Thanks, folks. Your advice is alll that kept this palm (my favorite from 2009) alive last winter. Maybe you can do it again? 🙂
Here is a photo of it this morning. I put that same pink bucket in place for comparison with the "pindo palm bigger than a horse" photo from last month, when it was at its peak.

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href=" http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K1kcI6uJTnAeHjAn-WQbsA?feat=embedwebsit e"><img src=" " /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href=" http://picasaweb.google.com/terdalfarm/Palms2010?feat=embedwebsit e">Palms 2010</a></td></tr></table>

I'd like to say this is damage from TD Hermine, but I can't. It looked like this last evening before it came through overnight. We got 3" of rain and wind, but not bad wind. You can see that that Musa basjoo in the background came through all right--just one broken leaf.

So, I am convinced I have a rapidly progressing disease.

Replies to you helpful folks:
Barb, no major discoloring, but perhaps slight yellowing of fronds and petioles. The spear (also floppy) is quite yellow.
Bill, thanks a lot for that "stop watering" advice in the middle of a TS! 😡
Just kidding. 😆
As for fungus, yes, there are several "mushrooms" in that bed (my pinnate palm bed). As for soil, my soil overall is very organic. I did a traditional double-dig in that bed a few years ago (before planting even the Washingtonia that used to be there) and added a lot of composted manure (never in short supply here). Water never stands on the ground here, no matter how much it rains (plus it is sloped) but I am sure all that organic matter retains water well.
John, I'll do a first H2O2 drench this morning before heading to the office. The ground is soaked from all the rain last night but that can't be helped.
I also sprayed more of that copper fungicide on the spear/crown, again assuming it can't hurt, right?
--Erik

I don't know what to say about that Erik but it does seem- as the guys mentioned- there is some
root issue going on there.

Mine did not grow much coming out of winter and my guess is also root damage but luckily it has regrouped
and is making a big push now 😀

Does the overall health of the palm seem to be in decline?

If you feel it is,I would advise digging it up and cleaning all the soil off,
removing any rot of dead roots and re-potting after treatment.

It seems odd that it would grow so much and now be in trouble,make sure it is in decline before you dig it up-
if it is a root issue,it will not make it through the winter.

I am going to keep mine drier/heavily mulched this year,although the foliage seemed to
be well protected it was not insulated very far beyond the trunk.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wonder if the moisture and HOT soil temps contributed to this?

I don't think we will see much from Hermine here,looks to be shunted to the south and east-
next cold front(Thurs-Fri) may be a different story though.

I am going to try and keep my palms and cactus drier going into winter this year-

Good luck Erik

There was some fungus on the ground near my Pindo during late Spring/early Summer. I figured that perhaps I was watering too much- overcompensating for the early heat. I read that they are fairly drought tolerant, so I largely left it alone and let it live off of rain. It has done fine, and like Jim's, has seen a huge push lately. Brightened my mood as, you might recall, it took a beating during winter.

I would try the peroxide treatment. Digging it up is problematic and let's face it, economies of scale (i.e. Big Box Stores) have made these trees cheap.

I agree Jack but he may want to save it - if he needs to- it may be ready for another stint next spring 😀

Thanks, guys.
Jack,
I probably did over water it in the heat of August. My excuse is that is in a bed with three Chamaadorea radicalis I want to try to over winter in the ground. Their roots aren't so deep. Plus, I read they like some afternoon shade so I planted a new Musa basjoo and wanted it to grow fast. The Musa and Chammies have done well (as did the Butia) but perhaps the excess water soaked down to the lower roots of the older Butia. Just speculation.
As for replacement, I have thought about it. This one was US$125 in a 15 gallon pot from HD in April, 2009. However, it doubled in size. Realistically, a replacement would set me back where I was 15 months ago. 🙁
Jim,
I actually had not though of just digging it up. I don't know why. I did that with a sick, yellowing Sago. This would be a similar operation, just a lot harder. I could dig it up, rinse the roots with a hose, cut off obviously sick ones, spray the rest with copper, and pot it with sterile soiless palm mix in a humongous pot and put it in the "ball room" for the winter. A lot of work, but perhaps easier than finding/buying/bringing home a 30 gallon Butia. Which I would have to drive to Texas to get. 😡
I'll think about it. For the next month, I'll do the treatment Dr. John prescribed above. That is cheap and easy.
Any more input from anyone?
--Erik

Erik, I could cry ...

Did you say this is in the same spot as last year's Washy? the one that died from winter, right?
or something else?

The light blue colour of my Butia fading was my first indicator, the next day frond droop.

I think your soil is too rich.
Until manure is well rotted (several years) it'll be subject to all the decomposition fungi that are needed to break it down.
Also your chickens were free range, some of that surface fresh poop could have gotten into the planting hole.

If I ever find another butia, it's going into gravel, no soil.

Barb

Erik, if you're planning to think about it and then dig it up to spend winter in the ballroom, W has a nice tractor.
Bet she has tractor straps (wrap around a sleeping bag tied around the palm's base) that can gently lift it up out of its hole and plunk it into its new big pot.
She'll probably help dig it out of the ground too!

Thinking back to watering, many of us encouraged you to water like crazy when temps were 100+.
The soil in your palm pictures looked crunchy dry.

It's a beautiful Butia, worth the effort.
Barb

Found this "Diseases in Pindo Palms"

http://www.ehow.com/list_5970471_diseases-pindo-palm-trees.html

Will look for your photo of it tomorrow, Erik.
Good luck.
Barb

Barb,
great link--I had not found that one, despite hours of searching.
That first disease, fungal root rot, is what I fear I have. I really don't want it to spread to the nearby Chamaedorea (x3) I planted nearby (so they would all fit in a shared palm hut).
I guess I have some more research and some hard thinking to do.
Thanks for the emotional support too. I'm glad I have all those Sabal to lean on....
BTW, W's tractor can't get to that spot in the garden, but she liked that you thought of her!
--Erik

Sounds like it unfortunately.
From the numerous websites I saw researching Pindo disease, just about all of them blamed the nursery...

I know how you love Butia...me too.
Barb

I agree Jack but he may want to save it - if he needs to- it may be ready for another stint next spring 😀

You may well be right. I am just hesistant to dig ones up that are established or semi-established. I transplanted 3 Trachys. They were out of the ground for an hour or so and yet took a year to recover from the shock of being dug up and moved a few miles. Granted they were probably in the ground longer than his Butia. 8)

Yea,that appears to be an issue with Butia,they may take a while to establish.

I think some palms are better at handling cold wet roots but both together is hard on any palm
especially Washys and Butias-Barb may be on to something too,soil issues etc.

In any case/cause- if this is a root issue- now is a bad time to be trying to fix it,if this thing shows any signs
of vigor maybe there's a chance......

If you are of a mind that you are dead set about leaving it in and taking your chances,some kind of
peroxide dump/treatment seems to be the best plan,my concern would be that the main issue is with the roots
DIRECTLY under the palm and a surface treatment may not address this adequately.

If you do decide to try it my suggestion would be to do it and not water it at all until next spring
when soil temps are well into the 60s over a foot down.

If it keeps declining,I think you need to dig it up 😕 -
sooner than later.

Get some close up pics of the crown and the leaf blades,are they all closed up or open?

Erik, I'm so sorry to hear about your beautiful Butia - I empathize! When my Trachy was having problems coming out of the winter this year I was devastated. Thank goodness it's okay, but I know the struggle you must be facing! I hope that whatever you decide to do, you can find a new spot for it after it's initial recovery and it will continue to be its beautiful Butia self! 🙁

Heidi

Heidi,
thanks for the sympathy. We do get attached to favorites.
I'm going to try to save it in the ground a while longer while the weather here stays so good--it is staying warm (but not hot), windy and no rain in the forecast (big storms last night broke up just north of here).
I'm off to buy a bunch of hydrogen peroxide; my wife told me of a store that sells it cheap. I'll pick up some chemical fungicides as well from the home improvement store.
I am happy to say that the Butia isn't getting any worse. After such a fast decline last week, that is some consolation. 🙂
--Erik

that is some consolation

Might be a good sign, too... 😀