Troubleshooting mule palm issues in Florida

[jg3035]

Hi everyone, I'm new to palmtalk (and to palms) and have found this forum extremely helpful and informative so far--thank you all!

I moved to Florida (Gainesville) last year and have been updating the landscaping the past few weeks. I bought a mature mule palm at a local nursery, but it was the only one available, and in a rush I might not have ended up with the best looking one. The nursery installed it around two weeks ago, and it has been infested with ants ever since (fire ants, I think; the bites look like big pimples). I first noticed the ants around the base, where there's a slightly hollowed out area of the trunk. The hollowed out area isn't soft, and I know it won't grow back, but I'm fine with it as long as it isn't a sign of something more serious.

Everything I read on here about ants and scale on here combined with the colony in the trunk freaked me out, so I sprinkled fire ant pesticide powder (from Lowe's) over the bottom of the trunk, which forced the ants to migrate up the trunk under the older leaf sheaths. Then I sprinkled pesticide under the leaf sheaths; some were very dried out on the surface, and decomposing against the trunk, so I removed them. A few days later, it seems like the ants have died or moved on (hopefully not to the crown of the tree).

I was wondering anyone has any advice on what I can do to help the mule recover and acclimate to the landscape. It seems like the fronds are showing some magnesium deficiency, and the ends of the lower fronds are flipped over. But there are two new, healthy-looking spears--one with leaflets just opening up, and another spear popping up around a foot below. There's pesticide everywhere, which I hope won't lead to long term issues (with the palm at least). The roots are slightly exposed, but I wanted to deal with the ants before covering with mulch/dirt. And where I've removed the old leaf sheaths have left the trunk newly exposed. The general shape of the fronds doesn't look the best/most consistent, but I hope that's just a sign of the general genetic variability, and maybe winter stress at the nursery. I've tried to troubleshoot by asking the nursery, but no one there is nearly as knowledgeable as all of you.

Any advice or suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks!

g

[PricklyPearSATC]

2 hours ago, jg3035 said:

Hi everyone, I'm new to palmtalk (and to palms) and have found this forum extremely helpful and informative so far--thank you all!

I moved to Florida (Gainesville) last year and have been updating the landscaping the past few weeks. I bought a mature mule palm at a local nursery, but it was the only one available, and in a rush I might not have ended up with the best looking one. The nursery installed it around two weeks ago, and it has been infested with ants ever since (fire ants, I think; the bites look like big pimples). I first noticed the ants around the base, where there's a slightly hollowed out area of the trunk. The hollowed out area isn't soft, and I know it won't grow back, but I'm fine with it as long as it isn't a sign of something more serious.

Everything I read on here about ants and scale on here combined with the colony in the trunk freaked me out, so I sprinkled fire ant pesticide powder (from Lowe's) over the bottom of the trunk, which forced the ants to migrate up the trunk under the older leaf sheaths. Then I sprinkled pesticide under the leaf sheaths; some were very dried out on the surface, and decomposing against the trunk, so I removed them. A few days later, it seems like the ants have died or moved on (hopefully not to the crown of the tree).

I was wondering anyone has any advice on what I can do to help the mule recover and acclimate to the landscape. It seems like the fronds are showing some magnesium deficiency, and the ends of the lower fronds are flipped over. But there are two new, healthy-looking spears--one with leaflets just opening up, and another spear popping up around a foot below. There's pesticide everywhere, which I hope won't lead to long term issues (with the palm at least). The roots are slightly exposed, but I wanted to deal with the ants before covering with mulch/dirt. And where I've removed the old leaf sheaths have left the trunk newly exposed. The general shape of the fronds doesn't look the best/most consistent, but I hope that's just a sign of the general genetic variability, and maybe winter stress at the nursery. I've tried to troubleshoot by asking the nursery, but no one there is nearly as knowledgeable as all of you.

Any advice or suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks!

g 264.92 kB · 0 downloads

You might want to post in the Discussing Palms World Wide Forum...

The base of this palm does not look good. 

[jg3035]

Thanks for the tip! I'll post there too.

[8B palms]

Welcome to palm talk. Gainesville Florida here also, Tank who posts on here is also local. Which nursery did you purchase your mule from?

[Jcalvin]

It looks like an older palm that was neglected and, perhaps, stuck in a pot too small for the roots, imo. I've seen plenty of older palms with cracks in the trunks that do perfectly fine.  I'd put some slow release palm fertilizer (with nutrients) on it and keep the soil moist (not soaked).  The fact that it is pushing out new growth is a good sign, and it may take some time getting acclimated. 

It might not be the best palm for what you could've got, but it's probably getting the individual attention it needs now and will start looking better with time. 

Edited March 31, 2021 by Jcalvin

[jg3035]

@8B palms Thanks for the welcome--I've been lurking your posts trying to figure out what works/doesn't work in Gainesville! I bought it at green house nursery out near Jonesville. We probably rushed to buy it out of excitement, and couldn't find any palm-specific reviews online. I'm trying not to regret the decision too much and do what I can. We still have some full sun spots so next time I'll do a little more research first!

@Jcalvin Thanks for the tips--it's helpful to know that not all hope is lost. Do you happen to know if there's a specific name for the cracked trunk? I see lots on here about vertical cracks but less about horizontal ones.

I know time is crucial and an older plant will take some time to turn around. Fingers crossed for a healthier summer.