Florida Palm Trees

Mealybugs belong to Pseudococcidae, a family of unarmored scale insects, found in moist, warm climates. Mealybug females feed on plant sap, normally in roots or other crevices. They attach themselves to the plant producing a powdery wax that is used for protection, hence the name mealybug. The males, are short-lived as they are there only to fertilize the females.

One mealybug will not hurt your plant, but they multiply quickly and if a plant is badly affected, the mealybugs may overwhelm the plant. Mealybugs can kill your palm by sucking all the juices out of the plant.

Recommended Treatment

One of the things you can do is to rub your plant with a mix of soapy water and alcohol. Make a solution of 1 part alcohol to 1 part water with some dish soap mixed in, wash down the entire palm. This should slow them down. To get rid of mealybugs completely I recommend spraying your palm with Safer Brand Insect Killing Soap.This spray always worked for me on all kind of scale insects. It’s organic formula will help you get rid of mealybugs but won’t harm beneficial insects. Hope this helps. ~ Susan

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Bud Rot

This disease can be caused by various fungal pathogens, Phytophthora species and Thielaviopsis species, as well as by bacterial pathogens. While bud rot tends to occur after a tropical storm or periods of excessive rain, bacterial bud rot tends to occur after the bud has been damaged by cold weather. More »

Ganoderma Root

This disease is caused by the fungus, Ganoderma zonatu , which can infect many types of palm trees. The first symptom of infection is the withering and drooping of older fronds. More »

False Smut

False smut or Graphiola leaf spot is caused by Graphiola species. This disease is most common in areas of high humidity. Small, black, wart-like bodies are seen, often with yellow filaments protruding from the middle of the raised spots. More »

Leaf Spots

Leaf infections called “leafspots” are caused by a variety of fungi and some bacteria on many trees. Leaf spots can be circular to elongated, brown and possibly oily in appearance. The spots will vary in size and color depending on the plant, the organism involved and the stage of development. More »

Scale

If you found a lot of little circular, brown colored scales on your palm tree you are in trouble. It’s called “palm leaf scales”. You would never guess but palm leaf scales are actually a mature female small insect. They literally are just a small headless, legless bump and once the female has matured, it is unable to move from where it has planted itself. More »

Mealybugs

They belong to a family of unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm climates. Mealybug females feed on plant sap, normally in roots or other crevices. They attach themselves to the plant and secrete a powdery wax layer (therefore the name mealybug) used for protection while they suck the plant juices. The males on the other hand, are short-lived as they do not feed at all as adults and only live to fertilize the females. More »

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Palm Trees belong to Palmae family also known as Arecaceae. Palms are among the best known and extensively cultivated plant families. There are around 202 currently known genera and 2,500 different palm tree species in the world, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates.

Palm Trees usually are described by it’s appearance and cold tolerance. They can be separated into few major types depending on their trunk, leaf structure, growth rate, size, and cold tolerance. Aside from these basic segregations, palms also differ in salt and drought tolerance, leaf color, fruit and flower production.

Palm Cold Tolerance

Southern Palm Tree Type. Southern palm trees like warm tropical weather and can’t tolerate cold lower than 32-35F. They are perfect for landscapes in USDA Zones 9b-11. Well established palms can tolerate low temperatures for a short period of time but will get damaged if the cold temperatures last for more than one day. Better established palm can withstand/tolerate lower temperatures.

A lot of people think that palm trees can grow only in warm climates like Florida and don’t realize that you can also grow palm trees in other 40 states.

Northern Palm Tree Type. Northern palm trees, also called cold hardy palms, can tolerate low temperatures down to 10-15F. There are also very cold hardy palms that can survive even lower temperatures. The Windmill Palm can tolerate cold down to 5F, the Saw Palmetto Palm can tolerate cold down to 0F. The Needle Palm is one of the most cold hardiest palms that can tolerate cold down to -5F. If you live in the USDA zones 7a-8b, you should be able to find a palm tree cold hardy enough to grow in your area. Here is a list of most popular cold hardy palm trees.

Palm Growth Rate and Size

Palm trees growth rate and size vary. Palm trees like European Fan Palm, Pygmy Date Palm Tree, and Lady Palm Tree, slowly grow up to 10ft tall with a spread of 5ft wide. These palms are considered to be small palm trees, also known as dwarf palm trees. They are perfect for small landscapes and can be used as a focal point or under larger trees.

Fast growing palms like King Palm, Carpentaria Palm and Queen Palm can very quickly get to 40-50ft tall. Some palm trees, like Royal Palm, can grow up to 100ft tall with a spread of 50ft wide. How tall and how fast palm tree grows also dependence on the environment. Palm trees like humid warm weather and will grow faster in tropical climates like FL than in South Carolina. You can speed up palm’s growth rate by applying fertilizer.

Palm Tree Trunk

Some palms have solitary trunk others multi-trunk.

Multi-trunk Palm Tree Type. Multi-trunk palms usually are small shrubby plants, like Needle Palm and Lady Palm, that have multiple stems growing right from the ground.

Solitary Palm Tree Type. Single trunk palms can be also broken down into two types those that have a smooth trunk covered with old leaf scars and those that have trunk covered with old leaf bases in a criss-cross pattern. Some of the single trunk palms have a beautiful cownshaft at the top of the trunk. Crownshaft is a leaf base formation that is created by the overlapping of the fronds. It is usually green but sometimes can be a different color like purple in Mount Lewis King Palm or bright orange in Lipstick Palm.

Palm Tree Fronds

Palm leaves can have two main leaf structures, pinnate and palmate.

Pinnate Palm Tree Type. Pinnate are feathery fronds shaped like birds feathers. Separate leaflets extend from the central leaf stem’s side. Some popular palms that have pinnate type leaves are Areca Palm, Bottle Palm and Pygmy Date Palm.

Palmate Palm Tree Type. Palmate are fan shaped fronds that stretched out from a central point like fingers. They are usually supported by long stems that are covered with sharp spines. Some popular palms with palmate shaped fronds are Bismarck Palm, Chinese Fan Palm, Mexican Fan Palm, and Windmill Palm. Small fan palms are great for creating a striking focal point in your landscape.

Palm tree types listed above belong to basic groups that can be narrowed down into smaller subgroups based on other criteria like salt, drought, and wind tolerance, fruit and flower production, and light requirements. You should consider these main factors when buying a palm tree for your garden. Choosing right palm for your environment will ensure a healthy and beautiful growth.

~Susan Brian

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Filed under: Palm Tree Types by Susan Brian
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