
Full Answer
What is the most common disease of palm trees?
Common Palm Diseases and How to Treat Them 1 Bud Rot. This type of disease attacks the heart fronds of palms. 2 Fusarium Wilt. This is another type of palm disease that is caused by fungus. 3 Ganoderma Rot. This palm disease has only been discovered recently.
What is ganodera palm disease?
Ganodera palm disease, also called ganoderma butt rot, is a white rot fungus that causes palm tree trunk diseases.
What causes palm fronds to die?
It is a type of fungus that infests the fronds thereby causing them to shrivel up and die. Watch out especially during summer, as this is the season when Bud Rot is most likely to occur. To treat this type of disease, chemicals may be applied to your palm given that the disease is still in its early stage.
What is Fusarium wilt disease in palm trees?
Fusarium wilt is a palm tree fungus caused by Fusarium oxysporum. The disease has different strains that are specific to the various species of palm trees. Since it has no cure, it is highly likely that your palm tree will die when affected by fusarium wilt disease. The signs include discolored, brown and wilting fronds.

How to tell if a palm tree has ganoderma butt rot?
One way to check if your palm tree is suffering from ganoderma butt rot is to tap the trunk. While the trunk may seem solid, it will produce a hollow sound when tapped – if it is diseased. The disease can lead to the death of your palm tree depending on the age of the tree and the environmental conditions.
What causes bud rot on palm trees?
Bud rot is a palm tree disease that’s caused by either fungal pathogens or bacterial pathogens. Normally, it occurs after a period of excess rain or tropical storm. The bacterial rots happen after the bud has been damaged by cold weather. Once the infection occurs, it’s unlikely to reverse the situation.
What causes a palm tree to die?
Fusarium wilt is a palm tree fungus caused by Fusarium oxysporum. The disease has different strains that are specific to the various species of palm trees. Since it has no cure, it is highly likely that your palm tree will die when affected by fusarium wilt disease.
How do you know if a palm tree is diseased?
Here are the signs your palm tree is diseased: Older fronds withering or roping. Stunted growth. Leaves turning yellow or pale green. General discoloration of the plant.
How to get rid of leaf spot on palm trees?
Prune away the most infected fronds. In cases of severe damage, use fungicidal sprays that have copper. Apply a copper fungicide to get rid of leaf spot disease in palm trees. Copper fungicides are the only fungicides allowed if the palm fruits are to be used for food purposes.
What is the disease that affects palm trees?
The disease is spread by planthoppers and affects many varieties of palm trees. Since the planthopper (Haplaxius crudus) is native to Florida, palm trees in Florida are highly susceptible to the effects of this palm tree infection.
What is sooty mold?
Sooty mold is a fungal disease that feeds on the honeydew produced by palm aphids, mealybugs, and scale insects. It appears as black or ashy gray mold on fronds. Although it doesn’t cause major harm to a palm tree, its sight is often ugly.
What causes palm fronds to wilt?
Fusarium Wilt. This is another type of palm disease that is caused by fungus. Once it attacks the palm, it causes the fronds to lose their green luster, wilting and killing them in the process. The Fusarium Wilt is a deadly disease and causes permanent damage to the plant. This means that once it has been infected, there is no known cure.
What is the disease that attacks palms?
Bud Rot. This type of disease attacks the heart fronds of palms. It is a type of fungus that infests the fronds thereby causing them to shrivel up and die. Watch out especially during summer, as this is the season when Bud Rot is most likely to occur.
What is the shape of a conk on a palm tree?
From there it rapidly makes its way into the tree eventually rotting the wood. Once the fungus has made its way into the centre of the plant, it forms a spongy, white mushroom like growth that is referred to as a "conk". This will form a horizontal disk on the bark of the palm.
How to get rid of a wood plant?
Make sure you wrap the infected wood in plastic before you take it to the incinerator or landfill. Remember to sterilize all your tools after working with the diseased plant. Wash your gloves and clothes well afterwards. The best way to go about handling this disease is to prevent it from occurring on your plants.
What is a palm?
Cart. Palms are beautiful plants that flower and produce gorgeous shades of yellow to green fronds. Australia is home to over fifty known species of palms, flourishing in its tropical and sub-tropical areas.
Do palm trees have diseases?
Despite the natural climate and environment that are perfect for their nurture and growth, palms aren 't free from a number of diseases. Below are the types of diseases that Australian palms are particularly susceptible to and how to treat them.
What causes a wilting of the palm leaves?
Ganoderma Palm Disease. Ganoderma zonatum produces enzymes that cause the ganoderma palm disease. They rot or degrade woody tissue in the lower five feet (1.5 m.) of the palm trunk. In addition to the conks, you may see a general wilting of all of the leaves in the palm other than the spear leaf.
What is ganoderma in palms?
Ganoderma in Palms. Fungi, like plants, are divided into genera. The fungal genus Ganoderma contains different wood-decaying fungi found around the world on almost any type of wood, including hard wood, soft wood and palms. These fungi can result in ganoderma palm disease or other palm tree trunk diseases. The first sign you are likely to have ...
How to tell if you have ganoderma?
The first sign you are likely to have when ganoderma palm disease has infected your palm is the conk or basidiocarp that forms on the side of a palm trunk or stump. It appears as a soft, but solid, white mass in a circular shape lying flat against the tree.
What causes ganoderma in palm trees?
It can kill palm trees. Ganoderma is caused by the pathogen Ganoderma zonatum, and any palm tree can come down with it.
Can ganoderma cause conks?
Scientists cannot say, as yet, how long it takes before a tree infected with Ganoderma zanatum produces a conk. However, until a conk appears, it is not possible to diagnose a palm as having ganoderma palm disease. That means that when you plant a palm in your yard, there is no way for you to be sure that it is not already infected by the fungus.
Can palm trees get ganoderma?
Ganoderma is caused by the pathogen Ganoderma zonatum, and any palm tree can come down with it. However, little is known about the environmental conditions that encourage the condition. Read on for information about ganoderma in palms and good ways of dealing with ganoderma butt rot.
How to prevent disease spread on palms?
Avoid wetting fronds during irrigation. Removal and destruction of severely infected palm fronds will help minimize disease spread.
What causes black spots on palm tree leaves?
Sooty Mold on palm tree leaf. Photo by Flickr. This superficial fungal disease often feeds on honeydew produced by mealybug, palm aphid, and scale insects infestation, forming a black covering on the leaves. It’s always associated with an infestation of the insects.
What causes a palm tree to droop?
This disease is caused by the fungus, Ganoderma zonatu , which can infect many types of palm trees. It usually attacks older palm trees that are 15 or more years old. The first symptom of infection is the withering and drooping of older fronds. Fronds collapse and droop parallel to the trunk.
What do palm aphids eat?
Like mealybugs, palm aphid produce honeydew, which sooty mold fungus feeds on. The honeydew attracts ants which protect the aphids and use honeydew for their own consumption. Palm aphid can attack different palm species but is usually found on Chinese Fan Palm, Coconut Palm, Date Palm, Washington Palm and Alexander Palm.
What is the insect that eats palms?
This sucking insect can infest a palm in large numbers. Resembling a whitefly or scale insect, palm aphid are about 1-2 mm long with oval dark brown body and a ring of white wax around them. While appearing motionless, they can feed on the plant for a long time. Like mealybugs, palm aphid produce honeydew, which sooty mold fungus feeds on.
Why is it important to keep a palm tree healthy?
Comparing to many other plants, a healthy well-grown palm tree usually doesn’t have many disease or pest problems. That is why it’s so important to avoid any damage to the palm especially during transporting it. Cold or freeze damage is another frequent cause of damage to the palms which attracts unwanted insects and diseases.
How to get rid of ants on palms?
Treatment. One of the things you can do is to rub your plant with a mix of soapy water and alcohol. Make a solution of 1 part alcohol to 1 part water with some dish soap mixed in, wash down the entire palm.
What is the condition where the fingers are bent?
Dupuytren's (du-pwe-TRANZ) contracture is a hand deformity that usually develops over years. The condition affects a layer of tissue that lies under the skin of your palm. Knots of tissue form under the skin — eventually creating a thick cord that can pull one or more fingers into a bent position. The affected fingers can't be straightened ...
What is the term for a hand that is bent toward the palm?
Dupuytren's contracture is a painless deformity of the hand in which one or more fingers (in this case, the two fingers farthest from the thumb) are bent toward the palm and can't be fully straightened. It results from a thickening and scarring of connective tissue under the skin in the palm of the hand and in the fingers.
What causes Dupuytren's contracture?
Doctors don't know what causes Dupuytren's contracture. There's no evidence that hand injuries or occupations that involve vibrations to the hands cause the condition.
When does Dupuytren's contracture occur?
Age. Dupuytren's contracture occurs most commonly after the age of 50.
Can you straighten your fingers?
Knots of tissue form under the skin — eventually creating a thick cord that can pull one or more fingers into a bent position. The affected fingers can't be straightened completely, which can complicate everyday activities such as placing your hands in your pockets, putting on gloves or shaking hands. Dupuytren's contracture mainly affects the two ...
Does smoking cause Dupuytren's?
Tobacco and alcohol use. Smoking is associated with an increased risk of Dupuytren's contracture, perhaps because of microscopic changes within blood vessels caused by smoking. Alcohol intake also is associated with Dupuytren's.
