Some worms just ate my ponytail palm

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I have a ponytail palm (I know it's not a real palm) that I was about to plant into the ground and I noticed an air pocket at it's base.

Curious, I removed a piece of the bark and the inside felt soft and spongy. I decided to open it up and once I cleaned out all the brown soft decay tissues, there is a cavity the size of a baseball.

I can see inside the spongy tissues there were dozens of worms weaving in and out, they are about an inch long.

Closer look.

On the other side of the base there is another soft spot which is twice this size.

The entire bottom of the base is semi-rotted. I had no choice but to chop it up and dispose of it.

Anyone know what these worms are? I have another ponytail palm sitting six feet away whose base feel fine but I don't know if it may be infected by the same worms? Should I treat it with something?

Featured Answer

dirtygardener

5 years ago

I'm so sorry about your beautiful pony tail palm. For future reference, you can cut the top and part of the base off and re-root it. I'm sorry I didn't get to you before you chopped it up and threw it away. I think those are grubs that came into it after it rotted. They are actually cleaning up the rot, not the cause of it.

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Comments (6)

carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
5 years ago
Those look like grubs - beetle larvae.

Not sure if they're the cause, or something that moved in to eat decayed matter, tho.

Here's some info from Univ. of FL - says root rot can be a problem in wet soils:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST093
Miami Cuse thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
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Miami Cuse
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Thank you for the link carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b. I do have some grubs in the soil here but those are usually wider and shorter but these are narrower and longer. After looking through many images I think the closest thing I found that match what I saw was a lilac borer although I am not sure.
Miami Cuse
Original Author
5 years ago
dirtygardener thank you. I didn't know the plant can be salvaged. I cut it into four sections before disposing I guess it's too late now LOL. I wasn't thinking too clearly I was more concerned about whether those worms/catepillars/grubs/borers may be spreading to other plants because there were many of them in that one cavity.
dirtygardener
5 years ago
MiamiCuse If you still have a piece of the trunk with leaves on top, you might be able to root that, if it hasn't been picked up yet.
Miami Cuse thanked dirtygardener
Miami Cuse
Original Author
5 years ago
dirtygardener it is still in my yard waste cart that hasn't been picked up yet. I chopped it into three or four pieces so I should still have a top with leaves and may be a three foot stem about the diameter of a soda can...I hope unless I threw the rotted root base in last and it crushed everything inside. I can't check now it's been pouring rain all morning.

If I am able to recover a piece do I soak it in water? Or pot it in soil? Does it need any root hormone to help it to root?