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Hedyscepe canterburyana in trouble


ExperimentalGrower

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While working with @NorCalWill at the Oakland Palmetum yesterday we discovered something we had not previously seen when inspecting palms a few weeks back with @JasonD
 

The lone Hedyscepe canterburyana at the garden is a beauty but it’s in trouble. As you can see from the attached images, half the trunk base is missing, as if a giant rat chomped off a chunk. The exposed interior of the trunk is dried out, it feels a lot like dry rot. Anyone have any ideas what could’ve caused this and whether or not it’s a death sentence, or if there’s anything we can do for it? Strangely the palm appears healthy on top. 
 

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I like the giant rat theory, :mrlooney:

also what are those fine white threads obvious in the last pic? Are they roots coming up up out of the ground from another plant? They seem to be too big to be fungus tendrils. They may be opportunistic rather than causal. I would be confident of it's future because of how good the fronds look and how old the damage looks, and unlikely to be a systemic fungus for the same reason.

My guess would be that it is old mechanical damage that will not progress,  but my confidence level in that assumption is low,  it would need to be cleaned up and observed further.

After cleaning off all of the old rotten dead stuff spraying with a fungicide would not hurt but I 'm not saying that I think that it would probably help either.

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Cheers Steve

It is not dead, it is just senescence.

   

 

 

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44 minutes ago, gtsteve said:

I like the giant rat theory, :mrlooney:

also what are those fine white threads obvious in the last pic? Are they roots coming up up out of the ground from another plant? They seem to be too big to be fungus tendrils. They may be opportunistic rather than causal. I would be confident of it's future because of how good the fronds look and how old the damage looks, and unlikely to be a systemic fungus for the same reason.

My guess would be that it is old mechanical damage that will not progress,  but my confidence level in that assumption is low,  it would need to be cleaned up and observed further.

After cleaning off all of the old rotten dead stuff spraying with a fungicide would not hurt but I 'm not saying that I think that it would probably help either.

Ya I hear you. What those white filaments are is a mystery to me. Fungicide might not be a bad idea. I think if the palm is gonna survive the main issue is physical support and whether or not using the mounding technique around the remaining base of the trunk will help it expand its root system to compensate for this massive gash.

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I donated this palm many years ago.  It's very sad to see this damage.  There are two additional Hedyscepe palms in poor condition to the right hand side of this one.  I concur that we should scrape off the damaged tissue back to a sound surface and then mound up more soil.  :(

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San Francisco, California

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I'm not an expert but I'd be looking for a beaver in a Hawaiian shirt. 

 

In all seriousness, it's a gorgeous palm and I read the thread about the Oakland Palmetum and I hope y'all can save it. 

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2 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

 I concur that we should scrape off the damaged tissue back to a sound surface and then mound up more soil.  :(

That's what I was about to suggest but you beat me too it. If it's happy it may push a heap of roots out of the wound area if that area was underground. Then it will continue onward like nothing happened.

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Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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2 hours ago, ExperimentalGrower said:

"using the mounding technique around the remaining base of the trunk will help it expand its root system to compensate"

Good idea, I didn't think of that

Cheers Steve

It is not dead, it is just senescence.

   

 

 

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4 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

I donated this palm many years ago.  It's very sad to see this damage.  There are two additional Hedyscepe palms in poor condition to the right hand side of this one.  I concur that we should scrape off the damaged tissue back to a sound surface and then mound up more soil.  :(

It was kind of a shock to see, Darold. Can’t imagine what would’ve done this. 

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A lot of weeding and cleanup of ivy was recently done in the area which exposed this damage. Nobody had noticed it before, and it was very shocking to see. It looks like it had been decaying for some time, but it's a mystery as to what caused it.

If mounding soil over the damaged area will encourage new root growth without causing further decay, then I'll bring down a load of topsoil.

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I like the mounding idea maybe bring some cinder blocks or rocks down to create a  raised bed around the newly mounded trunk this would help retain the topsoil.  Good luck and it's great you are trying to help this beautiful palm recover cheers 

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Is that writing I see on the palm?  Who would vandalize a palm like that?  :crying:

Huntington Beach, CA

USDA Zone 10a/10b

Sunset Zone 24

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Joe, all the palms with smooth trunks have been vandalized at the Lakeside Palmetum.  It is even worse on the adult, trunked Ceroxylons.    :angry:

Vandalism has torn off all the fronds from a Chamaedorea linearis (twice)  and killed two adult Juania palms.

San Francisco, California

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12 hours ago, joe_OC said:

Is that writing I see on the palm?  Who would vandalize a palm like that?  :crying:

Probably unattended kids who don't realize what they are doing. They see a nice clean shiny surface and it looks like a good place to leave a message. This is pretty common in our society.

Torn off leaves, believe it or not, can happen in the presence of a child's parent. That's why it's important to pick up sticks and other debris before it becomes a weapon used on a plant.

It's a public garden, so some abuse is to be expected over the years (even naturally occurring damage). At some point, you just have to walk away, accepting the fact that there is only so much you can do to protect things.

In general, the garden is in good shape. The majority of visitors walk through, respectfully enjoying the garden, and there are many palms that have no damage.

There is a small group of dedicated volunteers who are working hard to maintain a place that visitors can enjoy, with new palms being introduced over time. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area.

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Damn, that is a beautiful palm. 

I would say mound it up, it will hopefully send down roots and no one would know a thing. 

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3 hours ago, NorCalWill said:

Probably unattended kids who don't realize what they are doing. They see a nice clean shiny surface and it looks like a good place to leave a message. This is pretty common in our society.

 

I'd say you're going a little too easy with your analysis. Me? A bunch of gang-banging punks who have nothing better to do than deface property with their un-decipherable crap they call graffiti. They need their a$$es kickid in.

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7 minutes ago, Gonzer said:

I'd say you're going a little too easy with your analysis. Me? A bunch of gang-banging punks who have nothing better to do than deface property with their un-decipherable crap they call graffiti. They need their a$$es kickid in.

I watched the adolescents twist off the fronds of the Chamaedorea.  They knew exactly what they were doing,  they were several, and much larger than I.  

Don't do it, Gonzer, YOU would be the one in trouble with the police.  :bummed:

San Francisco, California

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1 hour ago, Gonzer said:

I'd say you're going a little too easy with your analysis. Me? A bunch of gang-banging punks who have nothing better to do than deface property with their un-decipherable crap they call graffiti. They need their a$$es kickid in.

Eh, I'm with Will. I don't really think public gardens are a hotbed of gang activity, but bratty kids with crappy inattentive parents doped out of their mind on Xanax and antidepressants are everywhere. 

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1 hour ago, Darold Petty said:

I watched the adolescents twist off the fronds of the Chamaedorea.  They knew exactly what they were doing,  they were several, and much larger than I.  

Don't do it, Gonzer, YOU would be the one in trouble with the police.  :bummed:

Society needs to realise that “this is why we can’t have nice things!!!”

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Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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2 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Eh, I'm with Will. I don't really think public gardens are a hotbed of gang activity, but bratty kids with crappy inattentive parents doped out of their mind on Xanax and antidepressants are everywhere. 

Ya not to beat a dead horse, but this garden is in a very nice area of Oakland, but it’s been there since the early 80’s and is completely open to the public all day so none of it is surprising to me. Disappointing absolutely, but not surprising. Damn teens!! ;)
 

But just to be clear, the trunk damage to the palm is on the side facing away from the nearest path so I’m quite sure that part was not the result of vandalism. You actually can’t even see the gouge from the path, only if you go around to the opposite side of it.

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On 5/4/2021 at 12:00 PM, Darold Petty said:

I donated this palm many years ago.  It's very sad to see this damage.  There are two additional Hedyscepe palms in poor condition to the right hand side of this one.  I concur that we should scrape off the damaged tissue back to a sound surface and then mound up more soil.  :(

I thought that it might be one of yours Darold.

Yes your method of" scrape off the damaged tissue back to a sound surface and then mound up more soil"  sounds like the a really good idea.

 

 

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Old Beach ,Hobart
Tasmania ,Australia. 42 " south
Cool Maritime climate

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  • 1 month later...

As I was poking around the base of this palm today, scraping off the decayed tissue, I noticed some strange insects in the soil, which may be the culprits to this palm’s problem. 
Can anyone identify this insect? They are small, less than 1/2” long. 

They appear to live underground, and when dug up, they jump like fleas and then scurry back underground…

I’ve never seen this insect before.

 

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1 hour ago, NorCalWill said:

As I was poking around the base of this palm today, scraping off the decayed tissue, I noticed some strange insects in the soil, which may be the culprits to this palm’s problem. 
Can anyone identify this insect? They are small, less than 1/2” long. 

They appear to live underground, and when dug up, they jump like fleas and then scurry back underground…

I’ve never seen this insect before.

 

9148A9B3-3D29-4AB1-BDF7-A0602D0A19A2.jpeg

That is a weird bug. Never seen this before. Huh.

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I get those bugs here. I had them in my Perth garden and down here. They like moist soil and can jump like fleas. I think these just eat decaying matter and part of the ecosystem. 

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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