I will help- the OP and bump this, and BTW, did the Windmill palm look good for a good while after spring? Is this root rot a new thing, or has it been a root rot problem since May, or you just saw this problem?

Not sure if it is root rot, but seems likely since it occurred after so much rain - the palm looked good in late March before all the rain. Suspect maybe I left too many leaves around the base of the palm - I raked back the leaves so bare soil is exposed. The palm has always looked good until we got so much rain in April and much of May. Thanks for any advice you might have.

I am just guessing that with good drainage, or as long as it's (soil) is draining fine between rains, there should'nt be a problem with root rot. If it's wet muck and standing water, yes, that could be the problem. I'm not familiar with growing palms, but, my advise is just a general plant i nfo answer. Maybe post a pic of it, and someone may see and have more specific answers for you.

Besides root rot, I cannot figure out what else it could be - we have had a tremendous amount of rain during the spring, about 12" more than normal. The soil here is clay-ish, and doesn't drain very well. But the palm is planted on a slope, and usually the ground gets bone dry during the heat of the summer, even the shady area where I planted the palm gets bone dry in the summer. All the fronds now have "dried out" and turned completely brown, and only the smallest frond is still green. I raked back the leaves so the soil is exposed around the base of the tree - I am hoping the soil will dry out and prevent further root rot - if that is indeed what it is. Maybe I should soak the ground with water that has a little bleach added to it. Any comments would be appreciated.

Let me try to upload a pic again: this is a couple of weeks ago before the fronds turned completely brown (now only the smallest spear is green)

Yours looks better than mine John. I have 1 I just got still in a pot and it has turned brown recently. I guess yours may be in too much shade, mine too much sun. If that palm gets some sun at least a few hours, I'm likely wrong, but if your in the UK maybe your sun isn't out as much as other places. I'm really not the best person to help you, I just bought my first palms about 2 months ago. Being the palms and Cycads forum here, I'm surprised you haven't got lotsa advice here, not just my guesses. I'm likely going to purchase another palm, maybe a Pindo or different Trachycarpus. I have to protect mine in winter anyway, so if I will be adding heat and covers, I may as well get a more desireable palm. Yours doesn't look that bad yet, oh, and DO NOT add bleach! It will kill anything you put it by! I know I keep hearing about "copper fungicide" spray for well, fungus. I hope that that helps, but, maybe not enough sun is the problem. I am just learning about palms. Maybe you need a soil test even. Palms like magnesium in their soil, and maybe a lime rich soil, but, don't go wild with it. If your soil is alkaline, and You already said so, sorry, I forgot. Okay, Later, John

If the plant is on a slope as you say then it's not likely to be root rot. What you've probably got is usually called "spear pull". A rot set into the crown so that the spear rots off at the base. To check you need to pull the spear out and see if the base is mushy/rotten. In Trachycarpus it's not necessarily fatal. When you pull the spear out you need to pour a fungicide into the crown. Some people use Hydrogen peroxide, others use various commercial fungicides successfully. The sooner it's done the better the chance of recovery, That's what I'd try first.

If my Windmill has "spear pull," will the spear pull out easily? I yanked and pulled on several of the spears, but they do not pull out easily. I additionally

tried to pull on the old, shorter "stalk-stumps" remaining from previous fronds years ago, and they are also stubborn. As you can see from today's pic, many of the fronds are still green at the base. The central spear is now turning gray - brown also, so the palm is getting sicker fast. I am wondering if it is root rot after all - the surface of the top soil is now dry - it seems like maybe flushing the roots with city tap water - which is slightly chlorinated, might help. I certainly appreciate any advice you may have!

Additional thought: according to a Univ. of Florida website,

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp146

many palms, Windmills included, that are not native to Florida, are susceptible to "Lethal Yellowing." However, it seems this disease is more prevalent in southern Florida, whereas I am in southern Virginia (zone 7a).

Generally the spear should pull out reasonably easily. I still feel that the slope it's on would lessen the chances of root rot. These palms come from colder climates where wet and cold would be common. Another possibility is some insect may have got into the base of the crown and be eating away at it. In that scenario the spear would be very hard to pull out until it was eaten right through. See if you can find any information on that. I know that some beetle larvae can cause a lot of problems.

I don't really know much about Lethal Yellowing, we don't get it here (and hopefully won't!). Going by many comments made about it Coconuts are the main ones affected.

I do not see any direct evidence of insect pests, but according to another website

http://www.palmtreepassion.com/palm-tree-pests.html#.WVlCdYWcEzw

there might be mealy bugs that have gotten down into the roots. Apparently one has to dig a hole down and inspect part of the roots to look for mealy bugs. Other insects listed on this website can be easily assessed.

Thanks again for your advice.

After 2 more weeks, not only does the spear pull out easily, but basically the top of the trunk pulls outs. The center of the pulled trunk is black, indicating rot. I have cut the trunk back in hopes it will sprout out a new growth, but it does not look promising.

I suspect I should have planted the tree in a sunnier location and also used sandier soil. The very rainy spring we had, with 12" of extra rain, along with the excessive shade, apparently allowed rot to set in.

Sorry to hear you're still going backwards with the palm. If the rotting is all up top then that is most likely spear pull. The further down the trunk the rot is the less chance of survival. It looks like it might have been an unpleasant learning experience.

I have just got a replacement Windmill palm, maybe you may have to do so. I would try to get a refund if you can. Best wishes for you though.

I know this is an old post, but I just discovered it. Any updates on the palm? Did it survive and did you figure out what was wrong with it?

This being fall of 2018, and John Ashburn not posting anything, MAYBE his Palm had died? MY OWN PALM died, I have purchased a new Windmill palm, which I will NOT be planting outside for many years, until it is much older, until then I will just bring it indoors when it gets below 30F, they are potted.

So glad to see this on here...HELP! So I noticed the other day the base of my pinwheel palm appears something eating it??? Has anyone seen this? I have had them about 9 years never a problem. It had to be recently because I would have noticed. Sorry it is sideways not sure why...what could be wrong?

If you can post a pic it would help somebody tell you what's wrong. I can't help but somebody might be able to.