Once again, thank you so much!

Palms, unlike trees do not produce woody roots that branch. A palm has what is called a Root Initiation Zone (RIZ). All of the palms roots initiate from, for lack of better words, the bottom of the palm. You can see the RIZ on some poorly containerized or planted palms. Each palm species has unique RIZ characteristics. When a Sabal is transplanted every root that is damaged dies back to the RIZ and only needs a big enough root ball to protect the RIZ. This why you see enormous Sabals with tiny root balls. Juveniles have not yet developed an RIZ and die when transplanted since all the roots die back. Another reason why mature Sabals are the only ones available as B&B. Also there is very little to no response to rooting hormones to enhance root development.

Each palm species is different. Some benefit from a larger root since damaged roots heal and new ones are formed and others heal the roots and branch. What is uniform for nearly all transplanted palms is a reduction of fronds and the use of anti-transpirant on the remaining foliage and frequent irrigation for an entire year. Protection of the growth point from water, sun protection with 25% shade cloth and no fertilizer until the palm is producing spears on a regular basis. Fertilizer increase water demand by the plant; the plant is already having a problem with the damaged root system; fertilizing a transplanted palm or any plant with a compromised root system can put it enough water stress to kill it.

For those that don't think I know what I'm talking about here is a link.

Layman's link that specifically addresses your palm

http://horttech.ashspublications.org/content/19/4/686.full

Very technical link

http://ucanr.org/sites/ucceventura/files/35922.pdf

Thank you for your excellent help, I also found the articles useful

I bought and planted this palm tree we tight it so it could grow in place straight but now this happened!!..what can i do?!?.

If you can pull the centre out then it's really dead. Sorry to say, but it doesn't look good. Was it growing in a pot/bag when you bought it or was it in the ground?

The center s not dead..but i believe they keep breaking because we tight it around the same area it keeps breaking!.they ate growing green but they break..what can i do?

I'm not sure what you mean. But the spear (the young unopened centre fronds) can stay green for a while when the plant is actually dead. If you try pulling gently on the spear you'll see. If the spear is okay, you could get a long piece of wood and tie it to the thick part of the trunk in a couple of places. This will hold it steady and then you can straighten the spear and tie it to the wood to hold it upright. Don't tie it too tight. After that you just have to wait to see if it will grow. That might take a long time.

Thank you!

Hey everyone. I have had this beautiful tree in front of my house for about eight years. Today 7/15/17 I noticed that it has started to look like this. I did notice about a month ago the tree was loaded with bees and when I took off a few dying fronds, I then noticed a nest of these really large ants. I need some advice or help. I am in southwest Florida (North Port), and for the last month we have had a ton of rain. So lack of watering shouldn't be an issue. I think?

Looks like the crown had some rot. The Ant's nest kept it too wet. Clean it out with a strong water spray..and douse it with Hydrogen Peroxide. Otherwise I think you got it in time.

Thank you. I'll try It

Help, someone, please - My Bismark is doing something no-one else has described. Planted Jan. 18, 2018. Lost lower fronds that simply wilted, went from green to dark brown like a typical plant leaf would do. But now the fronds are remaining upright, turning beige from the tips inward, and finally turning all beige and stiffening to a wood like consistency. Also, there are small black specks on the fronds which could look like a fungus.

I wish I would have found this forum sooner . For the last year my Bismarck Palm has had what I now know to be the fruits growing off the bark. But as of lately the tree has been dying and has an odor. I have two other trees right next to these and they don’t look all so well. Stupid me assumed it was the “fruits” as this is the first year we have seen them on the palm. So we just have the palm a massive hair cut and removed all the fruits. We honestly thought the “fruits” were something poisonous taking over the tree. Please tell me we didn’t just kill our tree.

(Side note, we are not tree people. We purchased the house with a ton of fruit trees and we’re just trying to keep them alive. We are trying our best)

You won't kill the palm by taking off the fruit, or some of the leaves. But what you say about the tree "dying and has an odor" sounds pretty bad. The smell could be coming from rot in the top of the plant, something which can happen to palms. It's called crown rot and it's where the new leaf (spear) emerges out of the top of the plant. If that's the case, you can pull on the spear and it will come out. People pour antifungal mixes into the top of palms to try and cure this, there's no guarantee of success.

Palms have no smell unless its from bacterial rot. A photo would greatly help.

Thank you. I will post a picture when I get home.

My gut reaction is it has a fungus problem from too much water. Look at the black soot on the trunk. If that's not caused by aphids or mealy bugs..then its a too wet situation. Does your irrigation hit the trunk?..that would keep it too wet.

You might remove the grass under it also..helping to keep the tree's base dry. Also..you might be removing fronds too soon,damaging the trunk.

The smell is rot..so I would try a fungal spray for palms. Maybe pour hydrogen peroxide into the crown to keep that from being infected.

I have 5 Bismark palms in my yard in central Florida.

The largest looks like the top is falling off and I don't know what, if anything, can be done. I hope whatever caused this doesn't spread to the other palms. Any suggestions?

That one does look too far gone to do anything for it. It looks like it might be more than just rot. There are insects (beetles) which lay eggs in palms and the larvae eat their way through the crown of the plant. That does allow water into the top/crown and rot begins as a secondary issue. Most single trunked palms don't recover from that, and I'm sure that includes Bismarckias. If it is the insect larvae then the other palms are also at risk. Check with a reliable local nursery to find out what they would recommend as a suitable insecticide.

Thank you. I was afraid that might be the case. I'll check with a nursery like you suggested.

I have several Bismarcks that are yellowing/browning and have their branches crumpling up. They are planted in bags in field along with others that are growing perfectly. The newest leaves have half the diammeter of a healthy leaf. Great thread by the way.

We purchased a Bismark palm in March. In full transparency we planted it and were told by an expert we planted it too deep. We pulled the dirt away And WaterEd every day for weeks and really have given it a lot of attention. And while we lost a lot of frons in the process it still had a crown so we thought everything was turning around. But our poor frons are so droopy. We thought maybe

we needed to support it but everything I have seen looks like it is supporting the trunk. Our trunk is straight. Are we over reacting or does anybody have pictures to share of how to best support this tree?

Get some rebar or wood ..and stake it up straight muy pronto!..it still looks like it has a fighting chance. Ordinarily I would say it's badly rotted..or somebody fell on it . But the color looks good..maybe a last minute help in the vertical department can pull it through.

One last..if it is rot? Pour Hydrogen Peroxide AND still stake it.

We’ve been in our home for 3 years and have 2 Bismark palms. They have both been beautiful but in the past month one of them has started to look to look brown. Please help! It’s the rainy season and we’ve got a ton of rain here in south Florida. We did our annual tree trimming about 2 months ago and I’m scared we shocked it.

I recently had three Bismarck palms planted in my front yard. And agronomist suggested that I begin fertilizing with eight Dash 10 Dash 10. I did so and have been watering on a schedule as per instructions. This is the only one of the three that seems to be struggling. I dialed back the water considerably two weeks ago to see what would happen… I thought it might actually get greener but it’s gotten more yellow. So, at this point I am a little confused as to what to do to fix the yellowing.

I have some Palmgain being delivered today. It has the UF extension office’s recommended fertilizer breakdown for North Florida. Opinions being entertained

When palm roots have been disturbed they can be a bit sensitive to chemical fertilisers, so probably best to hold back on them for a while. Also, if fronds have been yellowing there's no going back for them, they won't green up. The main thing to watch for is new fronds coming up and how they look. Leave the old fronds until they brown off and then remove them.

@tropicbreezent These are pics of the top shoot/fronds....can we tell if that is “okay”? I have a cornucopia of anti fungal, anti insect stuff if needed as well.

Our 6 year old Bismark burned in the center. What is going on?

keep

Hi there my bismarckia is dropping fruit seeds which it always does this time of year only this time they are rotting and causing a black mold over a beautiful garden infecting many of my plants. The mold seems to be growing over everything including the trunk of my beautiful palm. there are lots of fruit flies and the smell is horrible. any advice or help you can give is appreciated.

The fronds are splitting on this 5 year old Bismark Tree. It appears healthy and still spikes. Any ideas would be helpful. Thank you.

I just bought a 18 in diameter bismark with problems too,was planning on buying another big one ,maybe not after reading all this comments.

My Bizzie does the same thing. And it's perfectly healthy. I think the fronds split because they become really heavy. Following instructions from a master gardener, I do not remove the dying fronds until they are totally brown. Then and only then do they stop photosynthesis, thus nourishing the plant until they have no more power to do so. In addition, cutting them off while they are still green, opens wounds for insects to enter and compromise the plant. There is lots of info on Bizzie care on the web. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu is a great link. For some reason I cannot upload my photos. Sorry. But trust me, the plant is healthy despite the 'splitting fronds'

Might be good to get a ladder and take a close look. You might catch an early fungal problem or..palm weevil? Just to make sure look close,take some photos and show it to local experts like ag or nursery people.

joanangela24 did you ever figure out what it was? I have one doing the same thing..

Me too! Desperate for some help on what to do, but looks exactly the same.e as

Samantha - I just followed directions from a master gardener - as I outlined in my previous post. My Bizzie is doing fine on that program

All the fronds are loose on my sago palm at the top. What does that mean?

I have a friend whose foxtail palm was dying. The arborists treated it for weevil. They applied chemicals at the top of the palm. It took a few months but the palm is now fully on its way back to normal. You might want to call in a pro.

My Bismark looks sick as all the center leaves are turning yellow. what should i do? i live in Palm Bay and will get there next week. planted it 2 years ago from a 40 gal pot.

We have lived here five years and our bismark palm has always been beautiful. Recently the fronds on the borttom of the tree have started dying and falling off. I don't think the leaves on the top look as healthy as they used to either and they don't seem to be sprouting new leaves. We don't know anything about plants/trees and have no idea what to do. I took a full picture and some close ups but I can't get them to upload onto this site. I would appreciate any help anyone can give me. I would hate to lose this beautiful tree. Thank you.

Seems like weevils. Treat asap.

We have a Bismarck whose fronds are growing only leaning West. They are all bunched up because of this. Any ideas? I live in Central Florida, and it is in the full sun.

I had these in pots for about 3 months and they went thru a crazy Florida freeze (temps dropped to 30). Then a month later (March) I planted them in the ground. The two others are doing fine but this one is struggling. Anyone know how to help?

I truly hope everyone in this discussion gets help for their Bismarks. They are magnificent trees, although they need some babying. I received so much help on this site and will always be grateful. We took a sickly tree and not only saved it, but turned it into a 38 foot tower of beauty. She was a sight to behold, with a diameter of 2 plus feet. Much time and very much babying turned her into a sight to behold. Thank you all so much, especially Bob. Follow advice given here, you can't go wrong. Unfortunately we lost her to IAN, she was totally crushed, as was I. Best of luck with your Bismarks!!

Anyone know why this palm has pitting on the trunk