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Palm tree with brown, sticky bumps and drying leaves

9 years ago

Hey everyone. I've had an indoor palm plant for about 6 months now, and recently it became quite sick. It had brown, sticky bumps on the top of many of the leaves. Also, some of the leaves were brown, dried, and dead. The floor below the palm was sticky, as was the wall beside it.

Using a damp cloth and warm, soapy water, I cleaned every leaf with gentle rubbing and was able to remove all of the brown, sticky stuff. Unfortunately, it slowly came back. Thus, I cut off the infected branches.

Now, the ends of many of the leaves are turning brown and drying out. Here're some photos of the palm:
http://imgur.com/a/u2nzw

Help! What should I do?

Featured Answer

kaitlynmix

5 years ago

I know this post is super old but just in case anyone else is looking into this.

So I've had this problem with my palm for a year now and it went away so fast as soon as I put it outdoors. I think the constant movement of fresh air really helps. I soon as I had to bring it back inside for winter it came back, you do have to try and keep up with it but if you are able I would suggest a shady spot outside for it.

Comments (7)

MrBlubs
9 years ago
Looks like a scale infestation and if it is they are very difficult to get rid of.
Usiing alcohol, dish soap, and water in a spray bottle usually does the trick. They're are also many insecticides and insecticidal soaps that will get rid of them if you spray on a weekly basis (usually) but there are also many home/natural methods
I'll let someone else expand on that
summersunlight
9 years ago
Yes, Mr Blubs is right that your plant has scale insects.

How important is this plant to you? If this plant isn't sentimental or valuable, it may not be worth it to try to fight the scale. Scale can be tough to eradicate.

If you really want to try to save the plant though, I would suggest using a systemic pesticide that is labeled for indoor use in addition to following the advice to spray it (as well as the pot and the surrounding area) with a mixture to try to kill the insects every few days for several weeks.
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it's ((((SCALE))))... sorry about that, but just hearing about them triggers nightmares for me- they are horrible. If you do not kill them quickly-they will kill your tree quickly. If the tree is small you can do the old alcohol and a swab thing- be VERY diligent because they will be everywhere. Look in every vein, nook and cranny. After fighting every night, all winter, with them I finally decided to spray, so I took off all my fruit then sprayed the tree with 'Garden Safe' for houseplants. You really saturate it everywhere- and it killed all of them. I sprayed it twice (one week in between). Now my tree is healthy. I couldn't believe I wasted a whole winter fighting those little ba***rds. good luck
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I agree with everything tony c m said. I would clip off the affected leaves and pick off what I can on the insect with my fingers on the rest of the tree and spray everything I can on that tree. You did not mention if your tree is in a pot or in ground. If it is in the pot then spray the pot too and keep it away from other plants. Repeat this a couple more times within a week or ten days and you should see good results. I use Safer Brand Garden safe insect soap. It is non toxic and made of seaweed extract. Get the concentrate so it will be cheaper in the long run. The bottle is like Aqua color and the cap is Purple. Had this problem a few times with new trees but seems to not return after the first Winter here in Michigan. Good luck
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Nice plant, but its neither a palm or a banana. Just as I suspected, you have a white bird of paradise 'Strelitzia nicolai'. Don't bother dilluting the rubbing alcohol...you can use it full strength, it won't harm the plant or you. First, pick off the adult scale (brown bumps) from the leaves & stems, then gently but thoroughly wipe the underneath side of the leaves as well as the stems with a soft cloth saturated with the rubbing alcohol. Repeat this treatment every week for a month or so, and then keep a close eye on it for any adult scale to appear. It should be fine, but don't be surprised if you see the scale reappear periodically. As long as you keep it under control, it won't kill a plant that size.
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I can't believe someone thought those were seeds. Seeds on sagos are orange and are almost 3 inches in diameter. Those are the typical brown, round scales. You don't hear much about those because they aren't such a bad problem. Spray some horticultural oil directly on the scales and it will smother them. If you do, use it first thing in the morning because it will burn if used closer to noon time. You can also use twice brewed coffee as a direct contact spray of you don't like the oil.
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nickh_
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks, guys. I'll do that and report back on how it's going. BTW, might you know what type of palm this is? I haven't been able to ID yet.
Jasdip
9 years ago
Areca and Majesty palms are commonly sold as houseplants. They are also difficult to grow as our low humidity isn't favourable to them. A picture would be a heck of lot easier to diagnose what kind of palm it is.

Scale is very difficult to get rid of, it will also get on nearby furniture; wooden tables etc. I had scale once on a schefflera and it was much easier to just replace the plant.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
9 years ago
That's a very bad scale infestation, nick. You'll have a difficult time getting that under control, even with strong pesticides which you shouldn't be introducing into your household, anyway.

I'm thinking that it's a Majesty Palm, which is one more big hurdle to overcome.

I can't tell if your plant is also infested with spider mites, another real common problem with palms, or if all the webbing is from cob web spider.

If that plant were mine, it would be on the curb before lunch. Some battles aren't worth it.
MrBlubs
9 years ago
I think it's a Majesty Palm to....
But i don't think they're difficult to grow indoors as I bought mine 3 year's ago (my 5th houseplant ever) and it's doubled in size and Continuously puts out new fronds. Maybe I just got lucky? Or is it a disaster waiting to happen? Idk but it dosnt look like it's in anysort of decline.....

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