Question
After about a year and a half, my plant has rust colored spots onthe leaves and the stem (concentrated townds the bottom of the stem) and also a clear sticky substance is on the leaves.  Can you help me?

Answer
Karen,

I suspect your palm has scale. These are insects that look like a spot on the leaves. You can flick them off with a fingernail. I reccommend you either spray it with rubbing alcohol making sure you get the fronts and backs of all leaves and the surface of the soil or you get a bottle of Neem oil at a garden center such as Lowes, Walmart or Home Depot. This time of year you might want to call and ask if they have it before you make a special trip. Spray the tree with the Neem oil according to the instructions on the bottle. Either rubbing alcohol or Neem Oil will kill scale but you need to spray them twice a week for three weeks to kill any eggs that hatch too. Persistance is the key to getting rid of scale or any insect. Good luck.

Darlene