How do you recognize diseases?
Diseases usually first appear on the leaves. These can:
- get soft
- discolour (first yellow and then brown
- dry up
- or show deposits.
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Sooty mildew
If you discover black, often star-shaped coatings on the fronds, the sooty mildew fungus is almost always responsible. Although it inhibits photosynthesis, this is not life-threatening for the plant.
If you look closely at the palm tree, you will often find lice, as the fungus often settles on the excretions of insect pests.
Combat
You can easily wipe off the black layer with a cloth soaked in a water-vinegar solution. Take this opportunity to examine the palm for pest infestation and use a suitable agent to control aphids, mealybugs or spider mites.
Root rot
If the leaves of the palm begin to wither despite watering them regularly, it is often infected with root rot. In the wet substrate, rot fungi could spread, which damage the roots. The plant's lifelines can no longer fulfill their task of transporting the water and the plant dries up.
remedy
Carefully lift the palm out of the pot. Most of the time you can notice an unpleasant musty smell immediately. The substrate feels like a wet sponge. The roots are no longer white and crisp, but muddy brown.
- Remove the old substrate as much as possible.
- Cut off any damaged parts of the root.
- Place the palm in a planter with good water drainage, in which you also put a drainage layer made of expanded clay (€ 17.50 on Amazon *).
- In the future you should water significantly less and only when the top centimeters of the soil feel dry.
- Dump away excess water in the planter after a few minutes.
Heart or spear rot
For many palm trees that are overwintered outdoors, it is not the cold that means death, but heart rot. What happened? The thick wrapping in protective materials can cause moisture to settle in the heart. Only a small amount of air gets to the plant so that it does not dry out. This promotes putrefaction. Frost damage also promotes spear and heart rot.
As a result, the fronds look worn, sometimes show mold deposits and can be easily pulled out of the heart.
remedy
- Do not cut off the diseased leaves, as they serve as valuable nutrient stores for the plant.
- Carefully “pull” only completely dead compartments.
- Keep the plant airy, dry and warm.
- You can sprinkle a crushed Chinosol tablet (pharmacy) into the heart. Many palm fans report surprising successes through the use of this drug from human medicine and they were able to nurture the palm again with good care.
Tips
For all diseases of the palm, it is advisable to isolate the plant from other plants. Also examine your other houseplants thoroughly so that you can treat them accordingly in the early stages of a disease.
