Question
Hello, I live in Puerto Rico and about six months ago did a little landscaping which included a fish tail palm tree. It is a young specimen and very healthy looking, but about two weeks ago I have noticed that the trunk is splitting at the base of the palm where it meets the soil.  Upon closer look, there's small ants coming from the crack.  It has turned hollow and blackened at the crack and yet, somehow the leaves have remained very green.  I don't want a split palm, what is this and what can I do?

Answer
Marie, this is usually an indication of too much water at the base of the palm; my advice is to spray the crack with a copper fungicide to discourage any fungus development and then just leave it be; there is no benefit to filling it or covering it, this will only serve to exacerbate the situation. The palm is otherwise healthy, so this would indicate that there is nothing serious going on inside that crack. Nick