T'was lightning killed the queen

[PalmatierMeg]

A couple weeks ago I posted a topic regarding the death of one of my 7 large queens that form the canopy of my shade jungle. Speculation on possible causes of its quick demise ranged ranged from fusiarum wilt, Texas Palm Disease and a variety of insect pests. The tree man we hired saw no indication of pest or disease and speculated lightning was the killer. We were skeptical because we couldn't remember any lightning strikes nearby in the past 3 months. In addition, this palm in the middle of our jungle was nuked while everything else seems to be fine.

Today we had it taken the palm taken down. And the verdict is in: lightning did it. It's always hard to lose a palm you've nurtured 20+ years but this is the best cause of death we could hope for.

Now for the photos

[Shirleypalmpaws]

Meg, the loss of your queen is very sad. Queens are the first palms I've ever had and very much I feel such an affinity for them. My first palm that died was a queen, and I think the same thing happened, she went out with a bang. None of the other palms were affected. It's been your experience that has helped me solidify the most likely cause of loss. It happened several years ago, when our home was struck by lightening. But it took a long time for the results to show….surrounded by what I thought was health, she fell over in 2005. We transplanted her to another area of our yard…..I refused to believe she died, as there was no way I could except her death.

In case anyone else is wondering for Meg's other thread, it's this, "Queen Palm collapsed & died."

[Palmdude]

I knew that was Cape Coral immediately from your Pic! Why I wonder, every time if drive through there, did they ever allow the developers to take down just about every tree there, leaving the place one big open field????? Plant lots of palms!!!! Can you grow coconuts there like your neighbors on Pine Island?

[PalmatierMeg]

I knew that was Cape Coral immediately from your Pic! Why I wonder, every time if drive through there, did they ever allow the developers to take down just about every tree there, leaving the place one big open field????? Plant lots of palms!!!! Can you grow coconuts there like your neighbors on Pine Island?

Long story short: Cape Coral was the brainchild of the Rosens, land peddlers who envisioned one huge swamp as a way to market FL real estate to the masses. This was pre-EPA times in the late 1950s when wetlands were swamps and swamps were bad. The Rosens scalped the whole landscape then dug saltwater and freshwater canals and used that fill to build up the land between. Very clever and very destructive. Then they cut up the land into tiny lots, slapped down cheesy shell roads and ratcheted up the marketing ("Just $100 down and $100 a month for your personal oasis in Paradise"). They offered free "Fly 'em & Fleece 'em" flights and lodging in the only motel in town, dancing fountain light shows in the Rose Garden (ironically most rose varieties people are used to won't grow here) and plenty of hard sell. My in-laws actually took one of those free trips even though with 4 kids they couldn't hope to buy vacant land - and had no intention to. So they fleeced the land peddlers and I applaud them.

Cape Coral has a somewhat squalid past despite efforts by local historians to paint it as a divine inspiration of noble men. You gotta love it. Just don't take it too seriously - after all, it's Florida. Stuff like this has gone on for nearly a century. For reference watch the Marx Brothers movie "Cocoanuts" circa 1929. Hilarious and so true.

[Eric in Orlando]

Good that it was a lighning strike and not a disease/pathogen.

A couple years ago in summer a fairly tall queen palm here at Leu Gardens near the front entrance suddenly browned and died. I thought we had had our first queen palm casualty to that Fusarium. I kept watch and no other queens near it perished. A couple months later a huge nearby Southern Magnolia had one big section die out then I noticed the lightning scar down the trunk. There are quite a few Sabal palmetto around there too. About that time a bunch of the trunkless juveniles had foliage brown. None died but just had damaged leaves.