Sick Sabal palmetto

[Walt]

One of my Sabal palmetto palms in my front yard has been exhibiting more and more acute signs of what appears to be a mineral deficiency (possibly potassium?). Over the past two years more and more of the lower fronds are turning orangish-yellow in color and then completely dying. I have many more Sabal palmettos (all original to my property when I bought it in 1998) and, while some have some orangish-yellowish fronds, they are limited to the lowermost oldest fronds, which seem to be about normal for the average Sabal palmetto.

I never fertilize any of my Sabal palmettos because they've evolved here in Florida and they don't require extra fertilization. However, since the problem developed with this particular sabal I've given it some 8-2-12-2.5 (mag.) palm fertilizer I use on my non native palms. And in case there was a fungal problem, I gave the sabal a root drench with Cleary's 3336 systemic fungicide several months ago.

Also, I was beginning to wonder if my sabal had TPPD (Texas Phoenix Palm Decline) disease, because the canopy of fronds looked similar to a photo I saw of a Sabal palmetto with the incurable disease. However, from what I read on the disease, the inflorescence would have died, and my sabal produced seeds, and there's green seed now.

Frankly, I don't know what else to do to get my sabal healthy again. I plan on giving my sabal some more fetilizer this week. I'm open for positive suggestions if anybody has any.

Above: My Sabal palmetto is totally surrounded with Philodendron selloums (all frozen back this past winter, but you can see they came roaring back. I'm wondering, though, if the selloums could be sucking up vital minerals that my sabal palm needs?

Above: Close up view of full crown of my Sabal palmetto. Note all the dead and/or yellowing and dying fronds. Way too many to be normal.

Above: Even closer view of frond canopy. Note there's not many totally green fronds left, and discoloring is starting on some of them.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/video/3040653540042496162qWRHSt

Above: Link to grainy video of Sabal palmetto crown.

[Jeff985]

Hi Walt, I was researching a problem I’m having with one of my Sabal Palmettos and found this old thread. Did you ever figure this out. It sounds like the same symptoms I’m seeing with mine. 

[Walt]

3 hours ago, Jeff985 said:

Hi Walt, I was researching a problem I’m having with one of my Sabal Palmettos and found this old thread. Did you ever figure this out. It sounds like the same symptoms I’m seeing with mine. 

My Sabal palmetto is still exhibiting the same symptoms, but I guess it's okay. I really haven't been paying much attention to it. It needs to be trimmed. I sent photos of it to a palm biologist at the University of Florida, and she said it doesn't appear to be diseased. I think it just has some kind of mineral deficiency, I would suspect potassium. I will take a closer look at it tomorrow and post a photo of it.