Large hole in coconut palm

[Nick s]

Hey everyone,

Just wondering what might have caused this large hole about 12-15’ up the trunk of my coconut palm. Im in southwest Florida and we have lots of woodpeckers, but this tree has been healthy previously. I only really noticed it a few months ago…we got hit by a big hurricane last September and I’m 99% certain the hole wasn’t there then. Is this something that could cause the tree to die or weaken? Thanks in advance!

[kinzyjr]

@Nick s Welcome to PalmTalk!  Unsure of what might have caused the damaged, but it will definitely weaken the trunk.  Hope others can weigh in on whether this was woodpeckers or another cause.

[PalmatierMeg]

If you are talking about Hurricane Ian, I can definitely see that storm as the genesis of your coconut’s problems. I speculate that a piece of flying debris gouged the trunk - many of my surviving palms have wounds from storm debris. That wound offered an entry point for a pathogen and/or insect vector. Palms cannot heal themselves like dicot trees can. At some point woodpeckers zeroed in on the damaged trunk and chipped out the infected tissue. If you look directly along the trunk below the wound you can see where the birds have hammered away in a vertical line underneath the gouge.

What can you do? Not a whole lot. If you fear for the trunk’s integrity and the palm is located next to your house, driveway or walkways, you can remove it. You can then replace it with another coconut or palm species. Coconuts grow very quickly in FL. Or you can leave it in place. I’ve seen a Sabal in Matlacha Park riddled with hundreds of woodpecker holes encircling its trunk. It had been blown over by a storm but continued reaching for the sky until its trunk was S-shaped. As far as I know it still stands. Sabals are tough palms and so are coconuts.

[Nick s]

Thank you! Makes a ton of sense that the storm opened it up and the woodpeckers took advantage. I hate to lose the tree but it would be a great spot for one or several sabals.