Question
I live in south east Queensland Australia and have 2 foxtail palms in a pool area.  Both have been in for 5 years and doing well.  Recently one of the palms had a new Fong shoot which died off, the leaves are now drooping and the drunk is beginning to suck in.  The other palm in the same conditions is doing fine?

Answer
Dear Stephan, This question is a bit challenging for me.  First since you live in Australia, it is summer now, so I am assuming that this problem doesn't have to do with any recent cold damage, unless it has been doing poorly since the beginning of the warm months.  So if it was cold last winter (or especially rainy), and the palm has not been doing well for several months, that could actually be the cause of the problem.  If I understand you correctly, some new growth has died, the leaves are drooping and/or turning yellow, and the trunk of the palm is shriveling up.  In that case, I would say that the palm is possibly dead.  If it is planted near the other one, I would remove it quickly, because if it rots and produces bacteria, it could spread to the other tree.  Other possible causes of the palm's death would be an air pocket in the soil (not likely if it has been stationary for five years), excessive cold and rainy conditions, or crown rot (keep on the dry side and if you can get it spray in autumn with Consan 20 a fungicide).  You could try to cut the palm back further on the trunk, they do often resprout, but it would mess up the aesthetics.  Sorry about the bad news, these palms are beautiful, but they can be delicate in dormant seasons.  At your latitude, you shouldn't get too much cold weather, but it could be enough to give it some problems from time to time.  Good luck, Melissa