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Palm Tree Inquiry #872851

Asked June 12, 2024, 5:24 PM EDT

Good afternoon, I am reaching out with a question about one of my palm trees. A bit of background- I bought the palms 5-6 years ago when they were tiny 1 foot tall- they are now almost 6 feet tall and seemed to be doing very well- especially the last couple of years. However, I noticed a couple of days ago that one of the palms new shoots that are coming in look to be coming in dead/dying. They are only partially green, but mostly brown/tan and very fragile- you can pretty easily just tear off the brown bits from the leaf. The full shoot itself will not pull off of the tree, however. I am unsure why this is happening, could it be too much/too little water? Over fertilizing? Is this normal as the trunk grows a lot for the shoots to not produce well? I have included several pictures of the tree as a whole and what the tan/brown shoots look like- you may also be able to tell in the background that my neighbor has a yard full of very large palm trees- I don't think that would play a role...but just in case I wanted to share that info. Any insight/resources you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!! -Kayla

Washington County Oregon

Expert Response

Thank you for your question, Kayla.  The only disease identified in the PNW impacting palms is botrytis blight, best described here:  https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/PP142

Like Florida, we have warm temperatures and many fungal diseases.  Chemical treatments are listed here:  https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/palm-botrytis-blight

However, other regions have reported several other palm tree problems:  https://ucanr.edu/sites/gardenweb/files/29078.pdf

We cannot diagnose whether your plants' problem(s) are fungal, environmental or fertilization (nutrient) by seeing photos.   While water may be an issue, not knowing how much they get, and when, and whether drainage is adequate is essential information that we don't know.  I suggest that you provide leaf and soil samples to the OSU Plant Clinic for diagnosis:  https://bpp.oregonstate.edu/how-submit-plant-materials

Good luck!

An Ask Extension Expert Replied June 12, 2024, 6:52 PM EDT

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