died and keeled over. 😢 Here’s the before photo, now only 2.

 

[keepcoming]

Is My Palm Tree Dead? 7 Signs That Show Your Palm Tree Is Dead

If you have a palm tree that is looking sick, you might be wondering if it is even still alive. Some key indicators that your palm tree has not survived include young fronds falling off, leaf discoloration and death, and wilted fronds. If the central area at the top of your palm tree has gone...

plantinggeek.com

 

[cavok]

I've seen dead palm trees like that before. It looks like a lightning strike to me.

 

[chico bill]

I've seen dead palm trees like that before. It looks like a lightning strike to me.

Maybe but not while I was there

 

[cavok]

Maybe but not while I was there

The only other possibility I can think of is someone poisoned it by pouring Roundup all around the base of the tree(?).

 

[cavok]

A tree can also be killed by a method called "girdling". Look for deep machete cuts all around the circumference of the tree down at the base. It cuts off all the nutrients and water for the tree.

 

[cavok]

There are diseases that will kill palm trees, but I've never known one to be able to kill a palm tree in a week. Lethal yellowing was a huge problem years back that killed many types of palm trees. Almost all of the Jamaican Tall variety of the coconut palm were wiped out in South Florida, but it took months for the disease to kill the tree.

 

[Farmer]

The only other possibility I can think of is someone poisoned it by pouring Roundup all around the base of the tree(?).

Possibly. Not an efficient way to use Roundup. It's normally a foliar spray that is translocated down to the root system. Soil usually neutralizes it. Perhaps lots and lots but I doubt somebody gets away with that at CB's.

 

[Farmer]

The root system of those palms is pretty dense and fairly high in the soil profile so maybe? However, if one were pouring that much product on the soil you should see all the other plants and/or weeds near that area dying also.

 

[cavok]

The root system of those palms is pretty dense and fairly high in the soil profile so maybe? However, if one were pouring that much product on the soil you should see all the other plants and/or weeds near that area dying also.

There are other herbicides that are meant to be absorbed by the roots. Not sure why anyone would want to kill the palm tree in the first place though. Maybe an angry neighbor(?). I think a lightning strike is the most likely possibility. We've lost two coconut palms at my condo because of that, and they looked exactly like in the picture.

 

[chico bill]

There are other herbicides that are meant to be absorbed by the roots. Not sure why anyone would want to kill the palm tree in the first place though. Maybe an angry neighbor(?). I think a lightning strike is the most likely possibility. We've lost two coconut palms at my condo because of that, and they looked exactly like in the picture.

I don't think anyone could get past my dogs to poison the tree.
But we had the pool refinished and I noticed the painter was cleaning up near the tree

 

[cavok]

I don't think anyone could get past my dogs to poison the tree.
But we had the pool refinished and I noticed the painter was cleaning up near the tree

Do you have all the grass removed from around the trunk of the palm? I guess if the painter poured some solvent there it's possible(?).

 

[chico bill]

Do you have all the grass removed from around the trunk of the palm? I guess if the painter poured some solvent there it's possible(?).

I doubt he did that. Maybe some root rot or bugs...... Or it's Palm Covid?

 

[cavok]

I doubt he did that. Maybe some root rot or bugs...... Or it's Palm Covid?

Either way, too bad you lost a nice palm tree like that. I've never heard of a tree getting sick and dying so quickly.

 

[CG]

Poor tree... If you have to replace it, do so with a royal palm, they grow much, much quicker than coconut palms..