Licuala new leaf wrinkled and dry

[eacdmd86]

I'm having all kinds of palm issues lately. Just got home to notice this new frond on my licuala looking very unhealthy.  There is 6 inches of new spear following behind.

 

 

And I noticed fungus on the lower half of the trunk and some of the roots.  Green in areas, white in others.  Are these two issues related and what should I do?

 

Edited June 2, 2022 by eacdmd86

[eacdmd86]

Any thoughts on this? Can I spray copper fungicide on the trunk to kill the mold?

Got a ton of rain from the storm, so it's watered now.  Maybe the next one will be normal.

[Merlyn]

I'd squirt some hydrogen peroxide into the crown to see if it bubbles up.  Grandis is super sensitive to drying out, so that might be part of it.  I have been doing Daconil + hydrogen peroxide in the crown of possible crown fungal infections.  That was from a recommendation from someone here.  Another possible treatment is Mancozeb.  I don't know that it has a crown infection, but it is possible.  I don't know if the trunk fungus is important or not, but it does seem odd.  If there is a sprinkler hitting it, that could explain the mold.

[Plasmodioom]

Hi - I'm having the exact same problem. Did you ever resolve? 

[Harry’s Palms]

My limited experience with Licuala is that they need humidity to thrive . That is why I don’t consider them to be good candidates for house plants. I had one at my old house for years and never had any trouble with it. It grew in my greenhouse and was quite happy , not fussy at all. I moved to my new house where there is no room for a greenhouse so I put it in a spare bedroom that had plenty of indirect sunlight. I misted the palm frequently and kept the fronds clean. It stared fading immediately and within 6 months it was gone. It was hard to watch after years of enjoyment . Harry

[Plasmodioom]

9 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

My limited experience with Licuala is that they need humidity to thrive . That is why I don’t consider them to be good candidates for house plants. I had one at my old house for years and never had any trouble with it. It grew in my greenhouse and was quite happy , not fussy at all. I moved to my new house where there is no room for a greenhouse so I put it in a spare bedroom that had plenty of indirect sunlight. I misted the palm frequently and kept the fronds clean. It stared fading immediately and within 6 months it was gone. It was hard to watch after years of enjoyment . Harry

Thanks for your reply. Sorry to hear about yours. Did it share similar symptoms to mine above? Could this be a humidity issue? Currently humidity doesn't got below 50%.

[Harry’s Palms]

Yes , mine did a similar decline followed by brown , dying fronds. I never measured the humidity in my greenhouse but it was humidity , light and air circulation . I had windows on the ends of it that allowed prevailing afternoon winds to circulate through. The floor was about 6” deep of pea gravel that was soaked in the morning . Some days , before the wind came up , it would “rain” in there! The perfect tropical environment for my palms and orchids. I think if you look at where these thrive in the wild , like Malaysia , you can understand how they will struggle in a home environment. I had moved mine out into my courtyard as a last attempt to save it , but that was futile .I hope yours pulls through , it could , some palms pull out , this was my only experience. Harry

[PalmatierMeg]

11 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

My limited experience with Licuala is that they need humidity to thrive . That is why I don’t consider them to be good candidates for house plants. I had one at my old house for years and never had any trouble with it. It grew in my greenhouse and was quite happy , not fussy at all. I moved to my new house where there is no room for a greenhouse so I put it in a spare bedroom that had plenty of indirect sunlight. I misted the palm frequently and kept the fronds clean. It stared fading immediately and within 6 months it was gone. It was hard to watch after years of enjoyment . Harry

I agree. Tropical Licualas make poor houseplants. They need heat (80+F), high humidity (70+%), light but no direct sun - and that's the bare minimum. Northern houses are too dark, too cold and too dry for them. Your potting soil looks like black muck and I suspect you are overwatering it. Your palm needs a coarse, light mix not dollar store top soil/sludge. Use PT's Search feature to check out how northern members try to meet their palms' wants and needs indoors, i.e., high heat, humidity and light. It's your responsibility to meet its unchanging demands, not its job to adapt to the conditions you live in.

[Tomas]

23 hours ago, Plasmodioom said:

Hi - I'm having the exact same problem. Did you ever resolve? 

Not much positive experince with Licualas myself, but the deformed leaf looks like some nutritional deficiencies are involved. I would try some leaf fertilizer. The dry spots and leaf points are from too low air humidity I think.

[Plasmodioom]

On 3/9/2024 at 1:47 PM, PalmatierMeg said:

I agree. Tropical Licualas make poor houseplants. They need heat (80+F), high humidity (70+%), light but no direct sun - and that's the bare minimum. Northern houses are too dark, too cold and too dry for them. Your potting soil looks like black muck and I suspect you are overwatering it. Your palm needs a coarse, light mix not dollar store top soil/sludge. Use PT's Search feature to check out how northern members try to meet their palms' wants and needs indoors, i.e., high heat, humidity and light. It's your responsibility to meet its unchanging demands, not its job to adapt to the conditions you live in.

Thanks for your response. What are 'PTs'? The soil is from someone else's pic, I am using westland house plant potting mix. 

[PalmatierMeg]

15 minutes ago, Plasmodioom said:

Thanks for your response. What are 'PTs'? The soil is from someone else's pic, I am using westland house plant potting mix. 

PT = PalmTalk