What is wrong with my Pygmy Date Palm?

[redlight114]

NE Florida.  New transplant...6 months in birdcage, elevated planters with no bottom (open to earth).  2-trunk, but only seeing this issue with one of them, mostly with the new fronds.

Thanks for any ideas.

[awkonradi]

Welcome to PalmTalk!  I don't know what ails your palm.  But, given your description and photo, I think wiser PalmTalkers may provide more useful responses.

[SeanK]

Either a sucking insect or someone sprayed a caustic chemical on it.

[redlight114]

I know it's not from any caustic spray...I haven't sprayed her.  I've treated nearby plants with a neem/insecticidal soap mix.  I just want to figure out if this is a nutrient deficiency or an insect/fungal issue.  Just not sure how to address this yet.

[Merlyn]

The splotchiness is really odd, it doesn't really look like sunburn or an insect or a fungus.  It *might* be sunburn since it's been ridiculously hot and dry for the last 3 months.  Neem oil can cause burns like that too, especially if applied in the sun.  I managed to burn the fronds off of a sago with neem oil. 

For other nutrients, potassium might be a contributor.  It looks very different than most deficiencies I've seen.  Here's my cheat sheet:

• Nitrogen - Older fronds turn light green uniformly, new fronds remain dark green until deficiency is really severe
• Potassium - Older fronds get translucent yellow/orange or dead spots on leaves, especially at the tips. Caryota and Arenga get random splotched dead spots in leaves. Sometimes tips are curled or frizzled. Always starts at tips of oldest leaves, moving inwards
• Magnesium -Yellow linear bands on oldest leaves first, transitions to solid green at the base of each leaf. Never causes leaf tip necrosis
• Iron - Many times caused by overly mucky soil and root rot. Starts with new spear leaves with yellow-green or even white, possibly with spots of green.
• Manganese - Lengthwise necrotic streaks in leaves with dead and curled leaf tips. Similar to bands showing Magnesium deficiency
• Boron - Bent or necrotic or distorted leaf tips, distorted or bent spear, bands of dead spots on new fans, spears that won't fully open
• Water - Underwatering brown at the edges first, later followed by yellowing of the whole leaf. Overwatering can be drooping fronds turning yellowish and losing color
• Dolomitic Lime or Azomite - Magnesium Carbonate – reduces acidity/raises pH – slower release and adds Magnesium, helps avoid Potassium deficiencies in Cuban Copernicias. 5Lb per palm on full-size Copernicias and a bit less on Kentiopsis Oliviformis
• Garden Lime - Calcium Carbonate – fast release but works well. 5Lb per palm on full-size Copernicias and a bit less on Kentiopsis Oliviformis
• Sunburn - Orange/Red/Brown streaks on surfaces facing the point of hottest sun, typically the worst case is around 1-4pm. Sun tolerant species will adapt and grow out of it. Shade loving species may never adapt.