Planting after Ganoderma zonatum

[miamicuse]

I know there is probably no definitive answers to this but thought I would throw it out there and get some opinions.

When you removed a palm that was infected by Ganoderma zonatum the soil is also infected, and you are not supposed to plant ANY PALMS in that spot or somewhere near it I heard 10 feet I heard 20 feet etc... OK I get that.

I also read that Ganoderma zonatum infects more than just palms.

https://plantclinic.tamu.edu/calendar2018/ganoderma-rot/

states that "all types of wood – gymnosperms, woody dicots, palms. Maples, oaks and honeylocusts are particularly susceptible, although ashes, elms and many other deciduous trees and some conifers can be attacked."

So none of those mentioned above can be planted at the site?

I also read that it will attack only plants with a woody trunk, does that mean smaller palms that are not woody and will not mature to be woody can be planted?  For example can Rhapis excelsa be planted I don't think it has a "woody" trunk or does it?  What about the understory Chamaedorea like oblongate metallica deckeriana those don't have woody trunks either right?  Will those be attacked by Ganoderma?

[Hurricanepalms]

I had a queen palm stump that became infested with ganoderma a couple years after the tree was removed. I dug the stump and root ball out and then removed a 15 gallon container of the surrounding soil. I planted a Pritchardia Thurstonii in the same spot. It has been in the ground for 3 years and hasn’t skipped a beat other than a Potassium deficiency I am working to correct that has created some leaf necrosis. I believe a lot of these infections are opportunistic. 

[aabell]

2 hours ago, miamicuse said:

I also read that Ganoderma zonatum infects more than just palms.

https://plantclinic.tamu.edu/calendar2018/ganoderma-rot/

states that "all types of wood – gymnosperms, woody dicots, palms. Maples, oaks and honeylocusts are particularly susceptible, although ashes, elms and many other deciduous trees and some conifers can be attacked."

This is referring to the genus Ganoderma - there are different species that host on different types of plants/wood. I have various Ganoderma conchs in my yard that pop up on dead oak roots but those aren't a danger to palms, just Ganoderma zonatum which only grows on palms.

As far as your other questions about the risk to healthy palms, how far away to plant, etc. - I have a lot of questions myself. If I could try to summarize what I've taken away from reading about other people's experiences on here: It's definitely a bit of a mystery and palms seem to be "attacked" somewhat at random. Logically it would seem that since typically Ganoderma sp. host on decaying wood, Ganoderma zonatum would be a secondary infection on weak or diseased palms. However It is fairly well documented from scientific studies and in some gardens that healthy palms can be infected and killed just by Ganoderma zonatum. On the other hand it is certainly possible to grow palms in an "infected" area, young and non-woody palms like Chamaedorea seem to be unaffected. I've also read that the fungal spores are endemic in our soil, so attempts to remove or burn out the rootball of an infected palm are futile anyway - it can pop up anywhere at any time.

Overall I would say the actual risk to planting near an infected site is poorly understood. I had a big old C. lutescens clump with Ganoderma removed a few years ago, and I chose to grind the stump instead of attempting to dig out the soil around it. I haven't planted any palms right next to that area yet, but it really isn't very far from the bulk of my palm garden, on a small lot. If I do plant palms right on top of that area, it probably just won't be anything super expensive for rare. For right now it's something to keep an eye on but I'm not losing sleep over it.