Question
I live in Baton Rouge and have two Queen Palms.  No spears have shot up to date (9/17/10).  I was careful to not saw off the fronts until they had browned (April), did not cut into the central growth bud though.  There is no sign of rot on either palm (top or bottom) and no fungus nor smell from each. I am believing the central growth bud is climbing up the trunk. Nothing has shot up yet.  Also was careful to keep watered in drought and still am fertilizing  regularly.  

Saw the question  from the person who cut his queen palm down from rot that he had on his palm and he took picture of growth shooting up in just 1 or 2 days after copper treatment.  Do you have any follow up from him or do you have any further thoughts on sawing into trunk that  the central growth bud is regenerating?  Also can you provide info or web site that a palm can regenerate from roots?

P.S.  My Sago Palm was totally brown and shooting out bud from the sides and ALSO SHOT OUT FROM THE TOTALLY BROWN FLOWER SPIKE A NEW CENTRAL GROWTH BUD!  I know this is not a true palm, but are you surprised  that this happened!  I am glad I had not cut it.  It shot out in late June.  Any comments appreciated.


Answer
Carole, Palms will often generate new growth from a bud that is not destroyed due to cutting or freeze, but this is not common; if a new shoot develops from a damaged palm, you can rest assured that it will probably succomb to the following Winters frost/freeze, for it is in a weakened  state and will be hard pressed to suvive. I have no further information from that person who claimed to have growth from a cut trunk, but really doubted that there would be any benefit from it, for it would not have anywhere close to the time it needed, to generate any kind of substantial growth to resist a stressful , oncoming Winter. Sago is a "cycad" and even when the parent plant is dying, there will often be pups along its side that can be cut away from the parent and grown in its own location. The fact that you had growth from the bud, tells me that the Sago may have been stressed, but was still viable, hence the new growth. Nick