Vertical cracks on the shaft

[AJ_del]

Hi everyone

I planted 4 areca catechus 1.5 months back. During January the temperature dropped to 3 degree celsius and most of the leaves got burnt. Now the temperature has started increasing and the minimum is around 11 celsius at night. However 3 of the 4 trees have developed these nasty cracks. Is there any chance of their survival and can anything be done to increase their chances ? Though the existing leaves are burnt the new leaf seems to be ok but it has not opened as yet.

Best Regards

[BS Man about Palms]

It does not look promising.

[TikiRick]

From my experience, the palm is toast. These vertical cracks are open wounds that palms can not heal like a hard wood tree can. Although the spear looks to be good, often the palm will sit and not push new growth, or slowly fail.

I would just pour some copper fungicide into the crown of the palm, and maybe even paint some onto the cracks on the trunk....it can't hurt. Keep your fingers crossed, but the palm looks to be scarred permanently...even if it did survive.

[Paul The Palm Doctor!]

I don't think that the tree will be vigourous even if it DOES live, but I think that it's "too far gone" to even survive. I'd dig it out, and start fresh in late March-Early Aptil.

Paul

[cagary]

Temperatures in Delhi often fall below 10C (50F) during December and January. This is pretty cold for Areca catechu.

Is it common to try to grow this kind of palm around Delhi?

[AJ_del]

Temperatures in Delhi often fall below 10C (50F) during December and January. This is pretty cold for Areca catechu.

Is it common to try to grow this kind of palm around Delhi?

The nursery owner assured me that he had sold some last year and they were doing well. But I have not seen any for myself in Delhi.

Thanks for your reply

Best Regards

[AJ_del]

From my experience, the palm is toast. These vertical cracks are open wounds that palms can not heal like a hard wood tree can. Although the spear looks to be good, often the palm will sit and not push new growth, or slowly fail.

I would just pour some copper fungicide into the crown of the palm, and maybe even paint some onto the cracks on the trunk....it can't hurt. Keep your fingers crossed, but the palm looks to be scarred permanently...even if it did survive.

Thanks for your reply. I will try the copper fungicide.

Best Regards

[AJ_del]

I don't think that the tree will be vigourous even if it DOES live, but I think that it's "too far gone" to even survive. I'd dig it out, and start fresh in late March-Early Aptil.

Paul

I think you are right. I will give them a month more and pray for a miracle.

Thanks for your reply.

Best Regards

[epicure3]

Even if it does survive in the short term, those are major wounds to the trunk which make it suceptible to all kinds of critters and diseases.

[Walt]

Hi everyone

I planted 4 areca catechus 1.5 months back. During January the temperature dropped to 3 degree celsius and most of the leaves got burnt. Now the temperature has started increasing and the minimum is around 11 celsius at night. However 3 of the 4 trees have developed these nasty cracks. Is there any chance of their survival and can anything be done to increase their chances ? Though the existing leaves are burnt the new leaf seems to be ok but it has not opened as yet.

Best Regards

About all you can do is apply copper sulfate to the bud and hope for the best.

I'm not familar with Areca catechus (I know of it, just never grew one) but I do have cold damage experience with many other species of palms.

What I have found is that when tender palms are severely cold damaged but survive, they just languish for years and never grow normal again. That is, their growth rate slows to 1/4 or less than normal So for instance, if a given palm species puts out 10 fronds a year, after severe cold damage they might only put out 2-3 fronds. Old fronds will die faster than new fronds are produced, and eventually the palm dies.

So if you are familar with the growth rate of A. catechus (number of fronds per year) just observe the frond production rate. If after six months the rate doesn't return to normal and fronds aren't of normal size, then I guess you will have to write these palms off.

Signed, been there, done that! (more times than I would have liked!)

And if it's of any consolation to you, I just experienced a vary bad radiational freeze that caused much tender palm damage.

[Davidl]

I kind of think its a combination of things myself like Cold,dry, wet, ? something.