European Fan Palm Issues - Ocala, FL

[PAW]

Hi, we had a large European Fan Palm put in March 2023, it was beautiful and has flourished up until now.  Last year, I treated it and bushes with Liqui-Cop to rid them of a black fungus/dust (I forget what it was called) type problem and it worked great. I keep the occasional dead fronds trimmed off.   The top was just as full as the bottom.

2-3 months ago, it started getting a lot of brown fronds, especially at the top. I’ve to cut off all lot.  I’m able to too easily pull off The “curled” parts of the trunk base.  There are some signs of white scale, not a lot, and black mold dust.  I applied hydrogen peroxide based on this forum in several areas and upon close inspection, did see some bubbling.  There is new growth sticking up at the top. 
we do think we have too much water going to it, about 6 emitters x 15 min x 3 days a week however they don’t come on if we’ve had a lot of rain, which we have!  We fertilizer w/palm fertilizer 4x a year. 
We want to save this beauty and are praying it does not have root or trunk rot and can be saved so any advice is greatly appreciated!  Pics attached.

Edited July 16 by PAW
Added info

[gyuseppe]

Maybe this species doesn't want a Florida climate, but a Mediterranean climate, here they grow everywhere

[PAW]

Nope!  TONS of them here and they do great!  

[Fusca]

38 minutes ago, PAW said:

Nope!  TONS of them here and they do great!  

How is it irrigated?  Sprinklers or drip at soil level?  This species doesn't like city water in the crown.

[PAW]

Drip at soil level (but we’re thinking it may be too many, there are at least 4, maybe 6) about 1-2 ft out from the trunk 

[gyuseppe]

8 hours ago, PAW said:

Nope!  TONS of them here and they do great!  

I didn't know there were many of them in Florida

[Phoenikakias]

This sp does not like chemical ferts

[PAW]

We use palm fertilizer, I’ll have to read what’s in it.  But do you know what kind of fertilizer is preferred, if any?

[Harry’s Palms]

Here , in Southern California , none! Just lots of sun and some water. Mine was just a seedling when I planted it in full , hot sun. It thrived. Best $3 I ever spent. Harry

Single trunk form ( one for @peachy )never sent pups out. The hill is south facing . Upper 70’s to low 80’s f. most of the summer and into fall. Never fertilized this one. Harry

[PAW]

Ok, thank you!

We will be pulling up the emitter ring and will not fertilize (unfortunately, we recently completed another round of fertilizer).

Praying and hoping it’s not too late and that it doesn’t have root or trunk rot. 

[Merlyn]

@PAW welcome to Palmtalk!  I have several Euro fan palms in my yard doing well.  As long as they are in reasonably well draining soil they grow fine.  I have had three problems with my plantings:

1.  Crown rot after winter on one.  The new fronds started growing out brown and distorted.  A few treatments with hydrogen peroxide and Daconil cured it.
2. Unknown trunk death on a cluster.  The 4 inch trunk section lost the spear, so I treated for crown rot.  The rest of the fronds on that trunk just died anyway, so I cut off the dead trunk.  The other trunks seem ok almost a year later.
3. Root rot in a transplanted palm from a pot.  This one just wouldn't grow, and had symptoms similar to yours with rapidly dying old fronds.  I did a soil drench of Banrot and it is fine now, 3 plus years later.

THe one trunk having problems and the other trunks looking great is really odd.  But I guess I have had that on Caryota Mitis.  I cut off the dead trunk and the rest of the plant kept growing fine.  I would do a soil drench of systemic fungicide like Banrot, Clearys 3336,  Aliette, or similar.  

[PAW]

Merlyn, thank you so much for your response! 
I will try the soil trench; suggestions for depth? 
the main truck, largest of course, has a lot of new growth at the top however, as you may have been able to tell from the pictures, it’s also the one I’ve had to cut all the dead fronds from and has the browning fronds. 
and for the peroxide treatment, just spray treat affected and suspected areas correct? 
thanks again!

[Merlyn]

@PAW I mean soil "drench," not "trench."  A soil drench is just a "label rate" of fungicide mixed into a 5 gallon bucket and poured all over the ground to soak the transplant area.  For example, a drench of Banrot would be about 10g (2 teaspoons) mixed thoroughly.  Other fungicides are different amounts per gallon, etc.  It'll treat root infections at the root, and hopefully pull up systemically into the trunk and treat any other infections.

Hydrogen peroxide is a good and cheap antifungal, mostly used for crown rots by people here.  If the new fronds are not growing, or are brown and distorted, that can be a sign of crown rot.  If the new spears are green and steadily but slowly growing, there probably is not a crown fungal infection.  The treatment is just squirting somee household 3% hydrogen peroxide into the center of the crown aka growing point.  If it bubbles and fizzes up there is a fungal infection.  If there's no bubbles, no infection!  There's no harm in squirting some in there.  I just give the bottle a good squeeze and hope to aim where the new fronds are growing out.  

[PAW]

Got it!  Thank you so much! 

[Merlyn]

@PAW I "misremembered" the Banrot dosage.  In a 5 gallon it's 8.5g, or roughly 4 level teaspoons, or roughly 2 heaping teaspoons.  Alliette / Fosetyl-Al / "aluminum tris" are all good for Phytophthora root rot, pythium blights, Anthracnose, etc.  I have Aliette written down as 2-8oz per 5 gallons depending on the disease.

[PAW]

Thank you!!