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Bismarck out of biz for good?


Todder

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I think it’s  close to last rights can anyone confirm this is as weevils or butt rot?  fertilizer fungicide spray, Epsom salts I’ve tried but when new growth looks this bad it’s likely to late.    Trunk seems just a bit loose in ground and very dark sooty black.   Really sad for this guy was my signature tree in front yard.   Thanks all for any input.  

 

 

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@Todder Welcome to PalmTalk and wish your first post was on a happier topic.

Is that a conk forming on the right side of the first photo?  If so, it's likely ganoderma and the palm is DOA.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp100

  • Upvote 1

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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Well I checked it out and no conk was just a piece of old bark that fell off but I could see how it looked like one.  The new fronds are mangled and mushed and lots of black fungus or something on many of them.  Is this seriously a $5k tree?  So sad

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Welcome to Palmtalk! I wish i could say exactly what is wrong, but i cant.  Best of luck with your Bizzy!

Palms - 4 S. romanzoffiana, 1 W. bifurcata, 2 W. robusta, 1 R. rivularis, 1 B. odorata, 1 B. nobilis, 2 S. palmetto, 1 A. merillii, 1 P. canariensis, 1 BxJ, 1 BxJxBxS, 1 BxS, 3 P. roebelenii, 1 H. lagenicaulis, 1 H. verschaffeltii, 9 T. fortunei, 1 C. humilis, 2 C. macrocarpa, 1 L. chinensis, 1 R. excelsa

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42 minutes ago, Todder said:

Well I checked it out and no conk was just a piece of old bark that fell off but I could see how it looked like one.  The new fronds are mangled and mushed and lots of black fungus or something on many of them.  Is this seriously a $5k tree?  So sad

Could you pour some hydrogen peroxide in the crown and see if it fizzes up?

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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The good news is that I don’t think that is close to a $5k tree, at least not at that size. 

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Welcome Todder!

The bleeding looks like Thielaviopsis trunk rot. Weak trunk/wobble also a symptom.  Infection is typically through a wound. The stem bleeding is more typical on coconuts although others can have it. I lost a nice coconut to it this year and infection was in little woodpecker holes. If it's thielaviopsis it's had it a while now for the leaves to look like that. I'd like to see it in person to confirm but I've self quarantined for the time being.

I hate to be the messenger but it's probably not coming back and leaving it there puts other nearby palms at risk. 6' is nothing for palm fungus distancing. When removing, get rid of everything including sawdust from chain saw. What you have there looks like a giant petri dish. Disinfect any pruning tools you use on it before using on any other palm including chain saw. Don't plant another palm there because the chlamydospores in the soil are viable for a long time. A conk from Ganoderma may show up soon as it's likely already a secondary infection. I've been studying Ganoderma and it's often a secondary infection when Thielaviopsis is the initial cause of decline.

Here's Thielaviopsis just getting started on a coconut.

DSCN4329_zpsvfbedkjj.jpg

 

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Welcome to PT @Todder such a shame , that's a nice looking bizzie you got there =) What other palms do you have in your collection ? 

T J 

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Looks a lot like mine that I lost last year due to palmetto weevil.  It hits new growth first, older leaves seem ok.   the first indication after the bugs hit is the leaves blanched to white and brittle looking.  Its a goner as if it looks like this its too late to treat.  I have two and the one that got hit was in a low spot around an in ground sprinkler.  It appeared to be very unhappy(leave stems sagged noticably, after 21 days of rain in a row last august.  A month later I had to rip it out and the weevils confirmed it.  My neighbor also had a sprinkler break and it was watering the palm without rotation  at 3AM or so unbeknownst to me.  Both my bizzies were unhappy with all that rain, but one was in a low spot an had that sprinkler around.  I dont let grass sprinklers water my bizzie heavily, I even removed one.  these palms dont like too much water and will grow better away from grass and flower areas.  In florida, Bismarckia need no watering after established and the ones along I75 that look like crap(future weevil food?) are almost without exception in depressions, low spots.  My hopothesis from this is IF the palms roots stay too wet, they gets root rot and that starts the slide to weevil food.  Many plants send out smells when they are sick and bugs have adapted to be attracted to those smells.  This is likely the same for bismarckia, though research in this area has concentrated on crops, not palms.

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Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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the GOOD NEWS is it doesnt appear to be Ganoderma which spreads to everything else nbnearby and kill it also as well as contaminating the soil.  If it is weevils, that should be a relief since Ganoderma kills everythiing it infects, no treatment.

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Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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I'm betting on weevils, these are like candy to them. If you scout around you may find the hole, not that it will do you much good. 

Jupiter FL

in the Zone formally known as 10A

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Weevils. It looks just like my first/largest Bismarckia that was taken out by them several years ago. Remove it and burn or bag/trash the remains and weevil larvae. We have 6 other Bizzies that we treat with Grubs Away or the equivalent that contains imidacloprid in granular form then water in. The weevils attack palms mainly during spring so we do one treatment during late winter, then another summer. We also cut up bars of Ivory Soap (no detergents) and place pieces into the meristem area of the crown to deter adult weevils from laying eggs.

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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Thanks All for kindly sharing your knowledge!   I went out to look for weevil holes and and I touched the frond bark and it literally just fell off not one but all of them!   Lots of grubs and earthworms crawling back there and very moist.  Is there a small chance this tree was drowning in irrigation it gets 40 min twice a week Sat and Wed in the dry season.   
 

here are pieces and a neighboring tree is showing black fungus trunk leak possibly related?  

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I don't see evidence of Thelaviopsis or ganoderma.  Press firmly on the trunk to see if it is spongy or bleeding.

 

There is sooty mold on the emerging spears indicating sucking insects.

 

The leaves are malformed suggesting nutritional deficiencies.  Nutritional deficiencies such as manganese or boron deform leaves and could hinder leaf emergence, giving sucking insects a cozy place to live.  Hammer it with fert and additional Mn and Boron.

 

Does not rule out weevils though.

  • Upvote 2

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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Thanks Jerry I did fertilize granules and three jobes spikes about 4 weeks ago when I first noticed necrosis and new growth deformity out of crown, it Greened up old fronds for 2 weeks quickly (they went from yellow to green but never made it back to blue green color)
 

I’m sure irrigation was spraying on trunk and may have attracted pests like you mention.  My dilemma is I’d love to replace this Bizzie with another palm (Sylvester?). Or do I cheap out with a giant agave to fill the void for 10-12 years if soil contamination is going to be risk.  I’m in an urban area ft Laud so I can’t really burn out the hole post removal.  Weevils mean minimal risk in soil but Ganoderma is death sentence and seems thelaviopsis is mixed bag from the education I’ve received here at Palm Talk?

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Pull of a couple more boots by that drippy black area, you will most likely find the hole there,

 

Jupiter FL

in the Zone formally known as 10A

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When I had my palm cut down it appeared that there were only a few dozen weevils at most and I didnt see amy till the trunk was cut.  they may have already started leaving/flying away when I had it cut down.

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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  • 1 month later...
On 4/29/2020 at 5:39 PM, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

I don't see evidence of Thelaviopsis or ganoderma.  Press firmly on the trunk to see if it is spongy or bleeding.

 

There is sooty mold on the emerging spears indicating sucking insects.

 

The leaves are malformed suggesting nutritional deficiencies.  Nutritional deficiencies such as manganese or boron deform leaves and could hinder leaf emergence, giving sucking insects a cozy place to live.  Hammer it with fert and additional Mn and Boron.

 

Does not rule out weevils though.

Jerry you were so right!   Epsom salts and hammered fertilizer may have saved it!   Although sever necrosis on mid growth I have 3 good lookin spikes coming in.  You are a saver of trees!   So glad Amazon was out of stock on the chain saw I wanted haha,

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:yay:your Bizzy is coming back to life!

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Palms - 4 S. romanzoffiana, 1 W. bifurcata, 2 W. robusta, 1 R. rivularis, 1 B. odorata, 1 B. nobilis, 2 S. palmetto, 1 A. merillii, 1 P. canariensis, 1 BxJ, 1 BxJxBxS, 1 BxS, 3 P. roebelenii, 1 H. lagenicaulis, 1 H. verschaffeltii, 9 T. fortunei, 1 C. humilis, 2 C. macrocarpa, 1 L. chinensis, 1 R. excelsa

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