Question
I have a queen palm, well established about 15+ feet tall.  I noticed that the new shoots were not separating and the top started to lean.  Due to some negligence on my part, the shoots of new palm leaves (still not separating) have completely leaned to the side and I am worried that it is dead, yet it does not seem dead as it is still very green.  My husband climbed up and said it will not budge.  Can we somehow save the tree and cut the top off? Is there any way that we can correct this problem to get new branches to sprout upright?  Please Help!

Answer
Hi Dawn, it sounds like it is suffering from a lack of nutrients, primarily Manganese; Queen Palms need to be fertilized at least 3 times a year with a well balanced Palm Fertilizer that contains not only the major (Macro) nutrients, but all the necessary minor (Micro) nutrients, Manganese and Magnesium especially. The other possibility is a phenomenon that occurs with Queens, where a slice or cut will appear on the trunk of the palm, usually well below the crown , and it really doesn't cause any harm except anxiety on the owner; that said however, if this condition forms at the base of the Crown, then it would weaken the Crown and cause it to flop over. The third possibility is Crown Rot, but if your husband went up and inspected it, if it was Crown Rot, he would have seen it as a yellowish, disgustingly smelly , substance eating away at the base. You did not give any particulars on how you have been caring for your Palm, so I really can speculate at this point which of the three conditions may be present. If the fronds are frizzled and malformed, then I would lean toward a Nutrient deficiency. Follow up with more information after further check, and let try to help you further. Nick