I know there is probably no definitive answers to this but thought I would throw it out there and get some opinions.

When you removed a palm that was infected by Ganoderma zonatum the soil is also infected, and you are not supposed to plant ANY PALMS in that spot or somewhere near it I heard 10 feet I heard 20 feet etc... OK I get that.

I also read that Ganoderma zonatum infects more than just palms.

https://plantclinic.tamu.edu/calendar2018/ganoderma-rot/

states that "all types of wood – gymnosperms, woody dicots, palms. Maples, oaks and honeylocusts are particularly susceptible, although ashes, elms and many other deciduous trees and some conifers can be attacked."

So none of those mentioned above can be planted at the site?

I also read that it will attack only plants with a woody trunk, does that mean smaller palms that are not woody and will not mature to be woody can be planted?  For example can Rhapis excelsa be planted I don't think it has a "woody" trunk or does it?  What about the understory Chamaedorea like oblongate metallica deckeriana those don't have woody trunks either right?  Will those be attacked by Ganoderma?

I had a queen palm stump that became infested with ganoderma a couple years after the tree was removed. I dug the stump and root ball out and then removed a 15 gallon container of the surrounding soil. I planted a Pritchardia Thurstonii in the same spot. It has been in the ground for 3 years and hasn’t skipped a beat other than a Potassium deficiency I am working to correct that has created some leaf necrosis. I believe a lot of these infections are opportunistic. 

2 hours ago, miamicuse said:

I also read that Ganoderma zonatum infects more than just palms.

https://plantclinic.tamu.edu/calendar2018/ganoderma-rot/

states that "all types of wood – gymnosperms, woody dicots, palms. Maples, oaks and honeylocusts are particularly susceptible, although ashes, elms and many other deciduous trees and some conifers can be attacked."

This is referring to the genus Ganoderma - there are different species that host on different types of plants/wood. I have various Ganoderma conchs in my yard that pop up on dead oak roots but those aren't a danger to palms, just Ganoderma zonatum which only grows on palms.

As far as your other questions about the risk to healthy palms, how far away to plant, etc. - I have a lot of questions myself. If I could try to summarize what I've taken away from reading about other people's experiences on here: It's definitely a bit of a mystery and palms seem to be "attacked" somewhat at random. Logically it would seem that since typically Ganoderma sp. host on decaying wood, Ganoderma zonatum would be a secondary infection on weak or diseased palms. However It is fairly well documented from scientific studies and in some gardens that healthy palms can be infected and killed just by Ganoderma zonatum. On the other hand it is certainly possible to grow palms in an "infected" area, young and non-woody palms like Chamaedorea seem to be unaffected. I've also read that the fungal spores are endemic in our soil, so attempts to remove or burn out the rootball of an infected palm are futile anyway - it can pop up anywhere at any time.

Overall I would say the actual risk to planting near an infected site is poorly understood. I had a big old C. lutescens clump with Ganoderma removed a few years ago, and I chose to grind the stump instead of attempting to dig out the soil around it. I haven't planted any palms right next to that area yet, but it really isn't very far from the bulk of my palm garden, on a small lot. If I do plant palms right on top of that area, it probably just won't be anything super expensive for rare. For right now it's something to keep an eye on but I'm not losing sleep over it. 

 

 

 

I have recently posting on this forum about having to remove a triple Foxtail palm clump of trees due to the dreaded  Ganoderma Zonatum and I am still unsure of what to plant in it's place.

Ideally I wanted something that would be taller than the single story roofline of the home which lead me to Giant Birds of Paradise, but then I read that not only are they vermin attracting, they also can have invasive roots and shouldn't be planted near structures although I do see many homes in my area of FL that have them close if not right next to the home.

I don't know of any other very tall growing plant or ornamental that I can put in that spot in Zone 10b.

Any ideas would be much appreciated! As of now I'm just sad looking at a blank area where my lovely trees once were.

Has any PalmTalker ever lost a sequence of nearby palms, over time, to Ganoderma zonatum, which might be attributed to spread by close contact?  Or, is Ganoderma zonatum infection typically "random", and therefore more consistent with infection by air blown spores and just bad luck?  To my eye, the conks of Ganoderma are evolved to disperse airborne spores,  which probably can drift for miles.  But, I admit that infection by close contact may occur.  I am curious what has been everyone's personal experience with Ganoderma incidence.

if you're wanting to go with a smaller native tree, you can look into satin leaf, sweet acacia, bahama strongbark(great one),  spiny olive, crabwood, wild cinnamon (beauty when grown), one of the native Holly's or a nice lignum vitae(slow grower, can pay for larger ones). a lot of interesting cycads too. I'd suggest going to gardens to check out what mature specimens look like. 

On 5/16/2025 at 5:37 PM, Jdash said:

if you're wanting to go with a smaller native tree, you can look into satin leaf, sweet acacia, bahama strongbark(great one),  spiny olive, crabwood, wild cinnamon (beauty when grown), one of the native Holly's or a nice lignum vitae(slow grower, can pay for larger ones). a lot of interesting cycads too. I'd suggest going to gardens to check out what mature specimens look like. 

@Jdash Thank you for your response. I'm not sure I understand why you would recommend trees when Ganoderma is the issue. I have been expressly told not to plant trees, especially woody trees in the area due to the soil infection.

@AspiringDana hmm, from what I understand,  Ganoderma zonatum only affects monocots (not dicots)? so palms mainly and some bamboo species too. Ganoderma in general lives within our native florida soil so the type of ganoderma affecting our palms is a matter of when, not if.  who told you not to plant any type of "tree"? do woody trees spread the ganoderma or something? Also, if it does indeed affect other living native dicots, then a cycad would be a nice option, if you want something similar looking to a palm

I guess, i missed the first post here, however my understanding is that if you have ganoderma zonatum issue in your soil, that does not mean the soil is going to be affected with all the types of ganoderma lucidum or g. applanatum which affects dicots/conifers.  so again, i don't see why you can't plant something other than a palm in that location? anyway, hope to get to the bottom of this, bc i would also like to know. perhaps @Merlynknows  and can enlighten us here

11 minutes ago, Jdash said:

I guess, i missed the first post here, however my understanding is that if you have ganoderma zonatum issue in your soil, that does not mean the soil is going to be affected with all the types of ganoderma lucidum or g. applanatum which affects dicots/conifers.  so again, i don't see why you can't plant something other than a palm in that location? anyway, hope to get to the bottom of this, bc i would also like to know. perhaps @Merlynknows  and can enlighten us here

Correct, like @aabell mentioned above, Ganoderma Zonatum attacks only palms and not any other types of plants.  She previously had a water oak removed from that spot, but that was due to driveway/foundation damage and hurricane risk.  See original thread below.  It *might* have other dicot species of Ganoderma in the soil, if they were underground eating up the remnants of the old water oak roots.  Other smaller diameter/non-clustering dicot species might be just fine there.  I'm just not really familiar with many woody trees to suggest and good ones (or ones to avoid.) 

 

 

Here is a one year update on the Pritchardia Thurstonii planted in a hole where a queen infested with ganoderma once lived. The extra potassium has really helped with the leaf necrosis. 

@Hurricanepalms Well done! Looks really good and healthy! so far so good!! 👏