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Ganoderma hell


TikiRick

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On 11/18/2019 at 12:16 AM, Sandy Loam said:

Do we know which palms are NOT very susceptible? 

No, there's no information (that I've been able to find) suggesting that any particular palms are considered resistant other than possibly non trunking types. However there's also no information indicating that any particular palms are more susceptible. There have been reports that Ganoderma zonatum has been observed on over 65 different types of palms commonly found in S FL landscapes. Most of the species that were said to be susceptible were reported by Fairchild Gardens. Writings don't say whether those cases were actually at Fairchild or they were from people who notified Fairchild that they had a dying palm believed to be infected with Ganoderma. Additionally we don't know in each case whether Ganoderma was the cause of palm decline or if it was secondary but because a conk was probably identified the palm was put on the list. Text in bold italics below are quotes from Broschat & Elliots papers. Their writings are primarily observational and more like reporting. Their testing was very limited and inconclusive about anything.

. . In fact, it is probably more Iogical to assume that all palms are susceptible to G.zonatum. The only possible exceptions would be palm species that do not form woody trunks -e.g., Sabal minor, some Chamaedorea spp. Since G.zonatum kills by degrading wood, these palms species may not have any suitable tissue to serve as a substrate for the fungus. 

I'm going to try growing Ganoderma on other types of palm tissue and then see if I can get it to form a basidiocarp on dead palm trunk tissue from a healthy palm not previously known to be infected by Ganoderma. This would give me more info about whether the Ganoderma can be cultivated on non woody tissue. I'd also like to try to grow Ganoderma on some Sabal minor tissue.

Ganoderma butt rot is a disease of mature palms (i.e., palms with trunks) and has not been observed to affect seedling or juvenile palms in natural or landscape settings

wounds are not a likely factor in disease initiation.

I'm not sure if they would consider "dying" tissue from a non mechanical cause a wound. Ganoderma appears to enter the palm at or below ground level which leads me to wonder if it's entering the plant structure through dead or dying roots.

The conk is a specialized mass of fungal growth that originates from mycelia in the palm trunk

As I noted in a previous post I have basidiocarps (conks) forming on a coconut husk which is obviously not a trunk. Could just be that the husk also offers a suitable media for conk formation.

We believe that the spores are the primary means of spread of the fungus, but that has yet to be proven. Recent research with Ganoderma in Malaysia determined that G. boninense may spread in oil palm plantings through basidiospore dispersal or through contact with long-term residual inoculum (mycelia, etc.)in soil debris (Miller et al. 1999

My observation of the row of post office palms being affected one at a time in succession leads me to believe Ganoderma zonatum can also spread underground through mycelium entering through the roots (which might be alive or dead) of a neighboring palm. Haven't figured out how I could test this under a controlled environment.

We do not know if the spores become dormant in nature. In a laboratory setting, the spores do not show any dormancy and germinate readily on media after being dropped from the basidiocarp. However, in the real world, they may indeed become dormant or need specific substrates, temperature, relative humidity and so forth for germination to occur.

To date, we have observed no common environmental conditions or landscape management practices that favor the development of Ganoderma butt rot.

Seems to me that Ganoderma zonatum is an opportunistic fungus that primarily performs a decay service and IMO likely enters live palms that have had some stress in their lives. It's obviously not a very infectious "disease" of healthy palms or the area here in S FL would be devastated with palm losses. If we cut a palm down it takes over the root system and stump helping to deteriorate it and sometimes forming conks on the stump but we rarely see a palm dying AND showing signs of Ganoderma. My thinking is that there's some type of stress or damage that weakens the plant or causes roots to die enabling the fungus to enter. That stress or damage may have occurred long before any symptoms are shown above ground, perhaps many years.

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Update 11/19

I continue to battle this monster. It’s futile, as I have lost over 45 species. Since it’s my opinion that digging out a diseased palm trunk/roots will only damage and cut neighboring palms’ roots, I’ve chosen to leave all dead trunks. I don’t want to open any wound to allow the infection of a relatively healthy palm.

Ive burned the dead stump, poured bleach on it and much to my surprise, conchs still form. It’s the roach of the insect world.

I can tell a palm is infected because two fronds will yellow and brown off prematurely. Then more and more. This is despite any visible conchs. 

I have read about copper fungicide soil drenching. It didn’t phase it. 
 On an interesting note, years ago an entire clump of Ptychosperma macarthurii died to it. I removed all trunks to ground level. It then spread to my 15’ fruiting Pely. Killed it.

I placed heliconia in the spot, and now volunteer Ptychosperma are growing and healthy. I trust this is temporary until the monster reappears. 
 

Im losing palms, but gaining flowering trees at this point. 

Rick Leitner

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

26.07N/80.15W

Zone 10B

Average Annual Low 67 F

Average Annual High 84 F

Average Annual Rainfall 62"

 

Riverfront exposure, 1 mile from Atlantic Ocean

Part time in the western mountains of North Carolina

Gratefully, the best of both worlds!

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4 hours ago, TikiRick said:

I continue to battle this monster. It’s futile, as I have lost over 45 species.

Thanks for the update rick! :(

As I'm sure you expected, I've got lots of questions. I'd love to get spores from your property to cultivate, but, I fear that would be like playing with fire in a gunpowder factory or collecting ebola tainted meat. If only I had hazmat suits to collect in, and a lab where I could quarantine & cultivate, then I'd be all over it!  The situation you have is certainly not common and I'd like to learn more about why a case like yours exists while in other areas the Ganoderma zonatum seems to co-exist with living palms in the environment without affecting them. As I mentioned previously the basidiocarp in your first post doesn't look like any of the Ganoderma zonatum ones I've observed. Perhaps that's due to a slight genetic difference or environmental factors if what you have is in fact Ganoderma zonatum. If a genetic variance exists, that might explain why there are cases like yours where it seems much more infectious than it appears to be elsewhere.

Have you observed conks similar in appearance to the one in the pic below on live palms? Round edge, flat upper side, with distinct zone rings. Are any bigger than about 8" across?

Does the conk start as a small white bump?

Are your neighbors palms being affected? If so, how big a radius from your place are there infections?

Do you fertilize?

Do you irrigate?

Mulch?

Any large mature palms not affected while others surrounding them die?

Do your thin trunk palms seem to be more susceptible?

Clumping palms seem more susceptible?

Did you have any Queens and were they among the first to go?

Were any of your affected palms in a row where it appeared the disease jumped from palm, to palm, to palm, in succession?

Were all of the palms you've lost trunking?

Do all the fronds die off from lowest first with the spear the last to die?

Any small palms like Chamaedorea cataractarum affected?

20190918_124711_zps7ul7op0z.jpg

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Have you observed conks similar in appearance to the one in the pic below on live palms? Round edge, flat upper side, with distinct zone rings. Are any bigger than about 8" across?

yes. Some get larger than 8”.

 Does the conk start as a small white bump?

yes they do

Are your neighbors palms being affected? If so, how big a radius from your place are there infections? Some yes. About 5 houses away for certain.

Do you fertilize? Yes. Quarterly.

 Do you irrigate? Seldom, but in winter a bit.

Mulch? All mulch. Cypress. No grass. 

Any large mature palms not affected while others surrounding them die? It appears so. 

Do your thin trunk palms seem to be more susceptible? Yes and no. I’ve lost a few large palms too.

Clumping palms seem more susceptible? Yes they do, however single trunked  palms have died with no infections around them.

Did you have any Queens and were they among the first to go? No Queens, but the Syagrus genus appears to be especially prone. I’ve lost most Syagrus.

Were any of your affected palms in a row where it appeared the disease jumped from palm, to palm, to palm, in succession? Yes.

Were all of the palms you've lost trunking? Not all

Do all the fronds die off from lowest first with the spear the last to die? Yes that’s the case and first sign.

Any small palms like Chamaedorea cataractarum affected? None yet. 

Rick Leitner

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

26.07N/80.15W

Zone 10B

Average Annual Low 67 F

Average Annual High 84 F

Average Annual Rainfall 62"

 

Riverfront exposure, 1 mile from Atlantic Ocean

Part time in the western mountains of North Carolina

Gratefully, the best of both worlds!

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3 hours ago, TikiRick said:

Have you observed conks similar in appearance to the one in the pic below on live palms? Round edge, flat upper side, with distinct zone rings. Are any bigger than about 8" across?

yes. Some get larger than 8”.

 Does the conk start as a small white bump?

yes they do

Are your neighbors palms being affected? If so, how big a radius from your place are there infections? Some yes. About 5 houses away for certain.

Do you fertilize? Yes. Quarterly.

 Do you irrigate? Seldom, but in winter a bit.

Mulch? All mulch. Cypress. No grass. 

Any large mature palms not affected while others surrounding them die? It appears so. 

Do your thin trunk palms seem to be more susceptible? Yes and no. I’ve lost a few large palms too.

Clumping palms seem more susceptible? Yes they do, however single trunked  palms have died with no infections around them.

Did you have any Queens and were they among the first to go? No Queens, but the Syagrus genus appears to be especially prone. I’ve lost most Syagrus.

Were any of your affected palms in a row where it appeared the disease jumped from palm, to palm, to palm, in succession? Yes.

Were all of the palms you've lost trunking? Not all

Do all the fronds die off from lowest first with the spear the last to die? Yes that’s the case and first sign.

Any small palms like Chamaedorea cataractarum affected? None yet. 

Curious, as your landscape is mostly palms like mine, what has been the long term results on the landscape since the initial infection ? Dramatic, noticeable, most would never know? I have had outbreaks throughout my 2.5 acres now but with so any palms so far it's not a biggie but obviously I'm concerned as to what the future holds.

Jupiter FL

in the Zone formally known as 10A

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I’d say to most unnoticeable. However, being a collector, as I said, I’ve lost numerous one of a kind species. Entire genus’ have been wiped out. 
Since it’s not advisable to plant another palm, there’s slowly room for heliconia, flowering trees, aroids, etc.

I shouldn’t be complaining because I’m still blessed with a thick jungle zone 10 collection. However palms are my first love, so it’s frustrating.

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Rick Leitner

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

26.07N/80.15W

Zone 10B

Average Annual Low 67 F

Average Annual High 84 F

Average Annual Rainfall 62"

 

Riverfront exposure, 1 mile from Atlantic Ocean

Part time in the western mountains of North Carolina

Gratefully, the best of both worlds!

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If you don't mind @TikiRick I've got more questions.

Do you know if any neighbors palms were infected before you noticed a problem in your yard?

Did you buy any plants that came with soil from outside the local area?

Does your yard seem to be the epicenter of affected palms in your immediate area?

Do people or pets frequently move between the yards affected? I do realize that the raccoons, possum, etc. travel between yards and often dig, so they could easily be transporting spores.

Did you take any pics of the very large conks?

Do the more unusual palms seem to be affected more than the commonly planted S FL palms?

Have you ever had testing done by the folks at the university?

Have you tried planting any palms where some died? And if so, any of the same type of palm?

Is your yard in an older neighborhood or was it new when you bought?

How long were you there before you started noticing losses?

 

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2 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

If you don't mind @TikiRick I've got more questions.

Do you know if any neighbors palms were infected before you noticed a problem in your yard?

Did you buy any plants that came with soil from outside the local area?

Does your yard seem to be the epicenter of affected palms in your immediate area?

Do people or pets frequently move between the yards affected? I do realize that the raccoons, possum, etc. travel between yards and often dig, so they could easily be transporting spores.

Did you take any pics of the very large conks?

Do the more unusual palms seem to be affected more than the commonly planted S FL palms?

Have you ever had testing done by the folks at the university?

Have you tried planting any palms where some died? And if so, any of the same type of palm?

Is your yard in an older neighborhood or was it new when you bought?

How long were you there before you started noticing losses?

 

John,

It may be best to speak or email each other.

Im at FitnessUSA@aol.com 

 

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Rick Leitner

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

26.07N/80.15W

Zone 10B

Average Annual Low 67 F

Average Annual High 84 F

Average Annual Rainfall 62"

 

Riverfront exposure, 1 mile from Atlantic Ocean

Part time in the western mountains of North Carolina

Gratefully, the best of both worlds!

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On 11/22/2019 at 2:53 PM, TikiRick said:

I’d say to most unnoticeable. However, being a collector, as I said, I’ve lost numerous one of a kind species. Entire genus’ have been wiped out. 
Since it’s not advisable to plant another palm, there’s slowly room for heliconia, flowering trees, aroids, etc.

I shouldn’t be complaining because I’m still blessed with a thick jungle zone 10 collection. However palms are my first love, so it’s frustrating.

I have planted seedlings of non rare palms in areas where the infections have been. so far they are all fine but they are all small so it's an ongoing experiment.

 

Jupiter FL

in the Zone formally known as 10A

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1 hour ago, redant said:

I have planted seedlings of non rare palms in areas where the infections have been. so far they are all fine but they are all small so it's an ongoing experiment.

 

Would you mind taking the time to answer a bunch of questions if I email or PM them to you? Also same request for @greysrigging or anyone else anywhere in the world willing to answer questions who appears to have recurring losses where Ganoderma zonatum is the suspected cause of death.  Anyone in Hawaii have or seen any cases?

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On 11/25/2019 at 10:36 AM, NOT A TA said:

Would you mind taking the time to answer a bunch of questions if I email or PM them to you? Also same request for @greysrigging or anyone else anywhere in the world willing to answer questions who appears to have recurring losses where Ganoderma zonatum is the suspected cause of death.  Anyone in Hawaii have or seen any cases?

sure pm me

Jupiter FL

in the Zone formally known as 10A

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  • 3 weeks later...

Took this pic this morning. Y'all have no idea how tempting it is to dissect this coco, but I should reeeealy wait a couple years.

20191213_111639_zpsvkzjbd44.jpg

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46 minutes ago, NOT A TA said:

Took this pic this morning. Y'all have no idea how tempting it is to dissect this coco, but I should reeeealy wait a couple years.

20191213_111639_zpsvkzjbd44.jpg

Was this an experiment coco ? 

T J 

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41 minutes ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

Was this an experiment coco ? 

It is now!!!! Ganoderma zonatum grows on dead palm material everywhere here. I've never seen such a perfect example on a coconut before with a living plant though and since I'm trying to figure out how and why it infects certain live palms while ignoring others I'm curious if it might infect this coconut palm.

There's no documentation I'm aware of where an already germinated coconut was obviously being used as a host by G. zonatum and there was (or was not) a subsequent infection of living tissue. There have been theories that the G. zonatum doesn't invade living tissue until the palm is trunking. So I'm torn. I want to cut it now and see if I find any indication of an invasion of living tissue but if I do, that ends the experiment and prevents learning anything more.

G. zonatum is everywhere here and I haven't seen a healthy Cocus nucifera infected so I'm kinda doubtful that it will be, but, no way of knowing without dissecting! And I'm fine with killing the little coco to learn, I can grow lots of them easily and have about 20 more the same age. I'm going to try introducing basidiospores to the nuts of some other potted juveniles with the nuts still exposed and see if I can get it to form basidiocarps like the ones in the pic. I believe I'm beginning to understand the conditions that will allow basidiocarp formation. If I can, then I could dissect one palm each year as they age to see if there's an infection of live tissue.

Ya, I know, seems like a lot of time & effort just to kill nice plants I've spent time growing but that's how we learn!

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10 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

Ya, I know, seems like a lot of time & effort just to kill nice plants I've spent time growing but that's how we learn!

Well this is exactly how science works right somebody has to do the dirty work right haha. Your obviously very interested in this to say the least and with plenty of material to perform your experiments on. I know I'll keep following to see what you find out over the years =) 

T J 

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  • 2 months later...

I went by the hotel with the dying Queens and Livistona over the weekend, and they have lost three more ~30ft tall queens and two 40-50ft tall Livistona Chinensis.  Two more queens look really bad, but nearby Sylvestris seem to be okay at this point.  I'm pretty convinced that the culprit there is Thielaviopsis.  Every one of the dead queens had the typical bleeding trunk symptom, and none had apparent Ganoderma conks.  Two other sorta-healthy queens also had bleeding trunks, and I'm guessing they'll die next.  They have (so far) left the dead ones standing there, probably not realizing that they are spreading fungal spores to their remaining healthy palms.

It looks like the possible mode of transport from tree-to-tree *could* be woodpeckers, since all of the trunks had weeping spots near or at woodpecker holes.  That could a complete coincidence, though.  Maybe the first weeping spot is simply where the woodpecker opened up a hole in the trunk.  I doubt there is a way to know for sure, since the palm-trimming crew probably went through and trimmed all the queens all at once, and likely did not disinfect their tools between palms.

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1 hour ago, Merlyn2220 said:

They have (so far) left the dead ones standing there, probably not realizing that they are spreading fungal spores to their remaining healthy palms.

I had a rather heated discussion with one of my neighbors this morning about this ^^^.

He's got over a dozen mature coconut palms he really likes. I've been warning him about pruning live fronds before they brown for years and how he's cheating the plant out of nutrients and leaving open wounds vascular diseases can enter. He came over after I got out of the hospital the other day asking me to look at all the coconut palms because they look bad. To me (colorblind) it looks like almost all of them have lethal bronzing (which in theory isn't transferred by pruning tools). Since this is my first close up experience with what I believe is Lethal Bronzing I started documenting with pics etc. 

This morning I went over to check on the cocos and take pics. There were three fronds on the ground just from overnight under one of the palms. So I went over to one of the other sick ones to see how easily a frond could be pulled off. First was very easy, so I tried another, and another, and another. Then the loaded infrutescense started also falling with each frond pull until I just couldn't reach anymore fronds. I took pics and went inside to load them on the computer. I SHOULD have gone and knocked on his door but didn't. He came over shortly after not happy at all as you can imagine. First his trees are dying and then I made one look really bad without telling him. Then I tried explaining diseases etc. and that he would probably have to cut down all the diseased cocos and dispose of them to prevent or reduce the possibility of infecting his other palms. Telling him he might have to cut down all the cocos really set him off and with the language barrier, education difference, etc. all I did by trying to help figure out what disease he's dealing with is get him very upset with me.

Pretty sure this is a case of lethal bronzing on coconut. He's got at least 10 suffering very rapid decline. Pics taken a couple days apart.

DSCN4359_zpsirdz032a.jpg

DSCN4381_zpswltu7dnc.jpg

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Yup, that sure looks like LB.  The first photo sure has that red-brown look to the fronds, which isn't as obvious in the second photo.  I'm not too familiar with coconuts and how easy old fronds come off, but that sure looks like they shouldn't have come off that fast.  Especially the bottom right frond in the lower photo, 90% of that one is still green and healthy!  I wasn't aware that LB made fronds loose at the base, but the Sylvestris in my Sanford LB/TPPD thread did have all the fronds fall off fast in a storm about a week after the crown collapsed.

Were there any other signs of Thielaviopsis, Ganoderma or anything else on those coconuts? 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here's a local example of a mature (and previously healthy) Butia that has about 4 Ganoderma conks on the North side of the trunk.  It doesn't have any apparent signs of another disease such as Thielaviopsis.  I just noticed a few weeks ago that the older fronds had started collapsing while remaining a decent looking blue-green color.  I suspect the Ganoderma has started destroying the xylem and there's just not enough water pressure to keep the fronds upright.  This picture shows it in daylight where it's in full sun all afternoon.  The conks are growing on the North side, but still in full sun.

2045920429_20200306_170257cropped.jpg.ae416692c49b6731e8b0433adaf2e70e.jpg

Here's a broader view showing the collapse of the older fronds and the half-collapse of newer ones.  The spear is still growing but is a sort of pale yellow-green.

1201709916_20200311_171318cropped.thumb.jpg.5b48913a345cb2d4a1a7bc080b5b17b7.jpg

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@Merlyn2220 That would be a great one to dissect.  Shame to see the decline of a mature tree in a manicured area. Are you familiar with it's history? Was the top tilting previously or a recent thing? Thielaviopsis doesn't present obvious symptoms in a lot of palms but I've no clue if that's the case with Butia. Four conks makes me think it's been infected with the Ganoderma for a few years, perhaps much longer. Have any really cold snaps where it is 2-4 years ago? How big are the conks? Private yard or public area? Any chance someone got carried away with weed killer? Area looks weed free.

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That one has been in place for at least 15 years, though I don't remember when it was planted.  It's at the entryway to a subdivision, so it's cared for by the community landscapers.  I haven't noted any conks on it before, but I can't say that I ever really looked at it until I noticed it was really looking unhappy a few weeks ago.  The conks are roughly 3-4 inches wide. 

It's seen several cold snaps in the area.  The subdivision was built in the mid 90s, and that Butia could have been planted at that time.  It has always leaned a bit to the right, for no apparent reason.  It has probably been through several ~25F cold snaps and definitely the 2009 cold winter.  Here's the Google street view from 2013 for reference. 

2040677610_ButiaTallTrees.jpg.ff9508e1a6cc4f4c3c7833dad858367c.jpg

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  • 2 months later...

I Spy With My Little Eye Something Beginning With G.......
GANODERMA !
It gets right into my older Carpentaria palms..... and with the decline of 35' or 40' tall trunks it becomes a real mission : impossible to cut them down.
These 2 are among the tallest in my back yard.
101264360_3142163369182974_6588864356191043584_n.jpg.3f7a7ba57d0dba398c039b998bdc8e67.jpg 103099076_1593639940783002_6078156817295212544_n.jpg.d13d460269a37b72deaa427afde91eea.jpg
Goners.....
102367705_265834067974574_1467358920795226112_n.jpg.cf9992a1d5eb38d5a59b4d8b393f8d6e.jpg 101866020_253615722406992_5702860182673948672_n.jpg.64f51c175f5efc5b649cdf08353a313a.jpg
Far more troubling for me is that it gets into my Macarthur clumps and slowly kills them off one stem at a time. And it gets every stem no matter how healthy they look. This stem has healthy fruit bracts maturing, but I noticed the yellowing/browning of the fronds about a week ago...oh oh.... here we go again. Very annoying as this clump is right outside my kitchen window so it is in my face so to speak....
101538404_3000753036638573_4353298896114417664_n.jpg.1d05f5020eaf9b49f43292bcbd489f91.jpg 103133864_1373613589505752_4499595214612070400_n.jpg.1c78b7382379e15361f38633f63b87e5.jpg

101980290_549915605601297_1144094857187295232_n.jpg.8c5a54686baebd94b08967d7571a0e0e.jpg
No tell tale signs, just a sudden and abrupt decline ( I never find a conk on Macarthurs ) The base of the stems/clump appears healthy.
1177708734_101626985_205252467171851_5495491460746706944_n(1).jpg.3f0498ebf17af62bd4dc3f0b29716487.jpg 101830581_879201785896363_2269929093979963392_n.jpg.c359c9c032c1686e26a36f068b6448fc.jpg
There are thousands of seedlings underneath, so I guess I'll nurture a few up as replacements.... a coupla Wets and the gaps in the garden will be filled.
 

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On 3/15/2020 at 4:02 PM, Merlyn2220 said:

That one has been in place for at least 15 years, though I don't remember when it was planted.  It's at the entryway to a subdivision, so it's cared for by the community landscapers.  I haven't noted any conks on it before, but I can't say that I ever really looked at it until I noticed it was really looking unhappy a few weeks ago.  The conks are roughly 3-4 inches wide. 

It's seen several cold snaps in the area.  The subdivision was built in the mid 90s, and that Butia could have been planted at that time.  It has always leaned a bit to the right, for no apparent reason.  It has probably been through several ~25F cold snaps and definitely the 2009 cold winter.  Here's the Google street view from 2013 for reference. 

2040677610_ButiaTallTrees.jpg.ff9508e1a6cc4f4c3c7833dad858367c.jpg

This is in Tall Trees right? I have so many meetings in there, I noticed that many times. 

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9 hours ago, NickJames said:

This is in Tall Trees right? I have so many meetings in there, I noticed that many times. 

Yes, I rode my bike past it one day and saw the drooping fronds.  I made it a point to ride past every week or so, it declined and finally died last week.  The community cut down a lot of large oaks at the entryway last week, and took out the Butia too.  I just happened to luck out and ride past the day they cut it.  Here's the trunk and stump:

1399975722_20200527_201443cropped.thumb.jpg.fd47f30dc20f1acb222fa1d4c6038103.jpg

249077610_20200527_201459cropped.thumb.jpg.d6b0da674d17cd883c1cabaa89c119ac.jpg

411915261_20200527_201507cropped.thumb.jpg.781ef99b42b217aa26cbf52f9766e020.jpg

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50 minutes ago, Merlyn2220 said:

I just happened to luck out and ride past the day they cut it.  Here's the trunk and stump:

Thanks for the pics! You arrived at the perfect time.

While Ganoderma zonatum was certainly active (for a long time, probably years) and the center discoloration is caused by it, the dark discoloration around the perimeter of the stem may have been caused by something else. So the Ganoderma may have actually been a secondary infection (or vice versa), can't make any conclusions without lab testing though. Did you happen to check to see if the discolored areas near the outer edges was soft?

Curious if they trimmed any other palms in the immediate area of the one that was cut down, to see if those palms suffer from any type of disease in the near future that may have been transferred by pruning tools.

I've been intending to start a new thread about Ganoderma that's easily searchable and provides links to all the previous extension service bulletins as well as current observations and ongoing reports of some experiments I have.

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I rode over to that palm this afternoon and it was gone, unfortunately they also ground the stump.  I didn't touch the trunk to look for any squishy parts last week when they cut it down.  I did not notice any fibers that looked wet or squishy at the time.  Zooming in on the original photo does show a 1 inch band around the edge that does look discolored.  It's probably more obvious on the East (left side of photo) and SW (upper right) side of the photo.  The North side where the conks were located has a slightly splotchy appearance.  I'm not sure if the discoloration was just a byproduct of being cut up with a chainsaw or not. 

There are quite a few other Sabals in the "public grounds" nearby, I'll have to check and see if any were pruned at the same time.  So far nothing nearby shows any sign of disease.

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Yes, I’m still losing palms. Here’s an old article from the Ag Office which may shed some researched light on this cancer we call ganoderma. I’m sorry I can’t find the link address....

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Rick Leitner

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

26.07N/80.15W

Zone 10B

Average Annual Low 67 F

Average Annual High 84 F

Average Annual Rainfall 62"

 

Riverfront exposure, 1 mile from Atlantic Ocean

Part time in the western mountains of North Carolina

Gratefully, the best of both worlds!

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51 minutes ago, TikiRick said:

Yes, I’m still losing palms. Here’s an old article from the Ag Office which may shed some researched light on this cancer we call ganoderma. I’m sorry I can’t find the link address....

The article has been revised: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp100

Unfortunately, they took the table out of the revision.

Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

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 No more recent updates since the one posted above that I'm aware of and being a collaboration of Elliot & Broschat it's from before Brochat retired so a few years old.

I'm really intrigued by cases like Ricks where it appears Ganoderma is killing the palms while other places in S FL where the Ganoderma is ubiquitous it doesn't appear to infect healthy living tissue. I also find it interesting that I haven't heard of cases like @TikiRick in Hawaii yet there are in other countries like @greysrigging in Australia.

If I had secure lab conditions I'd get a hazmat suit and go down to Ricks and collect spores to experiment with. I wonder if there's a slight genetic difference that makes the Ganoderma on his property more able to infect healthy living tissue. The Ganoderma cases I see here often look like they were/are a secondary infection or are on dead tissue and don't seem to spread to nearby living tissue or healthy plants.

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It seems nothing can stop this, is there any data on whether altering soil pH can slow or prevent spread.  I know this comes with other problems just a thought?

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  • 6 months later...

Another One Bites The Dust.... ( Apologies to Freddie Mercury and Queen )
I had to wait until the neighbours have gone to work before felling the Ganoderma fatality....... An old Carpentaria. Can't let 'em collapse on their SUV.......
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5 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

@greysriggingAny decline of other palms nearby?

Randomly, yes. Affecting Carpentarias and Macarthurs atm. 
No rhyme or reason or pattern. An individual plant afflicted is usually surrounded by healthy specimens....

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6 hours ago, greysrigging said:

An individual plant afflicted is usually surrounded by healthy specimens....

Thanks, been collecting info and observing.

 

6 hours ago, Reyes Vargas said:

Is this a Florida thing or does it happen in other states also?

Ganoderma zonatum is spread world wide where palms grow (naturally) as far as I know.  There are other types of Ganoderma fungus that live on other types of dead plant tissue also. Ganoderma zonatum is primarily (if not solely) a decomposition fungus that lives on dead palm tissue. Here in S FL it's literally everywhere. If there is dead palm tissue the fungus will grow in it provided there is enough moisture. People just don't tend to notice it unless they lose a palm or more in a cultivated area like a yard or commercial area and see a basidiocarp (mushroom).  There seems to be "hot spots" like greysrigging is experiencing where Ganoderma MAY actually be slowly killing palms. These "hot spots" might be due to a mutation of the fungus , unique environmental conditions, or perhaps other factors enabling it to infect healthy tissue. I've been observing, documenting,  and experimenting with it for years.

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17 hours ago, greysrigging said:

Randomly, yes. Affecting Carpentarias and Macarthurs atm. 
No rhyme or reason or pattern. An individual plant afflicted is usually surrounded by healthy specimens....

Looking at your pic, I wonder if natural selection is occurring and perhaps the weaker plants in that particular area are slowly dying because of drought. There's a limited amount of land area for rain water to be absorbed by which is surrounded by concrete and as the plants mature they need more and more water so the weaker of trees planted closer together would succumb as would happen in a natural environment. The dead palm in the pic only started with 1/2 the land in it's normal root zone to collect water due to the driveway AND it's in a raised bed which is harder to retain water in the soil, particularly next to a brick wall that wicks moisture from the soil behind it.

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On 12/13/2020 at 4:14 AM, greysrigging said:

I had to wait until the neighbours have gone to work before felling the Ganoderma fatality....... An old Carpentaria.
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Are you sure that is Ganoderma killing the palm?  My reading on Ganoderma was that it mostly affected the lower trunk, and palms would die long before the top was rotted away.  If the upper section near the crown was rotted to nothing but a few stringy fibers I'd suspect something like Thielaviopsis.  That's what got an Adonidia triple in my front bed this summer.  It rotted really bad in the upper area and slowly transitioned to discolored "wood" down near the base with loose fibers around the outside:

1263762880_AdonidiatripleThielaviopsis111920.thumb.jpg.65775fbea444bd609d332d1c24af949c.jpg

 

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2 hours ago, Merlyn2220 said:

Are you sure that is Ganoderma killing the palm?  My reading on Ganoderma was that it mostly affected the lower trunk, and palms would die long before the top was rotted away.  If the upper section near the crown was rotted to nothing but a few stringy fibers I'd suspect something like Thielaviopsis.  That's what got an Adonidia triple in my front bed this summer.  It rotted really bad in the upper area and slowly transitioned to discolored "wood" down near the base with loose fibers around the outside:

1263762880_AdonidiatripleThielaviopsis111920.thumb.jpg.65775fbea444bd609d332d1c24af949c.jpg

 

Good question..... in this case the palm died over 12 months ago, maybe more.....just taken me this long to remove it.....

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2 hours ago, greysrigging said:

Good question..... in this case the palm died over 12 months ago, maybe more.....just taken me this long to remove it.....

Yeah, after 12 months it would probably be impossible to diagnose Thielaviopsis vs Ganoderma as the fatal disease.  On my Adonidia it was starting to pencil point and fronds were dying unusually quickly, so I poked the trunk with my finger.  The upper part was soft, so it was fairly obvious on mine.  Two of the triple were dead and the third looked ok...but on slicing it off the trunk had some discolored areas.  So it was probably infected too, just not as bad.

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