Question
MY palm has very tiny black things covering the limbs. How do I treat it. I put it out doors in the spring is that good to do?

Answer
Lupe,

You have given me very little information.I do not know what kind of palm tree you have or how large it is. Can you scrape these black things off with the edge of a knife blade? Do they look like flat little circles? If the answers to those last 2 questions are yes then your palm has scale insects and not a disease. You can take Q-tips dipped in rubbing alcohol and wipe each scale insect off then rinse the Q-tip in a bowl of alcohol and go on to the next one until the palm is clean. Then fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and spray the palm every 3 days for a month to kill any baby scale as they hatch out of eggs before they have a chance to lay more eggs. Make sure you spray the tops and bottoms of all the foliage and the surface of the soil.

Your other option is go to Lowes or Walmart and go to the garden center. Get a bottle of Bayer Protect and Feed Tree and Shrub. You mix it with water according to the instructions for container plants and water the palm. The plant will soak it up through the roots and it will kill the insects. It will keep insects off the palm and any other potted trees and shrubs you have for a year.  Then you can retreat it. Keep records of when you treated it. One bottle will cost around $20.00

If you do not think your problem is insects write again and send in a picture if you can. Good luck!

Darlene