Hi, I bought my first palm tree 9 days ago, and posted a question the day I got it about bumps on its spine, and thought it was normal... But just now notices the center where new fronds are/should be... This does not look right. Anyone know what is going on?
Thanks! Nikki

Put some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and rub the bumps. If they come off, its scale. If they don't come off, its part of the plant. Report back to us.

Hi, thanks so much for replying. I wiped the bottom of a frond with rubbing alcohol, and the tissue had some brown tinges afterwards; there were still bumps on the leaf, but there may have been fewer, if there were it wasn't a noticeable difference. So not definitive if it's scale or not, I guess.


I took a couple more pictures of the new growth.

This pic is what I would call the healthier new growth:



this photo shows the healthier growth on the right rear, the spotted/ratty one to the foreground:



And this pic is a different angle of the spotty sheath:



And this last random photo, which I'm sure will clarify everything:



So I guess I'm asking if the spotty looking sheath- thing of new growth appears"normal and healthy" or weird/diseased/infested?
I wish I had a healthy palm to compare to in person!!!

Thanks so much!

I think you need to scrape a few of the scaly looking things off with your thumbnail and look at them under a magnifying glass, or other magnifier if you can.

Scale insects might not come off with rubbing alcohol if they have their little hardened shells over them. But if you can scrape them off the plant with your thumbnail, then they are most likely insects and not bumps on the plant.

Now that you gave us a better picture that's in focus they sure do look like scale to me. The treatment is a horticultural oil spray. Be sure to cover all surfaces of the plant with the spray, then wash the plant (in the shower is good) with a very mild soapy solution after a day or so, and let it dry. YOu'll need to repeat the treatment in a week or so to get the next generation of hatchlings before they lay eggs of their own.

Here's a page with a recipe to make your own hort oil spray:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/d...

Thanks. Ugh. So, what's the chance that the plants nearby ( peace lily , spider, and pothos) will be infested?

Since you've only had the palm such a short time, I'd say not that likely that the insects could have traveled to other plants. Was the palm close enough that the leaves actually touched the other plants?

Scale insects will often only be interested in one type of plant. Chances are these scales may not even infest your other plants ever, given that their host plant is still alive.

Your palm still looks pretty darned healthy, so I don't think much damage has been done by the insects. If you want to help it immediately, I'd take a wet rough cloth like an old towel or something, and see how many of those bumps you can remove just by rubbing them off. Palm fronds are pretty tough so not much danger you'll harm them in the process. Even an old toothbrush or a nail brush might take off a lot of them.

You still need to treat with the oil spray though, to get the ones in the nooks and crannies.

Thanks so much!