Is this bottle palm clinging to life?

[MiamiNorm]

Hello Palmers

This palm looks sad and brownish, and I don't see any new fronds in the middle. 

I've fertilized it every 4 months or so, but it just looks toooooo sad. 

Is it dead? 

[Harry’s Palms]

It looks pretty sad to me. I don’t know anything about these other than we can’t grow them here reliably. Harry

[Merlyn]

At the least it has a bud infection, possibly more.  Lightly pull on the newest frond to see if it is loose.  Sniff the crown to see if it smells like a rotting McDonalds dumpster on a hot Miami summer day.. Pour some household hydrogen peroxide into the center.  If it bubbles up there's a lot of fungus in there.  Daconil is a good 2nd step into the crown.  If the bud dies, the palm is toast.  

[flplantguy]

It looks pretty far gone, I second what merlyn says, and if it's not bud rot there is another major problem going on. I doubt it will recover but it might if it's a deficiency that can be corrected fast.

[MiamiNorm]

8 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

At the least it has a bud infection, possibly more.  Lightly pull on the newest frond to see if it is loose.  Sniff the crown to see if it smells like a rotting McDonalds dumpster on a hot Miami summer day.. Pour some household hydrogen peroxide into the center.  If it bubbles up there's a lot of fungus in there.  Daconil is a good 2nd step into the crown.  If the bud dies, the palm is toast.  

Thank you Merlyn

I assume that the crown is the center of all fronds, right? And I will need a ladder to get up there. 

Shoot. It was looking so good months ago. 

What is "the bud"? 

[Looking Glass]

It doesn’t look good…. Agree with above.   These grow well here, but this happens to some.  Last years constant rains + rot is a bad combo.   That’s an old one too.   

[Butch]

Try the peroxide... I had a Veitchia arecina everybody thought was toast, but the peroxide, and a little time did the trick..

Butch

[Merlyn]

@MiamiNorm the "bud" is the growing point for new fronds.  It is in the center, there is probably about an inch diameter hole in the center top.  Normally the new "spear" frond would be sticking out of the center.  If there's no spear growing, a bud rot is likely.  Hydrogen peroxide and Daconil are my go-to for bud rots...cheap, easy, and effective!  If it's tough to reach, you could tape a solo cup to a rod (like a broom handle) and pour it in from below.

There might be something else going on too, since the older fronds look pretty unhappy too.  Sometimes old palms get trunk rot.  If you use a ladder, I would use a stepladder or A-frame instead of leaning one on the trunk.  It would be worth checking the trunk for signs of rot, like any "weeping" areas or soft spots.  I had a smaller Spindle die from a trunk rot last spring.  It had only about a foot of "trunk," but it was completely mush inside.  

[MiamiNorm]

A thank you to all. 

 

@Merlyn

I climbed on an A ladder,  breathed deeply at the center and top, and I didn't smell rotting McDonald's or Wendy's or Chipotle; I took a couple of whiffs. 

I poured h2o2 on the middle, and didn't see bubbling in the bud, but did see some further down where the frond neck meets the trunk. 

I don't know what to do next. 

[Johnny Palmseed]

Sometimes palms just die. I can’t tell from the picture but it looks like an older palm. Perhaps it was in a decline for a while without showing obvious signs. I had a Veitchia that looked completely fine one day and was laying on the ground the next. It had rot inside the trunk with no indications anywhere. All the fronds were still green too.

[Merlyn]

@MiamiNorm I forgot that there was an earlier thread about this palm.  Did you ever try a systemic fungicide like Banrot?

 

[MiamiNorm]

1 hour ago, Johnny Palmseed said:

Sometimes palms just die. I can’t tell from the picture but it looks like an older palm. Perhaps it was in a decline for a while without showing obvious signs. I had a Veitchia that looked completely fine one day and was laying on the ground the next. It had rot inside the trunk with no indications anywhere. All the fronds were still green too.

It's 12 years old, and I get your point that rot isn't always visible. 

[MiamiNorm]

1 hour ago, Merlyn said:

@MiamiNorm I forgot that there was an earlier thread about this palm.  Did you ever try a systemic fungicide like Banrot?

 

Merlyn

I remember researching it and shopping it around, but I don't recall buying and applying it. Sadly.