Question
I have six dwarf palm trees, my wife thinks they are called Pygmy palms, about 4 ft. tall in large pots around my lanai pool.  In the past, white powder spots appeared on the lowest palm branches and I usually cut them off.  Recently, they have been on more than the lower branches and I used a mixture of Murphy's oil based soap, baking soda and warm water to spray the affected palm branches.  Is this the correct approach or should I try something else?

Thank you,
John

Answer
John, go to home depot and get a horticultural oil, what you are dealing with is scale, and this oil is specifically for that insect and other small ones like aphids, mealy bugs, whitefly etc. Follow the directions and spray you Pygmy Date Palms late afternoon when the heat of the sun is gone, then rinse it off, along with the dead scale the next morning, repeat if necessary. good luck Nick