Hello,

The cotton looking pieces could be mealybugs. Mealybugs can be treated and if left untreated they could kill the plant. I’d first try the least invasive way of getting rid of them but wiping down the leaves and looking at the drainage hole and cleaning that out. After that, you could try using lightly soapy water on the leaves. Another option is a q-tip dipped in alcohol. Just touch the cottony cluster and it will turn orange which means that the bug has died. You will need to do this every 5 days or so until you’re sure you’ve killed all of them.

You mentioned your soil is moist, do you think that the root ball has possibly rotted? Overwatering can cause roots to rot. When you water your plant, make sure all the water drains completely from the pot so that the roots aren’t sitting in water. Water at the base of the plant, directly into the soil – not on the leaves. To see if the roots have rotted you could try pulling the whole plant out of the pot (gently so that the plant remains intact) and shaking off the loose soil. Inspect the roots and see if they’ve turned mushy and brown. If it has, carefully remove the soil and rotted roots to get to the healthy live roots. You don’t have to be too brutal about this; if some rotted roots remain, they will become part of the new soil mix. Add new, fresh indoor potting soil to replace the old soil. Remove any dead fronds as well as any plant debris sitting on the soil.

It many not respond much in the next few months, but as the days get longer and it is exposed to more sunlight, you should see new fronds emerge from the center of the plant. By early March, you should pull the plant away from direct sunlight.

If the roots appear fine, just put the plant back in and follow the watering instructions mentioned above. Indoor plants can look sad during the winter months, just try to keep the leaves clean and free from dust (to promote photosynthesis) and keep the soil evenly moist.

 Here are some links to review:

https://blog-yard-garden-news.extension.umn.edu/2019/06/beyond-plant-mealy-bugs-can-hide.html

 https://extension.umn.edu/product-and-houseplant-pests/insects-indoor-plants#mealybugs-1581111

Thank you and good luck!