2 month after Texas freeze Sabal Palmetto spear pulled

[smatofu 79]

Bad news related to my Sabal Palmetto:

Today, about 2 months after the Texas freeze, palmageddon,  I noticed some tiny flies around palm's crown. I spread old fronds stems wider and pulled on the spear harder... and here it happened: I  pulled the spear.

The spear was light brown in the middle and white soft at the bottom. 

I poured copper Python 27 solution with a little of neem oil and insecticide inside. 

The palm was healthy and thriving before the freeze... I don't know how much hope I should have. 

S.

 

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by smatofu

[Bayerische Motorenwerke 0]

Unfortunately, probably none. We have 3 massive ones (12-15' of a trunk alone), and I have been monitoring them closely since the freeze. I did the copper treatment / wrapped em / etc. They are not producing any spears, and are white and mushy inside the crown - and all the brown spears pulled out easy. I'm already making plans to replace them 

[RCC-DALLAS 7]

Same with my sabal texana, flies, spear pulled ,  smell of deterioration. RIP.   Casualties all over the neighborhood, except for a few sabal texana ,and palmetto survivors,. Even a number of  Trachs have died but most are recovering.  My cham radicalis are speeding up a little now, the Needles are blooming but still unsure the long term outlook for the recovering Trachs.  I am watching for problems as the heat ahead get real.

[pinstripepat 0]

Questions all,

I too have two sabals. Neither are putting out new growth after freeze. I broke down snd bought a new one. Can I plant it in the same hole as freeze damaged one? Any rusk of fungus etc…. fir the new one?

thx so much 

[KsLouisiana 109]

So did all the palms in dfw die? Even the sabals? I went to UNT and I remember 10 years ago there were big palms around.  Even some big Mexican fan palms

[sonoranfans 2,864]

On 4/9/2021 at 6:08 PM, smatofu said:

Bad news related to my Sabal Palmetto:

Today, about 2 months after the Texas freeze, palmageddon,  I noticed some tiny flies around palm's crown. I spread old fronds stems wider and pulled on the spear harder... and here it happened: I  pulled the spear.

The spear was light brown in the middle and white soft at the bottom. 

I poured copper Python 27 solution with a little of neem oil and insecticide inside. 

The palm was healthy and thriving before the freeze... I don't know how much hope I should have. 

S.

 

 

best success for spear pull is to check every 5 days after the freeze to see if there is any give.  IF you do this, you can pull the spear earlier which may be critical to its potential for survival.  If the fungal infection can spread and really take hold, treatment will not matter.  I use peroxide, multiple washe,s and wait hours till it has drained down, then I add the fungicide daconil or equivalent into the hole where the spear was.  Retreat every 10 days or so for 6 weeks.  It might be that too much damage is done, but the best chance is to remove the necrotic tissue as best you can with peroxide, then treat with fungicide.  The logic is that this peroxide treatment will kill some fungus and also remove dead tissue and that will expose more of the remaining fungus at depth to the fungicide.  I wouldn't put any insecticide down there, how the plant handles insecticide exposure on fungus injured tissue is unknown, it may limit the plants immune function. 

[smatofu 79]

47 minutes ago, sonoranfans said:

best success for spear pull is to check every 5 days after the freeze to see if there is any give.  IF you do this, you can pull the spear earlier which may be critical to its potential for survival.  If the fungal infection can spread and really take hold, treatment will not matter.  I use peroxide, multiple washe,s and wait hours till it has drained down, then I add the fungicide daconil or equivalent into the hole where the spear was.  Retreat every 10 days or so for 6 weeks.  It might be that too much damage is done, but the best chance is to remove the necrotic tissue as best you can with peroxide, then treat with fungicide.  The logic is that this peroxide treatment will kill some fungus and also remove dead tissue and that will expose more of the remaining fungus at depth to the fungicide.  I wouldn't put any insecticide down there, how the plant handles insecticide exposure on fungus injured tissue is unknown, it may limit the plants immune function. 

@sonoranfans Thank you! My palm survived and it is thriving now. One of a very few surviving Sabals north of Dallas.  (I thought the palm was a Palmetto Sabal, but it is a Mexican Sabal)

[ I wouldn't put any insecticide down there] I used very small amounts. Nothing that could have any impact on the plant.

 

 

 

[tvold 11]

On 4/25/2021 at 11:31 AM, Bayerische Motorenwerke said:

Unfortunately, probably none. We have 3 massive ones (12-15' of a trunk alone), and I have been monitoring them closely since the freeze. I did the copper treatment / wrapped em / etc. They are not producing any spears, and are white and mushy inside the crown - and all the brown spears pulled out easy. I'm already making plans to replace them 

oh yeah if it's mushy in there it's dead.

[Alexisreal 4]

From Houston.  I thought I would add to this string. Biggest happiness came when my mango tree survived the texas freeze of 2020.  A few other tropicals did too.  A little protection goes a long way!

[Joe The Palm 29]

Alexisreal, you mean 2021 

Edited January 17 by Joe The Palm
.

[Alexisreal 4]

From Houston.  I thought I would add to this string. Biggest happiness came when my mango tree survived the texas freeze of 2021.  A few other tropicals did too.  A little protection goes a long way!

[Alexisreal 4]

Yes, I meant 2021!!! Years and their tendency to fly by, oh my!!!

[Little Tex 192]

On 8/11/2021 at 3:29 PM, KsLouisiana said:

So did all the palms in dfw die? Even the sabals? I went to UNT and I remember 10 years ago there were big palms around.  Even some big Mexican fan palms

No Palms survived up there except sabals, even then you don't see them doing that great. (there probably is protected washies though)

Edited February 18 by Little Tex