natej740

Noticed the palm wasn't lookin to great and pulled on the spear and was shocked when it came out. I thought it meant it was gonna die but did some reading today and found out that spear pull isn't necessarily a death sentence. What can I do to make sure it lives?

sunfish

natej740

Tony thanks for the link! Has anyone else had luck geting theirs to survive?

kentiopsis

As I recall from the palm society, one approach to curing that rot is to pour hydrogen peroxide into the hole left by the dying spear. Perhaps clean out as much of the rotted material as you can; I'm not sure about this latter step. It might risk spreading the infection. I'll see what the other palm guys say. You might have caught the problem early enough that it won't kill the palm. You need to find out what cause the rot, too. Maybe a boring insect, e.g.

Randy4ut

Several different varieties of Trachycarpus are notorious for having spear pull year after year while the palm is young. As they mature, spear pull diminishes... I would remove the emerging spears that come out with slight tugs and then wait and see. I know some friends that have used hydrogen peroxide and others use a copper fungicide poured down the opening. Wish you the best and don't give up on it just yet!

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TRAY

Here is a link you may find interesting.
Hoping trachy will make a recovery - Palms & Cycads Forum - GardenWeb

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kentiopsis

Re the cold weather talk on the Garden Web Palm Forum, I've seen Trachycarpus sp. growing in Eugene, Oregon, in a snow storm—although now that I've typed that, i didn't go back to check it after the snow storm. They are reported to grow as far north as Scotland in one of my palm references.

RobG7aChattTN

Trachies are pretty good about pushing out new growth after a spear pull. I like to pull the spear out once it warms up to let it dry out. If you get a lot of rain then it wouldn't hurt to pour a little hydrogen peroxide down the hole to clear out any rot. I've had them push out new growth as late as June. A friend of mine likes to put a stick down the hole and mark it with a pen to see if it is pushing out or not. If it pushes up you know it is alive and growing. If it doesn't move then you can try the drastic trunk cut method.

Darkman

I have used hydrogen peroxide and a copper fungicide poured down the opening on a triple trunk robellini. I was able to save two of the three trunks but the next winter (10/11) killed them both. If you have a wet climate you can try shielding the opening to help keep it dry.

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Darkman in Pensacola

AS ALWAYS IMHO AND YOUR MILEAGE MAY DIFFER!!!!!!!!

Life - Some assembly required, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong!

Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable!

Statistics - Data that analyst twist to support the insane opinions of those that pay them.

natej740

I poured hydrogen peroxide down the hole twice. Then just in the last week it has put out a deformed leaf and the start of a new spear! Thanks everyone for the help!

kentiopsis

Congrats!

palmtree

Congrats!
Trachys are great at recovering from spear pull. It seems like almost everyone with cold winters gets spear pull from them when younger, but they usually! I hope it proves hardier for you in the winters to come!

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