Question
QUESTION: I have a large number of ponytail palms for many years.  One now shows peeling bark and underneath that,  is spongy and crumbling material.  What could be happening?

ANSWER: Hi Sondra,

If the bark is peeling and the wood feels spongy, I wonder if your plant is suffering from some type of white rot.  This is a fungal problem where the lignin and cellulose are broken down.  The result is that the wood left behind is spongy and light covered.  It is often structurally weak, so this would explain the crumbling nature.

Have you observed that this tree is showing wilt or decline?  If you are observing problems with the foliage, there may not be a way to stop the decline and it would suggest the rot problem.  Since this is a fungal disease which can spread, I would advise you to remove this tree so that the problem does not spread to your other plants.  

If the foliage looks normal (no wilting or brown leaves), it may have been that something damaged the tree and the plant may recover.  You should continue to give it proper care and monitor the condition.  I would isolate this plant from your other palms to prevent spread. If you only had one palm, I would recommend that you wait and see what happens.  But, since you have other palms, I would recommend that if the condition of the tree worsens, you should discard it to save your other palms.  

Good luck with your plant.

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QUESTION: Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for the reply.  The wood under the dried up and falling bark is not light covered.  It is rather dark and parts are crumbling off looking like a dry soil. The foliage looks normal. Any other thoughts?

ANSWER: If it has a spongy texture, it suggests that there is a white rot.  I cannot really think of anything else that would make it "spongy".  I suspect that another organism has invaded the space and is causing the browning.  Sort of growing on top of the other fungus.  So, it is likely that you actually have two different organisms working.  Once a plant gets "leaky" and starts decaying, it is quite easy to have secondary invaders speed the decay.  Since fungal spores are blown on air currents, it is not uncommon for secondary invaders to make there way to a plant.

I fear that although the foliage looks ok now, that one day it may wilt when the decay gets more severe.  I would advise you to segregate the plant just in case.  There would not be any type of treatment for this type of problem other then keeping your plant healthy with proper watering and nutrition.  

I hope this information is helpful!

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QUESTION: Would it be possible to email you a photo of the trees bark?

Answer
Hi Sondra,

I replied to this a few days ago, but for some reason the reply did not go through.  I apologize, but I just realized it now when I logged in to answer another question.

You can absolutely email a photo or you can upload it to this site.  I think you are limited on all experts and can only upload 1 picture.  Also, I believe they reduce the image size.  So, you are welcome to email me at [email protected]

I look forward to receiving your image.  Sorry that my reply from last week did not go through!

--Jen