Help Splitting and asap leaking?

[Ammarie]

I have 3 Montgomery palms and noticed they are swelling, sap noted at rings and now splitting with dripping. What is happening? I have a neighbor who disputes the palms being put up, is the pest, fungal or poison perhaps?! Can they be saved?! Thank you!!!

[Merlyn]

Initially I'd think "not a problem."  It looks kind of bizarre, but crownshafted palms like Veitchia Arecina tend to swell and split near the base of the frond when the old leaf is dying off.  In the photo it looks like maybe two fronds are getting ready to fall off.  With summer thunderstorms these should be growing pretty quick, so this might be totally normal.  It also could be attempting to flower, though I don't see a bud sticking out of the side yet.  See photos about halfway down here: https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Veitchia_arecina

How does the rest of the palm look?  Are the fronds still normal green? 

[Ammarie]

Hi thank you for your response!! Actually there was 2 fronds that were brown so I cut them off last week. But the wrapping was still on the tree perhaps collecting water? When I came home it was even more split so I cut out the remaining wraps from those 2 removed fronds and here is the picture. The Palm is firm, there’s no soft/boggy areas but the top is noted to be tilting. Here is a pic of the area now. I was going to put some copper fungicide on it and see how it goes. We have been having heavy rains the last 2 weeks. There is a new green healthy leaf and new spear shaft sprouting from center without discoloration.

Edited June 29, 2023 by Ammarie

[Looking Glass]

24 minutes ago, Ammarie said:

Hi thank you for your response!! Actually there was 2 fronds that were brown so I cut them off last week. But the wrapping was still on the tree perhaps collecting water? When I came home it was even more split so I cut out the remaining wraps from those 2 removed fronds and here is the picture. The Palm is firm, there’s no soft/boggy areas but the top is noted to be tilting. Here is a pic of the area now. I was going to put some copper fungicide on it and see how it goes. We have been having heavy rains the last 2 weeks. There is a new green healthy leaf and new spear shaft sprouting from center without discoloration.

Oooo, you’re getting pretty deep into living tissue there.   That opens the palm up to fungal and bacterial infections.   Sometimes it’s best to leave things alone.   Let fronds brown and fall off naturally.  If you have to cut a brown frond, leave the part that covers and connects to the trunk alone, and let that come off naturally over time.   You don’t want to open the trunk to issues.  

Your neighbor might have a point about your palm.  It looks very close to the fence, meaning your neighbor is going to have half the crown and a lot of seed and flower drop on their side.  Hopefully you are planning on trimming, or paying for trimming, several times per year, especially as the palm gets very large and tall.  I try to keep about a mature frond length away from the property line when planting.  Your neighbor owns the airspace over the line.  Could someday turn your palm into half a palm if he likes.  

What’s the mature frond length of this palm?  

[Ammarie]

Yea we will see how the tree does, it was much more split after work. As for the fence that is not the issue at hand, thanks…

[Merlyn]

It's possible the palm took some "mechanical damage" (i.e. the top got whacked) during transport and planting.  The bulge could be a sign of some damage to the bud.  Sometimes bud damage means it tries to grow a frond out sideways.  The "wet" area does look odd, it's hard to say if that's an infection or just the sap leaking out due to the split.  I'd agree with Looking Glass, it's better to not cut into new living tissue unless you need to.  Copper fungicide and/or sulfur powder is a good idea.

[3 Milesfrom Gulf of Mexico]

Spray some Hydrogen peroxide on the wound.  

[Looking Glass]

I know it’s not quite the same, but I just took a look under the hood on this Teddy Bear, and there is some splitting of the leaf sheath up there, and that’s with 2 leaves to go still…. No ill effects that I can see.   No leaks though.  And I won’t be tugging on that flap.  

My neighbors Adonidia merrillii do sprout leaks around their crown areas sometimes.  They are mature and doing fine.   

Tis the season of bustin’ out too.  Hot, humid, rainy, and then sunny…. Lots of growth and water uptake this time of year.  Crowns are swelling out there.  

I agree with peroxide treatments, copper and such, then maybe, leave things alone.  Post a view of the whole top or entire tree.   I wouldn’t suspect poison, if that’s one of your worries.  

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Looking Glass