Does anyone know what's happening to my E. ferox?

[Ventri]

I cant find any information on this online.

My guess is either the soil or burn (it's in full sun)

Any info is highly appreciated!

[Merlyn]

@Ventrisomething weird happened to the photos, can you try reattaching them?  Usually a drag-and-drop in a browser works.  They seem to have vanished from your other post in Palms in Pots too...odd.

[Ventri]

@Merlyn Huh, that's odd... I tried opening up this forum through two other devices and they seem fine to me. Did they disappear on your end?

[Merlyn]

@Ventri I think it's because they are links to external files at https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net   It looks okay in my phone and tablet (both Android) but not in my desktop (Firefox).  They recently did a forum software upgrade, so it might have something to do with it.  They just look like this:

Anyway, I accessed the photos directly through the external links, here they are:

Each brown spot seems to have a small hole around the middle, maybe this is a bug munching on the leaves?

[Merlyn]

I had another thought...was this plant recently shipped?  If they tied up the fronds in transport, some of the marks could be from shipping damage, and the leaf punctures could be from the adjacent thorns on the next leaf over. 

[Ventri]

@Merlyn Yes, it was shipped to me 3 months ago.  While that does explain the holes with the wounds and sap, it doesn't explain the rings without the holes... (microscopic holes maybe?)

I'm somewhat convinced the thorns are to blame for the wounds (I punctured various holes of varying sizes to be absolutely certain). Do you think the thorns could also explain the petiole damage? 

 

[Merlyn]

Maybe, but the petiole damage sort of looks like a series of scratches along the petiole.  That could be the case if it was in a box and that side rubbed against the cardboard or packing material. 

The tiny dots could be an opportunistic fungal infection.  Maybe it had some punctures from shipping, a fungus got established, and is now popping up on any small pore or microscopic hole?  I'd also suspect sun damage and maybe a potassium deficiency.  Palms and cycads "eat" the old leaves to provide nutrients for growing new ones.  And they get yellow/orange/translucent dead spots on leaves from age and potassium deficiencies. 

Since it quit raining I went out and checked the 4 bigger Ferox in my backyard.  Two have severe sunburn, this one was in full shade until I removed a 30' tall bamboo directly above it:

This is another leaf from the same plant, showing the leaf detail on the sunburn.  This one has no significant fungal-looking blotches, just burnt spots:

And this is a separate plant that took a bunch of frost damage at 24-25F.  I had to chop off the upper flush, because they were all completely dead from frost.  So these leaves are probably 2-3 years old and undoubtedly had transportation damage from when I bought it in July 2021.  It has some similar black spots:

I checked two other Ferox, a small one about 3' diameter and a larger trunking one.  Both are in shade and were exposed to the same 24-25F but protected from frost.  They look basically perfect except on a few tips that were sticking out into the frost.

[Merlyn]

@Ventri this is a pretty good article on cycad health, the section on "The tip of the leaves are brown" and "Leaves are spotted or discolored" is a good overview of possible problems from hail to bugs to fertilizer burn:

https://www.junglemusic.net/cycadadvice/cycad-my-cycad-is-in-trouble.htm

[Ventri]

@MerlynAh! I am convinced! This was actually the biggest plant I've had shipped to me. None of my other cycads have this problem and they are grown in the same conditions, So the disease theory worried me a bit. 

If it does happen to be an opportunistic fungus, would you recommend removing the effected leaves or would that be overkill? For now I'm going to segregate it away from the rest of my cycads.

[Merlyn]

@Ventri I'd guess there's some fungus going on there, usually it's "cosmetic" if it is on the leaves.  A common check for fungal infections is to put a bit of household hydrogen peroxide on it.  If it bubbles up it's a fungus.  If it doesn't bubble, then it's not!  I have not typically treated leaf fungi, and just waited for the next flush to come out. 

The best management for fungus is frequently to figure out what the environmental cause is and fix that.  So for example, it's likely that the original damage was from shipping, and it took a few weeks for it to show up.  Other contributors could be if you are overhead watering them, that's a good way to promote leaf fungal growth.  Too much water or soil that's too dense/doesn't drain can also contribute to fungal problems.  And if you live in Florida the swampy weather is definitely a factor!

If it's in close contact with other cycads then there is a risk of it spreading to other plants.  I wouldn't cut off the fronds unless the fungus is spreading rapidly and threatening the plant.  If it bubbles up with hydrogen peroxide, then maybe a surface treatment of Daconil or Mancozeb could help.  I've read that Captan is a good fungicide for cycad roots, but have never tried it myself. 

[Tracy]

1 hour ago, Ventri said:

This was actually the biggest plant I've had shipped to me. None of my other cycads have this problem and they are grown in the same conditions, So the disease theory worried me a bit. 

It would be insightful for anyone commenting to better understand what your growing conditions are and see a photo of the full plant.  You mention having had the plant for 3 months and it was shipped, do you have any photos of it after you received it for comparison, so one can see the progress of the condition?  Was this plant shipped with soil or bare root and you replanted it 3 months ago?

Where are you geographically located as well and are your cycads outdoors/indoors, pots/ground?  There is also some variation in conditions in moisture requirements and light requirements among the various genera so what might work for some of your cycads in growing conditions would be less than desirable for a different genus or even a different species within a genus.  Lots of questions,  but the more information and photos you provide, the quality of the feedback should increase.

Based on the limited information thus far, physical damage during shipping could explain some of what can be seen in your photos, as Merlyn has suggested. 

[Ventri]

@Merlyn Good news! I applied Hydrogen peroxide on various parts of the cycad and none of the rings fizzled except for the crack wounds, which I believe might just be dried up sap.