Soft spot on the side of my palm tree.

[NoelAD]

Hello. I recently moved into my home and there are quite a few palm trees in the yard. I’ve noticed one of them has a melon sized soft spot on the side that is dry and brittle. I cleared away the soft wood and the rest of the trunk is solid. I also noticed that there is a stump from a tree that was growing out of the base that looks to have been removed from the prior owner but I didn’t think anything of it until now because it aims over the fence towards the neighbors yard so I assumed it was removed due to overhang. Now I am suspicious maybe there is some sort of fungus that is causing the spot and worried for the overall health of the tree. Of anyone has any ideas on how to prevent it from spreading I would be very appreciative. 
Thanks!

[96720]

Palms do not heal so that hole is there for the rest of its life you don’t want it to be continually wet no sprinklers spaying on it keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get worse!! 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

8 minutes ago, 96720 said:

continually wet no sprinklers spaying on it

This is the first thing I thought when I saw the pics. Palms aren't fond of getting pelted by a sprinkler. If it isn't a sprinkler then watch for oozing in the wound that usually spells trouble. 

T J 

[aztropic]

By chance,is the wound on the west side of the tree? Looks like the removed tree could have been shading it and once removed,second tree trunk got sunburned.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[NoelAD]

Hi all, thank you for the responses! There are no sprinklers spraying at it so that’s not it. It looked almost like termite damage because of the brittle state of the bark and there were spiders that had sort of taken residence in the cracks. The spot faces east and I am in Oceanside, ca so it IS in the sun  for the better part of of the day plus it exactly in line with the stump/removed tree.  From some of my readings I though maybe a fungus but the wound is/was dry, no seeping or oozing.  Thanks again everyone!

[Merlyn]

Termites are known to get into palm trunks, so that's definitely a possibility.  It also could have been physically damaged when they removed the other palm.  Some sulfur powder or a dose of hydrogen peroxide would help kill off any active fungal infection.  The best bet is to let it dry out and keep an eye on it.  Continuing fungal rot could make the palm unstable and a safety hazard.