I don't think I would use Preen. It may keep them from sprouting for a while but eventually it wears off. It would make a nice start for a new compost pile. If done correctly many, not all, of the weed seeds will be killed off from the heat. Personally I would not hesitate to use it. Mix some greens in with it and finish the compost process. Later when the compost is finished the larger sticks can be separated out. Weeds are a part of gardening. The better the soil the better the weeds. The good part is that the more compost the easier it is to pull the weeds. A good top coat of mulch will help prevent them. What ever weeds are growing under the tree now you can bet there is a huge seed bank of the same in the soil all around, including the flower beds. So by trying to kill the weed seeds in the compost you are really fighting a loosing battle. Years of constant maintenance will slow them down. Mulch will help prevent them from germinating.

The only way I know of getting rid of carpenter ants is to destroy there nest. I would also power wash your palm with a hose and try to clean your palm of the ants. And in the meantime keep your palm happy. Give it some palm fertilizer and water and let it grow as fast as possible so it recovers. Good luck!

There is usually no need to cut off branches with some bugs on, but plant should be treated to get rid of them asap. Spraying with solution or full strength rubbing alcohol usually works. Treatment needs to be repeated since there are (almost) always eggs around that will hatch. Look up life cycle of mealy bugs to see how fast they reproduce...If the infection is really huge, some 'big guns' chemicals could be used - sorry, I can't really recommend since I not used anything else beside RA. Whenever treating plant, keep it out of strong sunlight. And keep infected plant away from others since bugs may spread. Coloring up on the underside and margins of leaves is good - sign of plant getting sufficient sunshine. All plants should be acclimatized to good light, since it's usually hard to tell what light conditions they were growing in. When I have leaves propagating, they typically do not take very long before roots and/or plantlets start growing. Keep them in bit shadier spot until then, they do not need strong sunlight while trying to root. Try not to fuss and check on the all the time, they will do what they want to do if undisturbed. And, "watched pot never boils" :) I would still suggest that plant in pic #1 is somehow etiolated: space between the leaves = internodes, could be tighter. It also seems to be leaning in one direction - but maybe it is just an angle photo was taken from. Do not keep putting "plants outside whenever it is sunny" - if you have outdoors space use it, leaving plants there 24/7. Nothing is better for plants than outdoors :) Obviously, they should all be acclimatized as mentioned before. I see that you used a clear container for one of them - while not a big problem, there is no need for roots to be exposed to direct light. Sunlight could cause some algae growth eventually, again - this will not kill the plant but may be unsightly (I have used similar containers at times). If in well draining mix, with drainage holes in a container, plants could be watered more often. Mine are all outside since Spring, and get rained on. This year, sometimes 3x/week. No problem at all, since they are all in gritty and have drainage. While outside and exposed to possible rain, it may be good idea to keep them out of cachepots and saucers - eliminating worries about excess water. Many succulents will grow thru the winter - it all depends what conditions they are kept in. If you supply plenty of light and some warmth, they will continue growing.

Those little brown spots on the leaves are mechanical damage. And since you just moved, I'm guessing they were bumped and scraped a little and now it looks like brown scabs. It won't hurt your plant at all. They are quite good at healing themselves. The marks on the stems is probably just aging. New growth is green and old growth turns brown, like any tree. So all is good there! You can really see the contrast on this plant that I pruned back heavily. New stems are green. You mention that you are worried your new home may not be good for the plant. Are you worried about sufficient light? It looks to me like it hasn't been getting enough sunlight, and I understand that can be difficult when growing indoors. The internodes (space between leaves) is longer than it should be, so the plant has been reaching for light. (Cool how they tell us, right?) My plant is outside in full sun all year. See how close the leaves are growing? And they aren't droopy. You may need to correct the light in your home by getting some grow lights, or light bulb. I hope others will chime in and advise you on this as I have no experience with them. Depending on how many plants you have, it may be quite easy to do in a lamp. Your potting mix looks pretty good. I hope the pot has a drainage hole. Other than improving the light, things look pretty good from here! Good luck and happy growing!