Palm goo...

  • 3 Replies
  • 1778 Views
*

MikeHardman

  • Hero Member
    • www.mikehardman.com
Palm goo...
« on: October 26, 2020, 09:47:35 PM »
Dear Folks,

What's wrong with this palm?
Near the base, it is oozing an orangey goo in several places. The goo dries to a black crust.
Only one tree out of 30 affected, 6m+ tall. This one tree looks weak in comparison to the others (not much foliage).
Might have been overwatered (not by me!)

//Mike
« Last Edit: October 26, 2020, 09:49:14 PM by MikeHardman »
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

*

MikeHardman

  • Hero Member
    • www.mikehardman.com
Re: Palm goo...
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2020, 09:36:23 PM »
Photo of the whole tree, looking weedy
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

David Dickinson

  • Hero Member
    • Email
Re: Palm goo...
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2020, 01:21:11 AM »
Hi Mike

Is it some kind of slime mold? I don't know if it grows on living tissue. It just reminds me of things I saw when I was a kid and a member of the local naturalist society in Leeds.
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

*

MikeHardman

  • Hero Member
    • www.mikehardman.com
Re: Palm goo...
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2020, 11:10:44 AM »
Thanks David,
It is definitely slimy, but I don't think it is slime mould.
I wonder if it is just palm sap, exuding through damage (eg. palm weevil borings?)
I saw a similar slime issuing in greater volume from the stump of a palm that had been felled.
I guess, there's a good chance, if it is basically sap, that it could be infected by bacteria/fungi/etc. post-effusion (ie. not a primary cause), which could confuse matters.
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England