What’s wrong with my canary island Palm?

[Juanaramirez]

Zone 10b Los Angeles.

It was transplanted from another home where it was planted. I transplanted this at my house in February 2024. Since then there hasn't been that much activity on the growth I figured it was transplant shock. Today I noticed this in the crown and leaves. 
 

It was watered 2-3 times a week during the summer. Right now we have some rain. I’m not certain what is going on with it. What can I do to help it? 
 

The last pic with the measurement is how it looked originally from the house I got it from. 2nd and 3rd last pics is how it looked when I brought it here to my house. 

The first picture is how it looks as of today. 

[Juanaramirez]

Does anyone know if it’s mealy bugs, weevil bug, fungus or too much watering or not enough watering? I can’t tell and would welcome any feedback to save it. All that white stuff in the crown and that browning part as well. 

[SeanK]

White stuff looks like scale. That's an insect that eats the leaf tissue. It usually starts on new foliage where it's hard to see. Scale bugs are often cultivated by a larger predator bug.

As for transplanting; I'll leave that to someone who knows your climate better.

[Juanaramirez]

Could it be mealy bugs the white stuff and what can I use to treat it? It’s been planted here for about a year now. Not planning on moving it. 

[quaman58]

Years ago following a super cold event, I had a number of Phoenix robellini have a similar problem. It took me months to even notice it, but it was scale and other stuff that had just taken advantage of their weakened state of health. Malathion made quick work of the problem.

[Merlyn]

@Juanaramirez I agree with mealybugs as the likely source of the white stuff.  Any mealybug spray should help.  The brown papery stuff is normal.  I do see some signs of a crown rot on the new spears, but it looks like a few inches up above where it leaves the crown.  I would check for any signs of rot down near the base of the new spears.  If you see any soft browish stuff you can squirt some hydrogen peroxide on it.  If it bubbles or fizzes there is fungus present.  If no bubbles or fizzes...no fungus!  

Another trick is to mark the new spears horizontally with a sharpie against the fronds next to them.  That way you can easily see if and how fast the spears are growing.

[PalmatierMeg]

It appears to be way overpruned and is losing even more fronds according to the sequence of your photos. If you are pruning it to achieve an “artistic” penciling look, you need to back away from the loppers before you do permanent damage to the trunk. My preference for CIDPs is a wide, full crown, not just for looks but also for the health of the palm.

If you try all the above treatments for the various infections without success, consider obtaining Merit 75 powdered imidacloprid as a drench. Merit 75 is 75% imidacloprid vs. the liquid Bayer in the blue bottle at 12% imidacloprid. Merit is not cheap but dosage mixed in a gallon of water is low, so the powder lasts a long time. A palm the size of yours is not cheap either.

Good luck

[Juanaramirez]

@PalmatierMegActually, I haven’t pruned or removed any fronds at all. It may appear like it but it came like that when I got it last year.  The fronds came down a little and the trunk browned but I posted before here. It was a free palm, -and you’re right, they’re expensive so I’m hoping to save it at all costs.

I tried looking for the mealy bugs but I couldn’t find any but the white spots. It’s been raining this week so not sure how soon I can try the products. I’ll try your recommendation too but after the others like you mentioned. 

 

@Merlyn I’ll try the sharpie thing. I was going to try this first after it stops raining.

Captain Jack’s Insecticidal super Soap.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bonide-Captain-Jack-s-Insecticidal-Super-Soap-32-oz-Ready-to-Use-Spray-For-Organic-Gardening-and-Outdoor-Plants-6556/303876522

How long should I wait to see if it’s effective? 
 

The second step I’m hearing from people is to try hydrogen peroxide on the crown. Anyone know how much and often? How long should I wait?

 

[Merlyn]

@Juanaramirez I haven't tried the Capta8n Jack's stuff, so no idea if it does or doesn't work.  Like most surface treatments (Malathion, Acephate, insecticidal oils, etc) they have to get onto the individual insects to kill them.  That said, mealybugs (my guess) are fairly easy to kill.  A spray rated for them should help.  If they don't die off fast, a systemic like Meg mentioned is a good one to kill off bugs you can't see.  Sometimes they are in the crown buried down where they are nearly invisible.  

Hydrogen peroxide is a strong antifungal, and degrades fungus and many other chemicals.  It can oxidize a lot of stuff, maybe the ingredients in Captain Jacks, maybe not.  I'd try the H2O2 first down in the crown, check for bubbles or audible fizzing, then wait maybe an hour for the last H2O2 to drain out before using the Captain Jacks spray.  If you do get fizzing or bubbling I'd recommend 2x or 3x per week H2O2 followed by Daconil into the crown, keep doing it until you no longer get bubbling or fizzing.