What's wrong with this coconut?

[PhilippineExpat]

What's wrong with this young coconut? Some of its older leaves are covered in black and white stuff that can't be cleaned off. Should we prune off the leaves? It's freshly transplanted.

[GottmitAlex]

It's coming of age. From bifid to pinnate. .Let it be.

It's looking good.

 

[PhilippineExpat]

3 hours ago, GottmitAlex said:

It's coming of age. From bifid to pinnate. .Let it be.

It's looking good.

 

Right on! We will just leave it be, then. 

[Palmaceae]

Could be whitefly. Check underneath the fronds and see if there are anything that looks like a spiral, those are whitefly. If so most insecticide will take care of them.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

I think spider mites

 

[Brad Mondel]

Can you wipe it off? Could be sooty mold.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

use a soapy sponge and wipe off all leaf surfaces, top and bottom

 

[PhilippineExpat]

1 hour ago, Palmaceae said:

Could be whitefly. Check underneath the fronds and see if there are anything that looks like a spiral, those are whitefly. If so most insecticide will take care of them.

I checked but couldn't see any.

28 minutes ago, Brad Mondel said:

Can you wipe it off? Could be sooty mold.

We tried wiping off the leaves but it won't come off. I noticed yesterday that some other young coconuts around here growing in the deep shade have a similar issue as this one but they are still growing up. All of the ones growing in the light look fine, though. I moved this one from all day shade to ~2 hours direct sun, so maybe that will help. I guess I also feel a bit better seeing that the wild coconuts are still growing despite how bad their fronds look. 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On 4/26/2020 at 10:01 PM, PhilippineExpat said:

What's wrong with this young coconut? Some of its older leaves are covered in black and white stuff that can't be cleaned off. Should we prune off the leaves? It's freshly transplanted.

Greg, 

I am concerned about the lower part of the petiole looking brown in the 2nd photo.  The petiole should never look brown until the outer part of the leaf gets old and is dying or dead.

John

[PhilippineExpat]

11 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Greg, 

I am concerned about the lower part of the petiole looking brown in the 2nd photo.  The petiole should never look brown until the outer part of the leaf gets old and is dying or dead.

John

Here is a better pic of that portion. 

 

[NOT A TA]

On 4/27/2020 at 10:33 PM, PhilippineExpat said:

I checked but couldn't see any.

We tried wiping off the leaves but it won't come off. I noticed yesterday that some other young coconuts around here growing in the deep shade have a similar issue as this one but they are still growing up. All of the ones growing in the light look fine, though. I moved this one from all day shade to ~2 hours direct sun, so maybe that will help. I guess I also feel a bit better seeing that the wild coconuts are still growing despite how bad their fronds look. 

Looks like the dark stuff on the top of leaves is "honeydew" (aphid droppings) with sooty mold growing on it. Check everything under the canopy of the trees where the palms have it on the leavesand you'll likely find it on other things, even man made products.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On 4/28/2020 at 9:42 PM, PhilippineExpat said:

Here is a better pic of that portion. 

 

Greg,

It looks like mine from cold injury, but you don't have that problem there in the Philippines.  Maybe someone can chime in here.  Maybe it is a fungal problem.

John

[GottmitAlex]

On 4/26/2020 at 8:01 PM, PhilippineExpat said:

What's wrong with this young coconut? Some of its older leaves are covered in black and white stuff that can't be cleaned off. Should we prune off the leaves? It's freshly transplanted.

 

Was the husk originally exposed before transplanting it? I ask because I noticed in the latter pictures the seed is fully covered by soil. Was it that way prior to the transplant?

 

[PhilippineExpat]

On 4/29/2020 at 11:44 AM, NOT A TA said:

Looks like the dark stuff on the top of leaves is "honeydew" (aphid droppings) with sooty mold growing on it. Check everything under the canopy of the trees where the palms have it on the leavesand you'll likely find it on other things, even man made products.

Ah interesting. I hope that's what it is because I googled it and supposedly it's not harmful to the coconut. It has a new location now so it should no longer be an issue.

5 hours ago, GottmitAlex said:

Was the husk originally exposed before transplanting it? I ask because I noticed in the latter pictures the seed is fully covered by soil. Was it that way prior to the transplant?

 

The husk was no longer there when we transplanted it. They decompose pretty quickly here because we have a lot of termites and humidity.