What's wrong with this Sabal etonia?

[fr8train]

I picked it up from a nursery and the old leaves have these orange blemishes on them. I hoped it would grow out of it, but the new leaves are starting to get it too. Does anyone have any idea what this might be and how to treat it? I've sprayed it with fungicide and insecticidal soap a few times but it seems that didn't do much. 

[Alberto]

Is it in the same pot since it was bought? If yes, I think it is some defficiency like K/ Mg

[PalmatierMeg]

Agree. Nutritional deficiencies. Feed it slow release fertilizer with all the minor elements.

[Merlyn]

Yep, most likely spotting from Potassium (K) deficiency.  It's common and you can correct it with slow release fertilizer like Osmocote, PalmGain, Florikan, etc.  Here's my notes on deficiencies:

• 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 ends 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 NEW leaves with dead and curled leaf tips. Similar to bands showing Magnesium deficiency. Mn is NOT mobile, so it can't be stolen from old leaves.
• 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.

[SeanK]

When will this go into the ground? What is your soil pH? pH affects solubility of minerals.

[Alberto]

It think it likes acid sandy soils, because mine here grew very well!

[fr8train]

Here's a close up. It was pretty rough looking at the nursery, its new leaves are somewhat better, but it looks like it's spreading again. I have it away from my other plants just incase this is something that can spread. 

[fr8train]

21 hours ago, Alberto said:

Is it in the same pot since it was bought? If yes, I think it is some defficiency like K/ Mg

 

21 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Agree. Nutritional deficiencies. Feed it slow release fertilizer with all the minor elements.

 

21 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Yep, most likely spotting from Potassium (K) deficiency.  It's common and you can correct it with slow release fertilizer like Osmocote, PalmGain, Florikan, etc.  Here's my notes on deficiencies:

• 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 ends 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 NEW leaves with dead and curled leaf tips. Similar to bands showing Magnesium deficiency. Mn is NOT mobile, so it can't be stolen from old leaves.
• 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.

Thank you, this is interesting and helpful. 

20 hours ago, SeanK said:

When will this go into the ground? What is your soil pH? pH affects solubility of minerals.

My wife and I are in the process of looking for land now, but probably not for a while yet. I just grabbed it because I've not seen Sabal etonia for sale anywhere around here. 

[Merlyn]

The little white dots might be some kind of scale insect or mite.  If you have a jeweler's loupe (10x or 12x or similar) you might be able to see if it's an insect.  If you don't have a loupe, try gently rubbing them off with your fingertip.  If they don't move, try your fingernail lightly.  These could be immature scale, and this might be an adult:

[Alberto]

58 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

The little white dots might be some kind of scale insect or mite.  If you have a jeweler's loupe (10x or 12x or similar) you might be able to see if it's an insect.  If you don't have a loupe, try gently rubbing them off with your fingertip.  If they don't move, try your fingernail lightly.  These could be immature scale, and this might be an adult:

Scale likes plants that are malnourished. 

[amh]

Looks like a scale problem, but your water could be causing a nutrient deficiency. From what I have read, Sabal etonia grow in acidic soils, so using hard water may affect nutrient uptake.

[fr8train]

13 hours ago, amh said:

Looks like a scale problem, but your water could be causing a nutrient deficiency. From what I have read, Sabal etonia grow in acidic soils, so using hard water may affect nutrient uptake.

I picked it up in March and it looked like it was about to die, all of its leaves were like that. It's put out new leaves since then that are green, but I'm starting to notice the white dots spreading. I'm going to try washing its leaves with dish soap and a course sponge today. Maybe I'll cut off the old leaves. I don't want to weaken it, but I don't want the scale spreading. 

Edited June 8, 2023 by fr8train

[Merlyn]

@fr8train if it's scale then scrape off the adults and you can "break the cycle" by just killing off the babies.  Armored scale is only a significant problem when you have a LOT of adults, as they are difficult to kill off all of them simultaneously.  If you only have a couple of adults it's much easier.  But I would be careful about the babies spreading to other plants.

[fr8train]

1 hour ago, Merlyn said:

@fr8train if it's scale then scrape off the adults and you can "break the cycle" by just killing off the babies.  Armored scale is only a significant problem when you have a LOT of adults, as they are difficult to kill off all of them simultaneously.  If you only have a couple of adults it's much easier.  But I would be careful about the babies spreading to other plants.

I scrubbed the hell out of it right now and sprayed it with insecticide for good measure. It looks like everything came off. I'm going to keep it away from my other plants for now to see how it recovers. 

[Alberto]

It needs some good soil!

[Jimhardy]

used coffee grounds on top of the soil should help the scale to go away.