QuestionQUESTION: After a hard winter, all the fronds turned brown. The spear has new growth with the green leaves bursting outward at the base, but the top portion of the spear (approx. 18") is gray with some of the typical fuzz on the surface. I am wondering if the top portion of the spear is dead and preventing the frond from opening since it has been aproximately 3 weeks. I don't see the strings, for lack of a better term, that usually accompany the opening of a frond. Should I cut the top gray portion off or give it more time?
ANSWER: Hi Paul, this is another indication of freeze damage and the key here is if that center frond holds tight or not; if you tug on it and it holds, then the palm is still alive, but if it pulls free, and has a mushy end, then that is what is known as "crown rot", and the palm will not recover. Spray the area with a Copper fungicide, this will help prevent any fungal spores from taking hold and causing the the bud to rot. Patience is the name of the game here, it could take upwards of 6 months for any new growth to show or fronds from opening. Nick
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QUESTION: The spear, center frond, is tight and I have sprayed it with copper fungicide after the freeze and again after I clipped the brown fronds. I also explained that there is new growth, which tells me that the tree does not have "crown rot." The main question: Should I cut the top portion of the spear or give it time?
Answer...No, leave it be and let Mother Nature take its course, if you do any pruning you will only worsen matters. Get a product called "Chelated Palm nutritional concentrate" (Home Depot has it..) and mix 2 tablespoons with a gallon of water in a spray container; take it out in the morning, when the dew is on the Palm fronds and the pores (Stomata) are open and spray the fronds and heart down until run off, this will allow the pores to take in the nutrients directly and help strengthen the Palm. Nick
