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Pindo Spear Has Turned Brown

TexasTwister
12 years ago

Hi everyone. I have a Pindo that has been in our backyard for the last 4 years. I suspect it is much older due to its size (approximately 10 feet tall with a base 6 1/2 feet in circumference). About 4 weeks ago, it produced its first batch of fruit (approximately 20 lbs. worth!). The other day, I noticed the center growth spear is dead. It does not pull at this time. See link to pics.

Briefly, here in Southeast Texas, we are in the midst of extreme drought (so far this year we have received 9.17 inches of rain instead of the normal 34 inches). However, the Pindo gets regular irrigation from our underground sprinkler system. I monitor its effectiveness at all times (heads, valves, etc.)

In addition, we have had extreme heat. For example, in August, we had 30 out of 31 days over 100 degrees, however our last 100 degree day was September 14th.

Does anyone have any ideas why our Pindo would suddenly produce a dead spear? I've read about the hydrogen peroxide trick to treat fungus, should I try that? We are sick about this; it is by far our favorite palm in the yard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pindo Pics

Comments (15)

  • brooklyngreg
    12 years ago

    Howdy TX8,

    Is the spear still growing out? Did it get too dry? When my butia had a brown spear - it was stuck and would not grow -so- I cut it to the bud without cutting too much and dug it up and placed it back in a pot - here she is today.

  • tropicalzone7
    12 years ago

    Maybe it got too dry. Thats the only thing I can think of. Pindo palm spears dont pull out as smoothly as other palms, so just because the spear didnt pull, doesnt mean its alive. i would trunk cut it (the way greg did to his pindo, and Jim has used trunk cutting on his Trachycarpus with great results as well). I know that it sounds crazy to cut the trunk of a palm, but as long as you dont cut it below the growing bud, it will have a chance to grow back.
    Also, if it did lose its spear only from lack of water, it might come back on its own. A few years ago, I had a pygmy palm that was so underwatered indoors that the spear pulled out. I watered it like crazy all summer long and kept it in shade and in 3 months, it had healthy new fronds coming out (no trunk cutting involved).

    Hope it lives for you!
    -Alex

  • TexasTwister
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks Alex and Greg. Can someone point me to a good reference on "trunk cutting". Sounds horrible! What I don't understand is how everything around the Pindo, including a Canary Island Date Palm (8 feet away) is lush and green and that the Pindo could produce so much fruit just 4 weeks ago...

  • jimhardy
    12 years ago

    If the leaves next to it are healthy you may be able to wait
    and see if it grows out of it.
    If not and it is losing leaves backwards from the main growth point,
    try cutting down at an angle (facing south)and see if the spear is alive farther down,
    if it is not try cutting a few more inches until you find live/green tissue.

  • wetsuiter
    12 years ago

    Wow! That's dramatic! Did that Pindo survive surgery like that?

  • don_licuala
    12 years ago

    If the spear doesn't pull, leave it alone. Start a 2x per week treatment with H2O2 or a mild Cu based fungicide (mild). You're going into cold months. Too late to do anything drastic.

  • jimhardy
    12 years ago

    Where in Texas are you?
    I agree with Don in principle but if it is rotting
    and you are losing more leaves opening it up will
    keep the rot from spreading anymore.
    You need to really inspect those green leaves and
    see if they are already drying up,this means the rot has
    spread below them and they are already dead!

    Wetsuiter

    This(pic) one is a T.Fortunei,the picture is from last spring.
    Heres a picture from Oct 3 2011.

  • brooklyngreg
    12 years ago

    Several of us here have used that method and it works well. You can see by Jim's photo not to cut under the bud but just a hair over it.

  • TexasTwister
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks everyone. jimhardy, generally, I am in the Houston area. I think I understand what has been done in the photo, but I'm unsure as to the theory or reason behind it. Is it to spur the Pindo into a growth cycle by sawing off all of its fronds? Or is it to expose the bud to fresh air and sunlight? Is it best to do this before the spear pulls, or can I wait to see if the Pindo recovers?

    Just in case it was a water issue, I put my garden hose attachment on "Mist" and layed it against the trunk for about 12 hours overnight, sloooowly soaking the soil around the tree with no runoff. Examining the existing fronds, there is very little that looks like it has suffered from lack of water.

    Please let me know if you have any more questions that I can answer to help diagnose the situation. Thanks everyone!

  • islandbreeze
    12 years ago

    Is it possible that the in-ground sprinkler system is watering the crown? If so, you may be getting too much water in the crown, causing bud rot. Even though it is hot and dry, watering the crown of any palm repeatedly can cause bud rot. If that is the case, pour Hydrogen Peroxide into the crown and position the sprinklers lower so that they only water at the base of the trunk and at ground level. (The crown is the very top of the trunk where the dead spear is coming out)

  • jimhardy
    12 years ago

    Just to add to what Ryan already said,in hot weather
    moisture in the crown can cause fungus to develop.
    In hot weather this pathogen growth is accelerated,
    sometimes fast enough to kill the bud before it can grow out of it.
    If this is a root issue,you have lost root mass(feeder roots)
    and watering(excessively)will not solve this.
    More likely that the bud area has an infection.
    If the palm is losing more leaves the rot is spreading deeper.
    Inspect the bud area closely,is there any green?
    Does it appear to have moved?
    If it has you are PROBABLY fine,if not it could be getting worse.
    You need to make a decision,keeping it closed will potentially
    allow the rot to spread and you may lose it.
    Unless it is growing out of it,I would cut the dead leaves off down
    to the first live one.
    If there is green tissue having it opened up will help dry up the rot
    (hopefully the weather is dry)and a healthy palm will
    IMMEDIATELY begin growing out of it.
    The picture of mine growing out of the cut was a couple days
    later and even the next day it had moved.

    Can you post another close up picture of of the spear area?

    BTW

    I have had at least 2 palms pull from overhead
    watering and excessive heat-this summer.


  • TexasTwister
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    It is entirely possible that the crown is getting quite a bit of water during a sprinkler cycle. The pindo is surrounded by gardenias, so therefore I had to put the sprinkler head on a 3 foot riser to clear the gardenias and to allow the water to get past the pindo to some variegated flax on the other side.

    I am going to cut out the top today until I can get down to some green, letting it dry out and treating it with hydrogen peroxide. The crown is probably really damp this morning. Unbelievably, we got about 1 1/2 inches of slow soaking, all day rain yesterday. That brings us up to a little over 10 1/2 inches of rain for the year vs. a normal 34 inches for this time of year.

    I will let you know how things turn out. Thanks everyone for your help!

  • jimhardy
    12 years ago

    Post some pics of the whole process!

  • TexasTwister
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Spent a good portion of yesterday afternoon performing surgery on my sick pindo. I began by taking a chainsaw and cutting off the top 6" and examining the center portion of the palm. The center was very wet and foul smelling as expected. I continued cutting about 3" to 4" at a time and repeating the exam. Not good so far. Presently, I have cut about 12" off the top and about 2/3 of the fronds. See updated pics.

    I have stopped for now. I have exposed a good portion of the growth bud area, but it is still rotten. Pressing down on the center with my finger caused water to bubble up yesterday, but not today. I believe what I am going to do at this point is allow the bud area to dry out in our hot Texas sun and watch for movement (growth). As usual, no rain is expected this week. If no growth is noticed, next Saturday I will keep cutting until I get to some green.

    A couple of questions. Do I need to let the bud area dry out before treating it with hydrogen peroxide or just pour it on now? With the bud being wet, I feel as though the hydrogen peroxide will just run off and not be absorbed. Next question, if I have to keep cutting, can the pindo survive without any fronds at all? If I have to go down another 12" there will not be anything left but the trunk.

    Thanks everyone for your help!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Updated Pindo Pics

  • jimhardy
    12 years ago

    If the spear is alive you will see it raise up in a few days.

    If it doesn't keep cutting(a little at a time) until you find live tissue.

    You don't have to worry about killing the spear because if it
    is cut out because you had to keep going...it's already dead.