Q.Is my date palm dying?
I live in Central Australia – Alice Springs.
I have several true date palms which have produced beautiful date crops for many years. However, one palm is very infested now with white scale which has covered all the fronds right down to the base of the heart. The heart fronds are now flopping over to one side.
There are still healthy looking suckers at the base of the tree but I fear the tree is too sick to recover – do you have any experience and advice for this condition? I need to decide quickly if the tree is worth treating or if the probability is that it will most likely die.
I would be very grateful for any information.
Best Regards,
Pip McManus
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Typically with a scale infestation of that size, you are looking at an issue that goes beyond the scale. Scale tends to be attracted to plants that are already weakened.
It is hard to say if the tree is salvageable. I would look to see if you can spot any other issues with the tree, perhaps something root related?
