Pygmy Date Crown Issue?

[P. Hightower]

Greetings!

Ideas?

-Triple trunked

-Planted last Sept.

-One Sunniland and monthly Southern Ag applications starting in March

-Added soil to bed in May

-Flowered weeks later

-Tips are deep green but core looks sick

  (Brown tips are from January 2022 freeze - 9a)

-Tallest trunk looks the worst, smallest trunk looks "best"
 

Until today I would classify the tree as thriving.

What’s happening?

Thx!

 

[Chester B]

Looks like latent winter damage, that is damage that shows up well after the event that caused this. 
 

I would tug on the center spears to see if they come out. Regardless I would treat with copper fungicide and wait. It may take a few weeks to see new healthy growth. 
 

As far as I know these are more of a 9b palm, so you’re on the edge. Perhaps others can chime in. 
 

good luck!

Edited July 10, 2022 by Chester B

[Merlyn]

I agree, it is probably a crown fungal infection like phytophthora  It might have been in there since the cold snap at the end of January, I still have several palms either struggling to recover or recently declared dead.  I have been squirting a bit of Daconil and hydrogen peroxide mix into the crown on a couple of palms.  A copper-based fungicide is also a good option.