Queen Palm Tree Problems

Queen Palm Tree is very easy to grow but sometimes you can run into few problems. In these post I will address most common Queen Palm Tree Problems.

• Queen Palm Tree over watering.
• Queen Palm Tree pests.
• Queen Palm Tree diseases.
• Queen Palm Tree nutrient deficiency.

1. How to find out if you are over watering your Queen Palm?

Over watering will cause palm tree leaves turn brown or yellow and fall quickly without drying out. Signs of over-watering might include soft or rotting trunk, and bad smelling soil around the base of the palm.

Established Queen Palm needs to be watered around 3 times a week during warm months and 2 times a week during cold months. New planted Queen Palm needs to be watered every day for the first week. Here is a great article on Watering Queen Palm Tree that goes into the details on how to water your Queen Palm properly.

2. Queen Palm Tree Pests

Palm leaf skeletonizer and scale are problems for Queen Palm.

Palm Leaf Skeletonizer

Palm Leaf Skeletonizer is called Homaledra sabalella is native to Florida. Leaf Skeletonizer eats the tissue of the leaf leaving bare veins and midribs. It produces brown sawdust-like material.

The best way to control this problem cut the infected leaves as soon as you notice it.

If it infected a lot of Queen Palm leaves before you noticed it’s is harder to control because pruning too much fronds could kill the palm.

After cutting the leaves spray your palm with one of the following: Sevin, or Neem seed extract.

Palm Scale

Palm Scale produces sticky substance that is very hard to get rid of. Also you will notice brown legless bump that usually appears on the new fronds. That brown bump sucks fluids out of the palm. One bump will not kill your palm tree but if they multiply, your palm tree might be in trouble.

To get rid of palm scale mix the same amount of horticultural oil, rubbing alcohol and dish soap. Spray infected leaf and using cotton ball start rubbing the scale off. I know, it is tidies and boring, but there is no other way.

3. Queen Palm Tree diseases

The most popular Queen Palm Tree diseases are Ganoderma Root and Bud Rot

Ganoderma Root

Ganoderma root signs are the drooping of the older leafs and yellow new growing fronds. Sometimes Queen Palm trunk might collapse. The only thing you can do, is to get rid of your Queen Palm. Sorry to disappoint you. To make sure infections doesn’t spread on to other palm trees wash your saw if you where pruning sick palm and get rid of the sick palm roots. There is not chemical treatment.

Bud Rot

If your Queen palm Tree got Bud rot, you will notice black lesions on the new palm fronds and new leaves drooping. The bud rot might occur after a lot of rain or if the bud got damaged by cold. Your older fronds will stay green for a while and then will slowly die. Unfortunately, it’s it unlikely for the palm tree to recover. You need to destroy the palm tree and root system to avoid spreading.

The only thing you can do is use preventive methods to avoid bud rot. Try to minimize overhead irrigation. I found that Bonide Products Liquid Copper Fungicide is very effective against bud rot. You can apply it to the remaining palm trees to make sure bud rot doesn’t spread on other palm trees in your garden.

4. Queen Palm Tree Nutrient Deficiency

Most of the Queen Palm Trees experience manganese deficiency. You will notice your Queen palm has a “frizzle top”. I lot of home owners don’t know how to fertilize Queen Palm Trees properly. Add more manganese to the soil when applying regular fertilizer.