I have been watching this spear emerge and the damage has become more readily visible as it gets closer to trying to open the new leaf blade.  I don't know what did this and the blade that split off from it and is still not visible in this photo appears to be normal.  The one thing that does have me concerned is that it isn't far away from a Copernicia x Textilis that I have had similar problems with over the last few years.  The Copernicia will push some normal fronds then push out a series of damaged ones almost every year of the last 4-5 years. 

I've never been able to keep 3 gallon size crinita alive more than 3 years,under my desert conditions. Problem seems to be cool temperatures,combined with our wet winters.Spears would pull in the spring,and it either recovered for another year,or died.Killed 3 of them and gave up. Coccothrinax borhidiana has very similar looks but seems to be much hardier. I currently have 4 purebred in the ground and 2 hybrids. Never lost any borhidi's...

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

Coccothrinax crinita ssp brevicrinis does just fine too, and never had any problems with those either...

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

3 hours ago, Tracy said:

I have been watching this spear emerge and the damage has become more readily visible as it gets closer to trying to open the new leaf blade.  I don't know what did this and the blade that split off from it and is still not visible in this photo appears to be normal.  The one thing that does have me concerned is that it isn't far away from a Copernicia x Textilis that I have had similar problems with over the last few years.  The Copernicia will push some normal fronds then push out a series of damaged ones almost every year of the last 4-5 years. 

 

 

I don’t know what you’ve got out there, but I do get random emerging spear/bud attacks here by some sort of solitary caterpillars, and my bottle’s new spear got mauled up last month, and some sort of scarab beetles started coming out of it- or pitching in… I’m not sure which.  

I’ve only ever seen one crammed in there, but they maul the emerging spear, leaving saw dust, droppings, and damage in their wake.  New leaves open withered, yellow and damaged.  

Now when I see it, I drench it with insecticide, then follow that up in a week with peroxide and copper, and that seems to stop the madness right away.  

Not sure if you have the same issue though.   

17 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

Now when I see it, I drench it with insecticide, then follow that up in a week with peroxide and copper, and that seems to stop the madness right away.  

Thank you.  That is what I have done with the Copernicia, because it has been more persistent on it.  By the time I noticed it on this "Old Man", I could see that the spear split off from it's base was fine, so it didn't appear that any treatment was needed.  If I see signs of it doing it again, I'll give the "Old Man" the same treatment my Copernicia gets.  I've considered doing it preemptively in the Spring on the Copernicia, but I hate adding anything liquid into the crown that time of year, as we still have some chilly nights.