Q.growth of my coconut tree
We have grown a coconut tree in our garden and the tree has been thriving nicely for almost 15 years, bearing fruit in some years. We had allowed a creeper to grow on the trunk of the coconut tree for sometime, 2 to 3 years. We noticed that during the last two years the leaves were not opening up as they should. We have taken off the creeper from the trunk now, since almost a year. The leaves are still not showing proper growth. They appear small, twisted and shrunken. What will the treatment for this be?
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
I don't think the creeper was the issue. There are a few diseases that it could be.
Lethal Yellowing is one. It tends to start at the bottom leaves and move up.
Bud Rot is another. This disease tends to move from the top down. The leaves will also be spotted and the there will be an unpleasant odor.
There are also a few different wilts that could be causing this.
Unfortunately, these diseases do not have a very good success rate in being treated.
Beyond this, Wikipedia has a rather comprehensive list of coconut tree diseases. You may be able to find a different diseases that is affecting it instead of those I suggested. This is the article on that:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coconut_palm_diseases
