Sylvester Palm Tree Fungus Issue -HELP

[Matrix7662]

I have several Sylvester Palm trees and they were planted last year. When installed I had bubblers placed near them.  I didn't know of bubblers very close to the bark would harm them. After my online research, I realized that exessive water, especially onto the bark, causes fungus/root rot issues. The Palm frowns are green, however, the bark has cracked, and soft near the base. I have removed the bubblers and the palms are getting lawn sprinklers twice a week. Could someone please let me know how treat the root rot, fungus issue?

 

 

[Jeff985]

I wouldn’t worry about the cracks. I have three of them and they all have cracks like that. I think it’s normal. It does look like you have some fungus though that should be treated. I would also keep the sprinklers away from the trunk. 

[Matrix7662]

Any suggestions on how to treat the fungus?

[Jeff985]

I would spray the trunk with copper fungicide. 

[Matrix7662]

Thank you

[Jeff985]

No problem. Good luck. 

[Merlyn]

If any of the frond stems or leaflets are showing fungus spots or discoloration, you could also consider doing a soil drench with a systemic fungicide.  I use Banrot as a drench for expensive palms, but there are others that work well too.

If you want to water the palm in the picture I'd put in a couple of 0.5 gallon/hour drippers near the edge of the concrete, maybe 3 or 4 0.5g spaced around the outside.  If you have a bubbler head there you could get a $10 dripline conversion kit from Home Depot.  Just make sure that no sprinklers are spraying on the trunk, anywhere.  Sprinklers on trunks are just an invitation to rot.

[JeanAnn]

The new frowns in the center of my  Sylvester palm are drying and falling off. What could be causing this. 
 

[JeanAnn]

On 1/13/2021 at 8:31 AM, JeanAnn said:

The new fronds in the center of my  Sylvester palm are drying and falling off. What could be causing this. 
 

 

[kinzyjr]

On 1/13/2021 at 8:31 AM, JeanAnn said:

The new frowns in the center of my  Sylvester palm are drying and falling off. What could be causing this. 
 

Hello and welcome to PalmTalk.  Depending on where you are at, it might be Lethal Bronzing.  Do you have a picture you can post?

[PalmatierMeg]

On 1/13/2021 at 8:31 AM, JeanAnn said:

The new frowns in the center of my  Sylvester palm are drying and falling off. What could be causing this. 
 

Photos essential. Where are you?

[JeanAnn]

This is my Sylvester palm that I think I have a problem with. I am located in The Villages Fl. The fronds are not developing. The first pic is my palm, second is a pic of the very top crown, third is a frond that fell from the crown. What can I do? 

[JeanAnn]

Learning more about palms. The problem that I think I have is bud rot or bud fungus infection. The new growth, spears, not developing fully. Eventually the spear will fall out. Would copper fungicide correct this condition or could another remedy help my Sylvester palm?

[JLM]

Looks like it needs some fertilizer pretty badly, when was the last time it was fertilized? You might could try spraying some copper fungicide in the crown, but this looks like a fertilizer issue to me.

[Merlyn]

The crinkled look is common in a boron deficiency.  But I'd suspect the real cause is a fungal infection in the crown, something like bud rot/crown rot.  Pour some regular strength 3% concentration hydrogen peroxide into the crown and on the dead spear, if you still have it.  If it bubbles up you've definitely got a fungal infection.  Hydrogen peroxide is a common thing to try first, it won't harm the palm.  A copper-based fungicide will also help, and a systemic fungicide (I use Banrot) will also help.  If you can post pictures into the center of the crown that would help people here to diagnose the issue.  But at the moment I'd agree with you, probably a bud rot of some type.

[JeanAnn]

Thank you for the suggestion. I will use hydrogen peroxide first. I really want to save my palm from further damage. 

[JeanAnn]

Thank you for your response. I did fertilizer my palm on January 18 this year. Probably the last time I fertilize was a year ago. I used PalmGain 8-2-12 as directed. The reason so long between fertilizing is that I wasn’t here in Florida for about 9 months.

[JLM]

1 hour ago, JeanAnn said:

Thank you for your response. I did fertilizer my palm on January 18 this year. Probably the last time I fertilize was a year ago. I used PalmGain 8-2-12 as directed. The reason so long between fertilizing is that I wasn’t here in Florida for about 9 months.

Definitely needs some fertilizer if it's been that long. H2O2 would be a good idea just in case it is some sort of fungal issue. Wishing the best of luck for you and your palm!

[dmalysh]

On 1/21/2021 at 11:45 AM, Merlyn said:

The crinkled look is common in a boron deficiency.  But I'd suspect the real cause is a fungal infection in the crown, something like bud rot/crown rot.  Pour some regular strength 3% concentration hydrogen peroxide into the crown and on the dead spear, if you still have it.  If it bubbles up you've definitely got a fungal infection.  Hydrogen peroxide is a common thing to try first, it won't harm the palm.  A copper-based fungicide will also help, and a systemic fungicide (I use Banrot) will also help.  If you can post pictures into the center of the crown that would help people here to diagnose the issue.  But at the moment I'd agree with you, probably a bud rot of some type.

Merlyn, thank you for posting your replies! This is giving me hope my Phoenix Sylvestris has a chance at survival..🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

My palm new fronds are growing and then dying before they even get to develop fully.  All the fronds look droopy compared to the other 2 palms that were planted next to the sickly palm at the same time. The palm in question is 12ft trunk height. It was planted in heavy clay soil in May 2022. I just dug up the ground around the base and saw a bunch of white healthy roots, so I have my doubts that it is a root rot issue.. it must be the crown rot of sorts.

You mentioned Banrot as a systemic fungicide. How much of this fungicide do I need to buy to treat the 12ft trunk palm tree? One 2lb bag is enough? A truck load of bags? I am ready to do whatever it takes to bring this droopy broom back to life 😂

Also, a question to the OP and JeanAnn. It has been a while.  How are your beautiful Phoenix Sylvestris doing? Hope they recovered nicely!🤞🏻 

[Merlyn]

@dmalysh since the older fronds look pretty good, I would definitely suspect a crown infection...or possibly an insect (beetle or weevil) eating the palm heart.  I'm not sure which frond you have in your hand, but I'd squirt a little hydrogen peroxide on the end and see if it bubbles up.  If you have a 6' or 8' a-frame type stepladder you could probably stand high enough to get a good view of the crown.  If so, take a few photos and post them here, and squirt some hydrogen peroxide in there to check for fungal infections.  With fronds dying like that I'd guess the crown probably smells a lot like rotting garbage in a dumpster at noon behind a McDonalds.

In case it's a bug/beetle/weevil I'd look for any signs of bug holes.  They are sometimes small diameter near the base of the fronds, and might be difficult to spot.

I'd probably mix up a 12oz plastic drink bottle with a squirt top.  Use regular 3% hydrogen peroxide and add the maximum label concentration for Daconil and Malathion.  Squirt that into the crown and see if it bubbles up, and check for any fleeing bugs.  That's probably a good first step, and should be easy to get locally.

As a second step, a soil drench of a systemic insecticide (Bayer Tree & Shrub with Imadicloprid is good) and Banrot would address both possible issues.  A 2lb bag of Banrot 40WP is what I bought, and it's probably a 10+ year supply for even me with 200+ palms and nearly 1000 individual plantings.  The dosage (I think) on Banrot is about 3 heaping tsp per 5 gallons of water.

I would also contact the people who planted it, as they may offer a warranty replacement or have some other treatments.  If the palm were recently planted (like under 2 months ago) I would definitely guess mechanical damage to the palm heart.  So if the new fronds started dying shortly after it was installed, they might have hit the spear, or dropped the palm, or bent the top, etc.  But usually an impact kind of damage would show up within days, not 5 months later.  As an example, I had a ~15g Pindo planted, and the tree guys dropped a big chunk of oak trunk that bounced off the center and spear.  In about a week the spear and all the newish fronds were dead.  The rest of the palm slowly died over the next couple of weeks.

[D Palm]

What type of mulch is that? Pull it away from the base. The ferns growing on the bottom leads me to believe it’ may be sitting in wet soil. Hit the trunk with with peroxide as well one time.

[dmalysh]

22 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@dmalysh since the older fronds look pretty good, I would definitely suspect a crown infection...or possibly an insect (beetle or weevil) eating the palm heart.  I'm not sure which frond you have in your hand, but I'd squirt a little hydrogen peroxide on the end and see if it bubbles up.  If you have a 6' or 8' a-frame type stepladder you could probably stand high enough to get a good view of the crown.  If so, take a few photos and post them here, and squirt some hydrogen peroxide in there to check for fungal infections.  With fronds dying like that I'd guess the crown probably smells a lot like rotting garbage in a dumpster at noon behind a McDonalds.

In case it's a bug/beetle/weevil I'd look for any signs of bug holes.  They are sometimes small diameter near the base of the fronds, and might be difficult to spot.

I'd probably mix up a 12oz plastic drink bottle with a squirt top.  Use regular 3% hydrogen peroxide and add the maximum label concentration for Daconil and Malathion.  Squirt that into the crown and see if it bubbles up, and check for any fleeing bugs.  That's probably a good first step, and should be easy to get locally.

As a second step, a soil drench of a systemic insecticide (Bayer Tree & Shrub with Imadicloprid is good) and Banrot would address both possible issues.  A 2lb bag of Banrot 40WP is what I bought, and it's probably a 10+ year supply for even me with 200+ palms and nearly 1000 individual plantings.  The dosage (I think) on Banrot is about 3 heaping tsp per 5 gallons of water.

I would also contact the people who planted it, as they may offer a warranty replacement or have some other treatments.  If the palm were recently planted (like under 2 months ago) I would definitely guess mechanical damage to the palm heart.  So if the new fronds started dying shortly after it was installed, they might have hit the spear, or dropped the palm, or bent the top, etc.  But usually an impact kind of damage would show up within days, not 5 months later.  As an example, I had a ~15g Pindo planted, and the tree guys dropped a big chunk of oak trunk that bounced off the center and spear.  In about a week the spear and all the newish fronds were dead.  The rest of the palm slowly died over the next couple of weeks.

Oh my goodness! You have so many palm trees to take care of...  Impressive!

Thank you so much for all the suggestions! Honestly  I was dreading to hear that I should take my ladder out and get up there to see what is going on in the crown. I am petrified of heights and going 12ft up from the ground sounds like a potential suicide for me🙈

Can we just skip to the good part? 😄

I never thought it could be an insect damage though! I did notice there were round shaped carved out spots on the trunks of all 3 palms🙈 But did not think much of it😳 So there was definitely some sort of insect damage in the past.

Below is the photo of the sick palm on the day it was planted. It is #1. Probably a month later I noticed the new fronds dying on it. 

Also, I already hit the palm with this systemic 3 in 1 potion a month ago.  But my problem is I have no idea what is the appropriate amount of it I should mix with water and apply to this size palm tree. I should be getting the Banrot sometime soon and same question. How much should I mix and apply for it to be effective? 

Please and thank you!

[dmalysh]

19 hours ago, D Palm said:

What type of mulch is that? Pull it away from the base. The ferns growing on the bottom leads me to believe it’ may be sitting in wet soil. Hit the trunk with with peroxide as well one time.

I reaaaally believe the roots are not the issue. I do know what rotted, mushy and stinky like garbage can roots look and smell like. I made that mistake and learned from it. This time the roots are white, firm and healthy. 😌

Edited October 24, 2022 by dmalysh

[Merlyn]

@dmalysh the sort of roundish dimples in the old leaf bases look more like normal old dead boots.  Weevil or other bug holes would generally be round boreholes, like someone took a small drill bit into it.  I zoomed in on your photo and saw mostly just normal old rotting of the dead boots.

As far as fungicides go, a bag of Banrot is probably a lifetime supply.  Dosage is roughly 3 heaping teaspoons per 5 gallon bucket per palm.  It's always good to check the label, because I might be wrong!

However, based on the new fronds dying within a month of planting, I would guess the problem was either pre-existing or it got some kind of mechanical/physical damage during planting or transportation.  The palm "heart" is up towards the top of the tree, and in Phoenix it's pretty protected by the trunk and other fronds.  But it looks like a field-dug palm, so the nursery would have to dig around it with a bobcat, lay it down, wrap it in burlap/plastic, stick it on a truck with the 2 other palms, drive to your place, take them off the truck, drive them onto your backyard and plant them.  Every one of those steps could potentially damage the palm heart, even hitting a really big pothole in the truck could do it.  Sometimes palms recover if the damage isn't severe, sometimes one good whack will kill it.  If it were my palm I'd do 3 things to try and save it:

• Banrot or Clearys 3336F soil drench at the label rate (I think I've got it correct above at 3 tsp per 5 gallons)
• Hydrogen Peroxide (3% household stuff) mixed with Daconil into the crown.  I use 4tsp of Daconil concentrate mixed into a 32oz Sam's Club bottle.  Squirt about 4-8oz into the crown directly, and repeat every other week.  I totally understand the heights issue, if you aren't comfortable doing it then maybe ask a friend or your landscaper to do it.  This is probably more effective for crown rots than a systemic fungicide like Banrot.
• Contact the people who planted it.  If the *old* fronds started dying off a few weeks after planting, that's totally normal.  But the *new* fronds should not die off, ever.  Most reputable nurseries will give you a 6 month or 12 month warranty on their palms.  Show them that photo with the new fronds dead about a month after planting. 

Realistically the nursery either sold you a palm with a pre-existing crown infection...or they accidentally bumped the crown and killed the palm heart during transportation and planting.  If you zoom in on palm 1 in the first photo, I can sort of guess that the center fronds were already browned.  The forum software compresses the photos and makes them grainy, so you might be able to zoom in on your computer to see if they were brown in the planting photo.

[dmalysh]

4 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@dmalysh the sort of roundish dimples in the old leaf bases look more like normal old dead boots.  Weevil or other bug holes would generally be round boreholes, like someone took a small drill bit into it.  I zoomed in on your photo and saw mostly just normal old rotting of the dead boots.

As far as fungicides go, a bag of Banrot is probably a lifetime supply.  Dosage is roughly 3 heaping teaspoons per 5 gallon bucket per palm.  It's always good to check the label, because I might be wrong!

However, based on the new fronds dying within a month of planting, I would guess the problem was either pre-existing or it got some kind of mechanical/physical damage during planting or transportation.  The palm "heart" is up towards the top of the tree, and in Phoenix it's pretty protected by the trunk and other fronds.  But it looks like a field-dug palm, so the nursery would have to dig around it with a bobcat, lay it down, wrap it in burlap/plastic, stick it on a truck with the 2 other palms, drive to your place, take them off the truck, drive them onto your backyard and plant them.  Every one of those steps could potentially damage the palm heart, even hitting a really big pothole in the truck could do it.  Sometimes palms recover if the damage isn't severe, sometimes one good whack will kill it.  If it were my palm I'd do 3 things to try and save it:

• Banrot or Clearys 3336F soil drench at the label rate (I think I've got it correct above at 3 tsp per 5 gallons)
• Hydrogen Peroxide (3% household stuff) mixed with Daconil into the crown.  I use 4tsp of Daconil concentrate mixed into a 32oz Sam's Club bottle.  Squirt about 4-8oz into the crown directly, and repeat every other week.  I totally understand the heights issue, if you aren't comfortable doing it then maybe ask a friend or your landscaper to do it.  This is probably more effective for crown rots than a systemic fungicide like Banrot.
• Contact the people who planted it.  If the *old* fronds started dying off a few weeks after planting, that's totally normal.  But the *new* fronds should not die off, ever.  Most reputable nurseries will give you a 6 month or 12 month warranty on their palms.  Show them that photo with the new fronds dead about a month after planting. 

Realistically the nursery either sold you a palm with a pre-existing crown infection...or they accidentally bumped the crown and killed the palm heart during transportation and planting.  If you zoom in on palm 1 in the first photo, I can sort of guess that the center fronds were already browned.  The forum software compresses the photos and makes them grainy, so you might be able to zoom in on your computer to see if they were brown in the planting photo.

You are 100% correct. This palm was gud up at a field and brought to my house exactly how you described it. 

One question. Would a damaged crown/heart be able to push the new fronds out? Why I am asking is because I does push them out  but they come out droopy and die off when they reach up to a few feet in lenth.

[dmalysh]

4 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@dmalysh the sort of roundish dimples in the old leaf bases look more like normal old dead boots.  Weevil or other bug holes would generally be round boreholes, like someone took a small drill bit into it.  I zoomed in on your photo and saw mostly just normal old rotting of the dead boots.

As far as fungicides go, a bag of Banrot is probably a lifetime supply.  Dosage is roughly 3 heaping teaspoons per 5 gallon bucket per palm.  It's always good to check the label, because I might be wrong!

However, based on the new fronds dying within a month of planting, I would guess the problem was either pre-existing or it got some kind of mechanical/physical damage during planting or transportation.  The palm "heart" is up towards the top of the tree, and in Phoenix it's pretty protected by the trunk and other fronds.  But it looks like a field-dug palm, so the nursery would have to dig around it with a bobcat, lay it down, wrap it in burlap/plastic, stick it on a truck with the 2 other palms, drive to your place, take them off the truck, drive them onto your backyard and plant them.  Every one of those steps could potentially damage the palm heart, even hitting a really big pothole in the truck could do it.  Sometimes palms recover if the damage isn't severe, sometimes one good whack will kill it.  If it were my palm I'd do 3 things to try and save it:

• Banrot or Clearys 3336F soil drench at the label rate (I think I've got it correct above at 3 tsp per 5 gallons)
• Hydrogen Peroxide (3% household stuff) mixed with Daconil into the crown.  I use 4tsp of Daconil concentrate mixed into a 32oz Sam's Club bottle.  Squirt about 4-8oz into the crown directly, and repeat every other week.  I totally understand the heights issue, if you aren't comfortable doing it then maybe ask a friend or your landscaper to do it.  This is probably more effective for crown rots than a systemic fungicide like Banrot.
• Contact the people who planted it.  If the *old* fronds started dying off a few weeks after planting, that's totally normal.  But the *new* fronds should not die off, ever.  Most reputable nurseries will give you a 6 month or 12 month warranty on their palms.  Show them that photo with the new fronds dead about a month after planting. 

Realistically the nursery either sold you a palm with a pre-existing crown infection...or they accidentally bumped the crown and killed the palm heart during transportation and planting.  If you zoom in on palm 1 in the first photo, I can sort of guess that the center fronds were already browned.  The forum software compresses the photos and makes them grainy, so you might be able to zoom in on your computer to see if they were brown in the planting photo.

I reviewed again all the pictures and a video of the palm being picked up from a trailer and then carried to the planting site. If the damage ever occurred, it must have been somewhere between digging it up and getting it to my house. It did look very healthy and lush with some browing here and there just like the other two palms, but it is hard to tell where the brown fronds were coming from on the palm in question. If it was some sort of pre-existing condition,  then it would be obvious, I guess? I am really starting to believe that mechanical damage is the culprit of all this.

I definitely will do everything you suggested - Banrot soil drench(I do have Clearys 3336 sitting in my garage, but the label is so confusing) so I'll just stick with the Banrot dosage you suggested. Also, I will pour Daconil + H2O2 down the crown just to eliminate these 2 possible problems.

Thank you so so much for taking the time to answer all my questions! I reeeeally appreciate!!

[Merlyn]

2 hours ago, dmalysh said:

You are 100% correct. This palm was gud up at a field and brought to my house exactly how you described it. 

One question. Would a damaged crown/heart be able to push the new fronds out? Why I am asking is because I does push them out  but they come out droopy and die off when they reach up to a few feet in lenth.

That's a good question.  If the palm heart is dead...you wouldn't get new fronds.  If it was damaged you might get distorted fronds but I'd think they would be green.  If it has a fungal infection they *might* grow out brown or grow out part green/part brown and then turn brown as the rot spreads, or might not grow at all, or some combination. 

Clearys 3336F is one half of Banrot, with ~40% Thiophanate-Methyl.  It's a good fungicide too.  But it specifically says it does not control Pythium or Phytophthora.  Usually palm crown rots are a Phytophthora, so I guess it probably doesn't work.  Fosetyl-Al and Etridiazole are probably a better bet.  On the label I found it said 8-16oz of 3336F per 100 gallons of mixture, and 0.25-3 pints per square foot.  Generally you want to fertilize or soil drench for the canopy diameter of a palm, so a little math:

• 10' diameter fronds => 5*5*3.1415 = 78sqft
• 0.25-3 pints/sqft => 20 - 234 pints => 2.5 - 30 gallons per palm
• At 2.5 gallons you'd add 0.2oz to 0.4oz.
• At 30 gallons you'd add 2.4oz to 4.8oz

For a somewhat convenient measure, a 5 gallon bucket would take 0.4-0.8 fl ounces of 3336F. 

In the planting photo these look like the same dead new fronds as in the month after photo:

 

[dmalysh]

15 hours ago, Merlyn said:

That's a good question.  If the palm heart is dead...you wouldn't get new fronds.  If it was damaged you might get distorted fronds but I'd think they would be green.  If it has a fungal infection they *might* grow out brown or grow out part green/part brown and then turn brown as the rot spreads, or might not grow at all, or some combination. 

Clearys 3336F is one half of Banrot, with ~40% Thiophanate-Methyl.  It's a good fungicide too.  But it specifically says it does not control Pythium or Phytophthora.  Usually palm crown rots are a Phytophthora, so I guess it probably doesn't work.  Fosetyl-Al and Etridiazole are probably a better bet.  On the label I found it said 8-16oz of 3336F per 100 gallons of mixture, and 0.25-3 pints per square foot.  Generally you want to fertilize or soil drench for the canopy diameter of a palm, so a little math:

• 10' diameter fronds => 5*5*3.1415 = 78sqft
• 0.25-3 pints/sqft => 20 - 234 pints => 2.5 - 30 gallons per palm
• At 2.5 gallons you'd add 0.2oz to 0.4oz.
• At 30 gallons you'd add 2.4oz to 4.8oz

For a somewhat convenient measure, a 5 gallon bucket would take 0.4-0.8 fl ounces of 3336F. 

In the planting photo these look like the same dead new fronds as in the month after photo:

 

THAT formula of how to calculate the amount of chemical needed for the palm - I could not figure that out! Thank you so so much! This helps a lot! 

So, the good news - damage is not an issue! And the palm tree has a chance to live, but does it??

The palm does push nice green new fronds out and they start to die slowly soon after they emerge.  

You mentioned Phytophtora. It all does make sense now. I used to have smaller palms in that spot that died of root rot. Thanks to my lack of knowledge, of course. I replaced dirt, treated it with Mefenoxam, but like we all know, phytophtora can not be eradicated completely. 😵 So here we are now, dealing with same old fungus.😕

As I already mentioned, I do have Mefenoxam group 4 fungicide. Would it be beneficial to alternate it with Banrot(group 1F and 2B) for better control of the fungus? My understanding is that Clearys 3336F is ineffective against Phytophtora, so I guess I'll just wait for Banrot to get here. 

 

[Merlyn]

@dmalyshaccording to UFL, most palm bud rots are caused by either Phytophthora or Fusarium.  https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/PP144

I haven't tried Clearys 3336F or Mefenoxam.  Clearys has been recommended by others on this forum, and is rated against Fusarium.  I'm not sure if this has been tested by people here, because usually Fusarium is considered fatal/incurable.  I'm not sure if that applies to Fusarium in the bud, and UFL is ambivalent about it.  It's probably not worth using, since it's not rated on Phytophthora. 

I looked up Mefenoxam, the Quali-Pro label doesn't specifically call out palms for treatment, but it looks like it can be used as a soil drench (18 drops up to 1tsp per 5 gallons of water) and also for foliar applications at roughly the same concentration.  So I guess you could mix up a few gallons and use ~8oz as a crown drench and pour the rest in as a soil drench.  Since you have that on hand it might be a good idea to start there.  UFL recommends Mefenoxam for mature palms.  Soil drenching the other palms might be a good preventative measure, since Phytophthora can spread easily.

One way to get the crown drench done...without standing 12ft up on a ladder...is to get one of the 1g pump sprayers with a really long spray wand.  I've seen 4' or 5' long spray wand extensions.  You could probably get to 12' up by standing on the 2nd or 3rd step of a ladder that way.  I haven't tried one myself, but I've seen "kits" for any generic garden pump sprayer with a 4' wand.

[dmalysh]

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@dmalyshaccording to UFL, most palm bud rots are caused by either Phytophthora or Fusarium.  https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/PP144

I haven't tried Clearys 3336F or Mefenoxam.  Clearys has been recommended by others on this forum, and is rated against Fusarium.  I'm not sure if this has been tested by people here, because usually Fusarium is considered fatal/incurable.  I'm not sure if that applies to Fusarium in the bud, and UFL is ambivalent about it.  It's probably not worth using, since it's not rated on Phytophthora. 

I looked up Mefenoxam, the Quali-Pro label doesn't specifically call out palms for treatment, but it looks like it can be used as a soil drench (18 drops up to 1tsp per 5 gallons of water) and also for foliar applications at roughly the same concentration.  So I guess you could mix up a few gallons and use ~8oz as a crown drench and pour the rest in as a soil drench.  Since you have that on hand it might be a good idea to start there.  UFL recommends Mefenoxam for mature palms.  Soil drenching the other palms might be a good preventative measure, since Phytophthora can spread easily.

One way to get the crown drench done...without standing 12ft up on a ladder...is to get one of the 1g pump sprayers with a really long spray wand.  I've seen 4' or 5' long spray wand extensions.  You could probably get to 12' up by standing on the 2nd or 3rd step of a ladder that way.  I haven't tried one myself, but I've seen "kits" for any generic garden pump sprayer with a 4' wand.

Yay! I am going to go ahead and soil drench all three palms now.! So 18 drops Mefenoxam/5gal water per each tree it is? These chemicals are no joke when they are measured by a drop, so I have to be extremely careful 🙈 

Found a 4' wand extension for my sprayer pump on Amazon! Thanks for the idea! Once it arrives, I'll treat the crown as well! 

 

[Merlyn]

59 minutes ago, dmalysh said:

Yay! I am going to go ahead and soil drench all three palms now.! So 18 drops Mefenoxam/5gal water per each tree it is? These chemicals are no joke when they are measured by a drop, so I have to be extremely careful 🙈 

Found a 4' wand extension for my sprayer pump on Amazon! Thanks for the idea! Once it arrives, I'll treat the crown as well!

The label says the minimum is 18 drops per 5g and maximum is 1 teaspoon.  Since you've apparently got a major infection, I'd go for the higher side and do 1 teaspoon into 5 gallons. 

I thought about the wand extension a while back and never got around to buying one.  But I have a bunch of palms too tall to reach even on a 12' A-Frame ladder standing on the top like an idiot...on the "DO NOT STAND OR SIT HERE" step. 

[dmalysh]

15 hours ago, Merlyn said:

The label says the minimum is 18 drops per 5g and maximum is 1 teaspoon.  Since you've apparently got a major infection, I'd go for the higher side and do 1 teaspoon into 5 gallons. 

I thought about the wand extension a while back and never got around to buying one.  But I have a bunch of palms too tall to reach even on a 12' A-Frame ladder standing on the top like an idiot...on the "DO NOT STAND OR SIT HERE" step. 

Well, if you tie yourself nicely to the palm and keep pushing that rope up as you climb up the ladder, that would be OK. It would totally be me doing it if I was not afraid of heights 😄

[dmalysh]

 

On 10/26/2022 at 4:16 PM, Merlyn said:

The label says the minimum is 18 drops per 5g and maximum is 1 teaspoon.  Since you've apparently got a major infection, I'd go for the higher side and do 1 teaspoon into 5 gallons. 

I thought about the wand extension a while back and never got around to buying one.  But I have a bunch of palms too tall to reach even on a 12' A-Frame ladder standing on the top like an idiot...on the "DO NOT STAND OR SIT HERE" step. 

How to tell I am desperate without telling that I am desperate??😂😂

Mefenoxam bud and soil drench done! Banrot tomorrow? In a week? I can't wait😂

[tank]

Any updates to this?  I have a friend who's mule palm appears to have fusarium.  Still waiting for the confirmation of the fungus species from UF/IFAS.

Also, after scanning this article, they seem to claim that they were able to slow/stop the progress of fusarium with a fungicide treatment of Topsin M-70.  I still need to give it a proper read.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjVmcHajpf7AhXYTTABHSSJBvcQFnoECAsQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmdpi-res.com%2Fd_attachment%2Fagriculture%2Fagriculture-12-00071%2Farticle_deploy%2Fagriculture-12-00071.pdf%3Fversion%3D1641463940&usg=AOvVaw0KEZhkEMQDI-pxd42JVIFp

From the results section:

"3.6. Management of Deterioration of Date Palm Infected by (RPW)
Systemic fungicide (Topsin M-70) 10 g/L was applied on date palm plants (cv.
Zaghlol) by the rate of 20 L/tree as a foliar spray on the trunks and as soil drench 3 times
during (March, July, and October). The results confirmed the efficacy of the fungicide to
suppress fungal growth and reduced the degradation process. Recovery signs were
observed as the date tree trunk showing good formation of aerial roots inside the tunnels
as well as the formation of external lateral roots outside the trunk square (Figure 5).
Furthermore, when we reisolated the fungi from the aerial roots inside the tunnels, we
did not get any pathogenic species, but Trichoderma viride was only isolated from the
treated date palm trunks."

[Merlyn]

@tank yeah I read that Thiophanate-methyl was rated to control Fusarium.  I'm not sure if anyone here at PalmTalk has tried it, with or without success.  I have a qualified *maybe* in my case, as a Queen palm on the SE corner of my house died from Fusarium about 2/8/20.  I was super careful cutting it down with a reciprocating saw and dug out the stump, and collected all of the shavings.  As a preventative measure I dosed the other 7 Queens on the W/SW side and my only Mule with Banrot.  It is 25% Thiophanate-Methyl and claims to work on Fusarium.  After 2.5 years none of my other palms have caught it.  Was it the Banrot?  Or was it just that I caught it quickly and was super-careful about disposal?  I don't know.

[tank]

On 11/5/2022 at 3:43 PM, Merlyn said:

@tank yeah I read that Thiophanate-methyl was rated to control Fusarium.  I'm not sure if anyone here at PalmTalk has tried it, with or without success.  I have a qualified *maybe* in my case, as a Queen palm on the SE corner of my house died from Fusarium about 2/8/20.  I was super careful cutting it down with a reciprocating saw and dug out the stump, and collected all of the shavings.  As a preventative measure I dosed the other 7 Queens on the W/SW side and my only Mule with Banrot.  It is 25% Thiophanate-Methyl and claims to work on Fusarium.  After 2.5 years none of my other palms have caught it.  Was it the Banrot?  Or was it just that I caught it quickly and was super-careful about disposal?  I don't know.

They just planted 4 more mules right before the big one started showing symptoms.  I'm sure they'll start inoculating they new ones and probably try to salvage the infected one....

Again, hopefully the diagnosis comes back as something other than fusiarum.

[TBell]

After reading much of this thread, how do you find out the fungus that killed your palm, so you know what to use to treat the others with? Just lost a Mule this week; having it removed - stump and root ball and all. But want to treat 5 other Mules in the area, and 2 Queens. Any suggestions to help me preventatively treat my other palms would be great, thanks!