Hey everyone, I haven't posted in a while but in had a question for the experts. One of our customers Butia Capitata palms has what appears to be some sort of disease spreading from the older fronds to the newer fronds. At first I didn't think it was a disease maybe old cold damage or even heat/ dry damage or over watering. Then last thoughts were a type of dificency because they haven't fertilized. Please help us with this jelly palm because it is spreading up to the crown and newest fronds. We really want to save this one! I will post a pic of the whole Butia palm tomorrow when I take it. Thanks everyone in advance!

Sorry forgot to attach picture!

Potassium?

I had a large butia 6 ft. ct that was absolutely beautiful when I bought it.....it declined very slowly over the course of several years. The oldest fronds dying first and slowly working its way back to the crown. Never knew why this palmed died....but I suspected that when they transplanted this palm they may have cracked the trunk. It just never really recovered to its full glory. Was this palm transplanted?

Also one other possibility might be overwatering with poorly draining soil.

Could be fungal? See if this article on leaf spots and blight sounds like it could be describing what their butia has. You mention not feeding it which I'm sure hasn't helped. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp142

I made a post a few years back about our butia that we had at the time recently bought from a nursery and had transplanted. The butia was about 5 feet high over all with less than a foot of clear trunk as I recall. Looked great for a month or so and then we started to notice spots on the lowest fronds. I posted a few photos from back then in the thread (try searching for my thread if you want to compare photos and comments). Anyway after reading the comments from people here, we backed off on the water and have always been good about following a palm fertilizing schedule (we use a slow release). Don't think I ever followed up with photos of the butia months/years afterwards but the black spots as people said they would, did remain, but they never progressed any further up the palm or got larger and the palm looks otherwise healthy and has been adding some growth. I do think in our case it was probably stress from transplant shock and overwatering that led to the spots.

Any more pics of the palm close up and further away? Curious how tall it is and how far up the palm the spots are appearing.

I've got a couple butias flanking my front entrance that display these symptoms. Both grew extremely vigourously from potted transplants until the point they started fruiting. Since that time they have fruited so heavily and continuously that my theory is that energy and nutrients are being excessively drained from vegitative growth. The crown and fronds are shrinking and the damage does closely resemble both freeze damage and potassium deficiency. I fertilize consistently and have utilized KMag fertilizer on a regular basis. My theory is this is either some sort of disease, or the palms are simply fruiting themselves to death. Since I've never seen these symptoms in non-fruiting specimens, my vote would be for the latter.

Thanks guys very much. I will agree with a potassium deficiency, my guess what some sort of deficiency just want to make sure 100%. This jelly palm has been here for I think she said 10 years if not then 12 years, so it's definitely notmdue to a transplanting issue...'I will go out and take a picture today of this particular Butia and post this evening! Again, I really appreciate all the help!