Queen Palms, the REAL DEAL
 

I have heard so much mis-information about queen palms, I am starting this thread as a public service. I have lived here my whole life. Studied, grown, planted and tested palms for fertilizer and hydroponic reactions.

I will answer any questions according to my experience and investigations that are not always what the internet or experts from other zones may attest.

Butt Rot:

Portions of the trunk may be soft from other causes. Palm trunks are VERY strong,( like nature's fiberglass ) Advanced stages of Ganoderma Butt rot should display a mushroom growing out of the trunk, so without this symptom (mushrooms growing on the lower 4' of the trunk) I WOULD NOT remove the tree, unless there are other reasons you are removing it.

Frizzle Top:

Frizzle top is caused by a Manganese deficiency, NOT a Magnesium deficiency (Epsom Salts). The adding of Epsom salts without adding Manganese as well over time can cause frizzle top. The addition of Manganese can cure the disease.

is there any way to stop the formation of seed pods. They are too many per tree too many times per year and are messy and unsightly with the berries all over the yard.

The tree WANTS to make a pod or 2 per year. Cutting them out early ( unopened ) causes the palms to produce another pod. Let the pod open, bloom, and set seeds.
Then cut the pod out once the fruit is about the size of a grape, but still green, and you will have way fewer blooms for the year, and still get the pod out before the messy fruit ripens and drops on the ground.

Thanks for offering advise. When should the tops (is it frons) be trimmed? All mine are green and full. Any trimming necessary?

When we had the house built we, like many others wanted a tropical look....and we put in 9 queens.....now 10 years later I would opt for number 2 above but don't want the expense and mess of removing then repairing holes/etc.

The catch 22 for me is keeping them I have to hire somebody twice per year X 9 to keep them trimmed.......

Never again!!!!

If all the fronds are green and healthy, you don't need to trim any fronds to keep the tree healthy. I would only trim fronds that are 50% or more yellow/brown, touching your house or hanging down.

Mature, healthy queen palms will 'drop' 2-5 fronds per year, making room for the new fronds they produce. There are palms with a good shade canopy that do not 'drop' fronds as the new fronds are produced (Mules, Sylvesters, Canary, Pindos ) but the higher cost for these palms compared to the queen of equal height is significant.

There are shade trees that are not palms out there, but there is trimming, leaves, invasive root systems, tree bores, lichens, ball moss, gall, and shade to dense to grow grass under.

Agreed. 2-3 is more accurate, though often only one will complete the development of mature fruit . If you cut them early, there will be many more, and the pods will be produced from younger fronds that were not mature and intended to seed that year. Cutting seed pods early is not natural to the tree and likely unhealthy.

Also, there are diseases out there that will kill palms, that if detected early can be treated ( Texas Phoenix Palm Decline, Lethal Yellowing ), saving the palm. The early signs of these diseases appear in the formation of the blooms and fruit, and trimming pods prior to opening would not allow the early detection needed to save the palm.

Ozzello, thank you for starting this thread.

As a recent owner of a pre-owned home, I have been learning as much as I can about our landscaping.

I have fertilized our pre-owned palms twice in the past year and they seem happy about it. (I buy the official palm fertilizer.)

I did not get the fall fertilization done yet and I was late on the last one. (early August)

I know they should not be fertilized so close to the winter months but if I rush around today in a fertilizing frenzy, is that OK?

It is time-release -- I think. Whatever it is was recommended by the extension agent. And September had lots of rain. My northern gardener instinct is telling me to go ahead but to hurry up.

All I know for sure is that they are green not yellow and seem glad to see me.

I wonder about the various types of palms that I see turning yellow in yards where they must have cost a lot to put in, and now just look sad. Is it that manganese thing?

Would you please post about specifics of palm fertilization? (I use the same fertiliizer for all of them. Two are queens.)

Thank you.

Have you noticed that the developer does not plant Queen palms? That speaks volumes.

If you bit the bullet and had them removed, would you save in the long run? Would you need to have stump grinding done?