Do you know the name of it?

Do you know the name of it?

I don't, but it is killing the palms in florida. Very easy to find info on. 🙂

heres what ive found eric:

http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/palm_prod/pdfs/Sabal-palmetto-Infected-with-Phytoplasma-in-Florida.pdf
http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2008/aug/02/la-deadly-palm-disease-hits-florida/
http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/Cabbage%20Palm%20disease%20_Caldwell.pdf

The picture of the palm in the 3rd link, looks eerily similar to yours eric :S But there is something you may want to try......

Acetacylic acid (ACA or asperin), has been known to cause canna lily, and other plants to stimulate a systemic resistance. Cannas sprayed with this, once every 2 weeks witha 1:10 000 solution to ACA, all new growth showed no cnna virus at all. The systemic resistance is almsot liek our immune systems, except the systemic resistance is a natural plant "attibute" that you can force into play with the use of ACA spray.

Heres the article:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/730/

Were all your Sabals planted on a bed of pebbles or just this one you are having troubles with?

Thanks, cp.
That is a possibility. This palm came from south Florida (Homestad area). They growers might have figured that a palm going to Oklahoma is an annual and so dumped infected plants on the old man who trucks them up here for his road-side palm stand.
Steve,
good point. I didn't use the sand and pea gravel mix for the smaller S. mexicana. They have received less care overall. Goes back to gpenny's "killed with kindness" hypothesis (above). Do you think the gravel bed was a problem? If so, how?
Remember, despite my post # I am a novice palm grower and make a lot of rookie mistakes!
--Erik

killing the palms in florida

Called simply "LY", lethal yellowing.
Something to do with Potassium getting washed out too quickly out of Florida's sandy soils.

Thanks, cp. Do you think the gravel bed was a problem? If so, how?

--Erik

Air pockets could kill the roots.

Since were not sure what it is, id say its safer to leave it alone, and let it do its thing......

Erik,

Cabbage palmettos love water but the pebbles and sand do not hold water so if your clay soil dries out around the roots the palm is trying to grow in a dry rock pile. Stones and sand are great for desert palms and for places where the ground is constantly wet like the U.K. or in the floodplains of the the SE U.S. Slow release fertilizer will continue to release once activated and will accumulate locally in dry soil. Along comes a heavy rain or you decide to water heavily and the fertilizer in the soil along with the nutrients in compost travel throughout the soils and wash over the dry roots in the stones and burn them up with excess nutrients and salt. It's like you don't eat for a week and then dine on 21 meals at one sitting to catch up. You will be one very sick or dead fellow!

To remedy the situation you want to increase the moisture level in the soil both around and beneath the palm to the point of flushing the excess fertilizer beneath the palm and diluting the salt buildup. If you can run a hose to it I would turn the water down low and let it seep in good for 2-4 hours every other day for the next week. Your 7 day weather forecast looks good to do this before the nights produce hard freezes. Don't overly stress the palm by cutting off dead or dying leaves.

You can follow my advice or not, but I have helped folks in similar situations including a fellow who mistakenly overdosed his Sonoran palmettos with boron and the end result was one inch of leaf tip burn. I believe in correcting planting mistakes, nutrient deficiencies, and maladies quickly and not waiting for help from mother nature, but that's just me. LOL

Hi Steve,

Erik's been working hard to amend his heavy clay soil with compost, etc.
And when this gorgeous palm came along, rather than sitting it into a hole that doesn't drain water for TWO days, felt the gravel would at least take the water away from the root zone...a bit.

Glad to have you aboard.
US? Canada? or?

Barb

Barb, I am in NW Alabama surrounded by 3000 palms. (not joking)

Sabal palmettos love water! I have even seen massive specimens growing in slow moving streams.

Would the soil be all that different in oaklahoma and up in northern alabama?

We both have clay soil. The soil in Oklahoma City is a little higher in pH but I mix dolomite into my soil to raise the pH level and add calcium and magnesium at the same time.

Steve,
thanks!
I'm busy digging up a few more plants and building a palm hut for the C. radicalis before another freeze tonight.
I'll try to catch up this evening. --Erik

surrounded by 3000 palms

Sounds like heaven, Steve.
Hope you've got a digital camera... 😀