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Palm and Tree Library

Know what you are looking at, and what to do next.

Every palm disease, palm pest, nutrient problem and tree problem we see across Southwest Florida, ranked from the killers to the mostly cosmetic. Our own field photos, the signs to look for, and the written protocol we follow for each one.

Killer
Kills the palm or tree. No cure once it takes hold.
Serious
Can kill or badly disfigure if left alone. Needs action.
Manageable
Kept in check when it is caught early and treated.
Mostly cosmetic
Looks bad, rarely harms. At scale we do not typically treat it.

Every page is ranked on this scale. Anything Manageable or Mostly cosmetic can become Serious, but caught early, it stays manageable. Mostly cosmetic problems are ones we do not typically treat on palms and trees at scale. On a home, or a palm or tree that matters most to the property, treating one can be a level of care you choose.

Start here

Pick what you are seeing.

8 pagesPalm diseases

Lethal bronzing, Fusarium, Ganoderma, bud rot and the leaf spots that only look bad.

Open palm diseases →
10 pagesPalm pests

The palmetto weevil that kills, and the sap-feeders and chewers that mostly do not.

Open palm pests →
7 pagesNutrition and cold

Potassium, magnesium, manganese, boron, iron, nitrogen, and what a freeze does.

Open nutrition and cold →
10 pagesTree problems

Oaks, pines and shade trees: cankers, bark beetles, decay, scorch and herbicide injury.

Open tree problems →

Everything in one place

Search the whole library.

Start with what you see on the property. All 35 pages, the 8 killers first.

Killer8 pages

Killer
Palm disease · Cabbage palm +1Lethal Bronzing

A bacterial disease spread by a planthopper that kills palms within months of the first symptoms. The active palm killer across Southwest Florida.

Bronzing frondsSpear leaf collapse
Signs and what we do
Killer
Palm disease · Canary Island date palm +5Fusarium Wilt

A fatal fungal wilt that plugs a palm's water-conducting tissue.

One-sided frond deathTrunk streaks
Signs and what we do
Killer
Palm disease · All palm species +7Ganoderma Butt Rot

A wood-decay fungus that rots the base of the trunk and the roots.

Conk at the baseWilting canopy
Signs and what we do
Killer
Palm disease · Bismarck palm +6Thielaviopsis Trunk Rot

A fungus that enters through fresh trunk wounds and rots the trunk from one side inward.

Trunk bleedingSudden collapse
Signs and what we do

Serious10 pages

Serious
Palm pest · Cabbage palm +11Palmetto Weevil

North America's largest weevil and the most lethal insect pest of palms in Florida.

Crown collapseFrassFoul odor
Signs and what we do
Serious
Palm disorder · Queen palm +4Manganese Deficiency (Frizzle Top)

New fronds come out yellow, streaked and frizzled, curled tight around the stem.

Newest fronds firstFrizzled new growth
Signs and what we do
Serious
Palm disorder · Coconut palm +6Cold Damage

Chilling, frost and hard freezes burn fronds and can kill the bud.

Brown frond tipsSpear leaf collapseWinter
Signs and what we do
Serious
Palm pest · Any stressed palm +5Ambrosia Beetles

Tiny wood-boring beetles that attack palms and trees already under stress.

Holes in trunkFrassSawdust tubes
Signs and what we do

Manageable11 pages

Manageable
Palm disorder · Coconut palm +4Boron Deficiency

Deformed new growth: bent leaflet tips, spears that will not open, crumpled accordion leaves, crowns that bend to one side.

Newest fronds firstSpear will not openDeformed leaves
Signs and what we do
Manageable
Palm disorder · Foxtail palm +3Iron Deficiency

Yellow new fronds over green old ones.

Newest fronds firstYellow new growth
Signs and what we do
Manageable
Palm disorder · Canary Island date palm +2Magnesium Deficiency

Broad yellow bands on the oldest fronds, with a green stripe left down the center.

Oldest fronds firstYellow bands
Signs and what we do
Manageable
Palm disorder · Royal palm +4Potassium Deficiency

The most common nutrient problem in Southwest Florida palms, and the one with the highest stakes.

Oldest fronds firstOrange spottingFrizzled tips
Signs and what we do

Mostly cosmetic6 pages

Mostly cosmetic
Palm disease · Canary Island date palm +9Leaf Spots and Blights

A group of fungal diseases that spot and blight palm fronds.

Leaf spotsBlight
Signs and what we do
Mostly cosmetic
Palm pest · Cabbage palm +6Palm Leaf Skeletonizer

A small caterpillar that feeds under a mat of silk and droppings on the underside of fronds.

Chewed frondsFrass tubes
Signs and what we do
Mostly cosmetic
Palm pest · Coconut palm +8Palm Mites

Three kinds of mites feed on palms in Southwest Florida: spider mites, red palm mite and coconut mite.

Stippled frondsWebbing
Signs and what we do
Mostly cosmetic
Palm pest · Royal palmRoyal Palm Bug

A tiny bug that feeds only on royal palms.

Gray, frizzled fronds
Signs and what we do

Protocols

A written protocol for every threat.

Lethal bronzing, Fusarium wilt, Ganoderma, palmetto weevil, pine bark beetles, storms and new trees and palms. Each one is written before it is needed: what triggers it, the steps in order, who signs, and what the client gets in hand.

Read the protocolsEstablishment program
Collecting drill shavings from a palm trunk for lab testing

Guides

The long reads.

GuideLethal BronzingThe early signs, why speed matters, and the zone protocol.
ProtocolsA written protocol for every threatWhat triggers each one, the steps, and what the client gets.
GuidePalm Fertilizing and NutritionWhy palms starve in community soil, and how proper feeding works.
GuideSoil and IrrigationBuilt soil, limestone, lake water and the eight tests.
GuideWhy Palms FailThe handful of causes behind most palm losses in a community.
GuideTree ProblemsHow to spot decline, deadwood, root and storm trouble in oaks.

Field Notes

Latest from the blog.

ThreatsIn TCI Magazine: Lethal Bronzing in Palms, Test Before You Treat

Tree Care Industry Magazine published Jeff Kaulbars' article on lethal bronzing. The short version, for the people who answer for the palms.

Read the postThreatsPalm Pests in Southwest Florida: Which Ones Actually Matter

The pest that blackens a frond rarely kills the palm, and the one that kills it is usually hidden until it is too late.

Read the postThreatsLethal Bronzing: What Boards Should Know Before Acting

Lethal bronzing is fatal, rides one insect, and cannot be called by eye, so we test a palm before anyone treats or removes it.

Read the post

All Field Notes

Field photo library

What it looks like on a real property.

55 field photos, each linked to the page that explains it. A photo is a reason to call us, not a diagnosis: the serious calls are confirmed in a lab.

A palmetto weevil larva in its tunnel inside a Bismarck palm. The larvae feed in the soft tissue around the bud.Palmetto WeevilPalmetto weevil damage at the base of a Bismarck canopy: ragged, chewed leaf bases and wet, broken-down fiber.Palmetto WeevilCloser in on the same Bismarck. Chewed fiber where the larvae fed through the leaf bases.Palmetto WeevilA Bismarck palm with its crown collapsing, a pattern we check for palmetto weevil.Palmetto WeevilJune 22, 2023: palmetto weevil damage on a Bismarck.Palmetto WeevilThe same Bismarck, pushing new fronds.Recovering from palmetto weevilThe same Bismarck, recovered.Recovered from palmetto weevilJagged, chewed edges on the leaf stems: palmetto weevil damage in the crown. It is rare to see it this clearly.Sign of palmetto weevilAmbrosia beetle damage on a royal palm: a dark streak bleeding down the trunk.Ambrosia BeetlesStaining and small holes at the base of a palm trunk: ambrosia beetle.Ambrosia BeetlesAmbrosia beetle damage on a coconut palm trunk.Ambrosia BeetlesClose up of the same trunk.Ambrosia BeetlesWeak, frizzled new fronds in the center of a royal palm: royal palm bug damage.Royal Palm BugFeeding damage and frass tubes on a palm leaf, the sign of palm leaf skeletonizer.Palm Leaf SkeletonizerWhitefly on palm fronds. The sticky honeydew they leave turns black with sooty mold.WhiteflyWhitefly on a coconut palm canopy.WhiteflyCoconut mite damage on young coconuts: brown, scarred husk spreading from under the cap.Palm MitesCoconut mite damage on the nuts. On an ornamental coconut it is mostly cosmetic.Palm MitesA Canary Island date palm with dead fronds hanging in its lower canopy. One-sided frond death on a host palm is a reason to test.Fusarium WiltInspecting a Canary Island date palm, a Fusarium host.Fusarium WiltA Ganoderma conk at the base of a palm, close up.Ganoderma Butt RotA Ganoderma conk growing from the base of a palm trunk.Ganoderma Butt RotGanoderma conks at the base of a palm trunk.Ganoderma Butt RotA queen palm with Thielaviopsis trunk rot. The trunk rotted from the inside and buckled.Thielaviopsis Trunk RotA date palm at a client’s home with a thin, drooping canopy. A petiole sample tested positive for the pink rot fungus at a UF/IFAS lab.Pink RotLeaf spots with yellow halos on palm leaflets.Leaf Spots and BlightsLeaf spots on a palm frond, held up for a closer look in the field.Leaf Spots and BlightsReading the fronds up close.Leaf Spots and BlightsA Washingtonia bud opened up, with dark, dead tissue at the growing point. The lab tested two of these palms. It found Pestalotia rachis blight, a leaf-stem fungus, on one, and no lethal disease on either.Pestalotia rachis blightA Washingtonia leaf stem with tissue damage along its length. A rachis blight can look like Fusarium wilt, so it goes to the lab before any action.Pestalotia rachis blightA Satake palm with a thin, browning canopy. The lab found Diplodia rachis rot, a leaf-stem fungus, and did not detect lethal bronzing.Diplodia rachis rotA cut Satake leaf stem with dark tissue inside, the kind of sample we send to the lab.Rachis blightA Bismarck palm months after a hurricane, with discolored, damaged fronds. Heavy wind tears the tissue and gives leaf-stem fungi a way in.Leaf-stem fungusDark ooze running down a Bismarck leaf stem after the storm. We read it as fungal damage in the tissue.Leaf-stem fungusTwo cut Bismarck leaf stems. The upper one shows damaged, discolored tissue. The lower one is healthy and green.Leaf-stem fungusA yellow sticky trap in a date palm. The same insect carries lethal yellowing and lethal bronzing.Sticky trapCollecting drill shavings from a palm trunk for lab testing.Tissue samplingLeaflet tips and edges browned by cold.Cold DamageGreen tissue next to cold damage. Patience after a freeze avoids cutting fronds the palm can still use.Cold DamageCold damage on a clumping date palm. It usually shows at the top of the canopy; here cold air pooled under the palm and burned the lower fronds.Cold DamageThe same planting from a distance. Cold damage is assessed before anything is cut.Cold DamageFronds laid out to read the pattern of damage from oldest to newest.Cold DamageOlder fronds browning and frizzling from the bottom of a palm canopy up.Potassium DeficiencyA Canary Island date palm in February 2025, over-pruned for years, with a shrinking canopy and short fronds. On the edge of Critical.Over-pruned, near CriticalFrizzled, withered new growth in the top of a queen palm.Manganese Deficiency (Frizzle Top)Royal palms in a community planting, read for frizzled new growth at the top.Manganese Deficiency (Frizzle Top)Foxtail palm fronds turned yellow. Foxtails are among the palms most prone to iron deficiency.Iron DeficiencyAn oak with one side of its crown browning out from Diplodia, a fungal dieback. We prune the dead wood back with a sterilized saw.Bot Canker and Diplodia DiebackReddish-brown boring dust packed in the bark at the base of a pine. Our field read: Ips engraver beetles at work.Ips Engraver BeetlesUnder the bark: beetle galleries cut through the inner bark of a pine, running with the grain.Ips Engraver BeetlesBark beetles in their galleries under pine bark.Ips Engraver BeetlesBoring dust and whitish pitch on the bark of a pine.Ips Engraver BeetlesPines with crowns fading to reddish brown. A crown that fades fast is our cue to check the bark for beetles.Ips Engraver BeetlesDecay conks growing from a hollowing tree trunk.Wood Decay and ConksAn overextended oak limb that failed. Structural pruning reduces this kind of loss.Trunk inclusion

Seeing old injection holes? Why we inject last

Next step

Saw something on your property?

ReadOur written protocolsEvery serious threat has its steps written down before it is needed.ReportReport a concernSend a photo and where it is. A photo is a reason to look, not a diagnosis.RequestThe free master planWe map every palm and tree and write one 10-year plan, with an estimated budget each year.

Or call (239) 467-0142. The serious calls are confirmed in a lab before anyone acts.