Bismarck Palm Tre

[Erika L]

Hello everyone, 

Need some guidance. I'm new in having to take care of palm trees. I have a Bismarck Palm Tree in my yard.  Pass few months I have noticed the leaves turning yellow and dying quickly.  It's lost its greenish-gray hue it normally has. I have never fertilized it. Should i be?  Its trunk is shedding. Is this normal? How can I fix it? Please help. 

Thank you 

Edited June 11, 2023 by Erika L

[D. Morrowii]

Hi and welcome to Palmtalk@Erika L It’s hard to say why the fronds might be dying off but it may just be due to wind damage from the 2 tropical storms/hurricanes we had last year. I have noticed some of the taller ones around me here in Central East Fl still look a bit ragged.
In your 2nd pic it appears that your sprinkler is hitting the trunk which can cause problems for the trunk itself. You should at least adjust the sprinkler so it doesn't hit the trunks of any palm trees. As far as fertilizer goes these palms are not particularly “hungry” for it although applying some a couple times per year can beneficial I believe.  If it were mine I would cut the completely dead or very near dead fronds off. Then as long as it is making new fronds that look healthy just keep your eye on it for the next month or so. Some other folks will probably chime in with more info. 

[PalmatierMeg]

Are the new leaves turning yellow? Has the palm put out any new fronds at all?

Back about 6-7 years ago, I lost my oldest Bizzy to palm weevils. Apparently our FL native Sabal palm weevil has developed a taste for Bizzies. I noticed that ours had stopped putting out new leaves, was losing its silver color and leaves it did have turned yellow. One day I came outside to find the whole crown of leaves collapsed to the ground. We had to cut up the whole palm, double bag the remains and send them out with house trash to be incinerated. We didn't want to risk spreading those pests to other yards.

I'm not saying your palm is infested with weevils but if it is you will find out sooner than later. Weevils emerge in the spring then fly off to find a new host for their offspring. They are attracted to palms that are stressed, struggling or otherwise compromised. By the time you notice obvious symptoms of infestation a palm can't be saved. We had 6 other Bizzies and until Hurricane Ian, we cut up bars of Ivory soap to wedge into their crowns each spring to deter weevils. We had no further infestations in all those years but Ian took out 4 of the 6 and left the last 2 on life support. Stressed is an understatement for them and they are prime weevil bait. If your palm went through anything like Ian or Nicole it may be similar. I also learned that Bismarckias cannot take cat 4/5 winds and can fail spectacularly, so no more for us.

 

[Merlyn]

The oldest fronds usually start dying off on Bizzies shortly after the horizontal, so that part isn't too unusual.  I see some yellowed ends, which is a sign of Magnesium deficiency.  A good "palm special" fertilizer will help, one that size should get around 3lb of 8-2-12 fertilizer 4x per year with something like PalmGain or Florikan.  

The sprinklers are a definite problem, I'd address that asap.  It may have been spraying the trunk for years.  The rot in the photo could be just minor external stuff, but it could easily lead to a fatal disease like Thielaviopsis or Ganoderma.