On January 23, 2014, Western Broward and Palm Beach Counties experienced temperatures in the upper 30s!   Certain palm species, particularly coconut palms, are not able to tolerate the cold temperatures well.  The cold induces a severe manganese deficiency as the palm’s canopy changes from green to mostly brown within a few weeks.  The cold weather causes the palm to process its stored nutrition (the green in each frond) very rapidly.  It is not unusual for over 50 per cent of the canopy to suddenly turn brown.  If there is fruit on the palm, it will likely drop off suddenly as well.  Palms use existing green fronds to generate new growth and when many fronds turn brown rapidly, a nutrient-deficient state is induced.  Severe manganese deficiency is lethal to palms, and when left untreated the palm my die from lack of manganese.

In addition, the cold temperature and the manganese deficiency cause tremendous stress on palms and present a breach for secondary problems such as insect and fungi that normally would not affect the palms.  Beetles and other insects find stressed palms and lay eggs that hatch into larvae.  The larvae, also know as borers, feed on the inside of the palm and can be fatal.  There are several species of fungi that also attack stressed palms.

 Proper treatment of your palms will give them their best chance for full recovery.  Here is what needs to be done:

The palms need to be treated with the proper fertilizer as soon as possible.  Supplemental manganese should also be applied.  Palms are very sensitive to the nutrient content of fertilizer applied.  A fertilizer that is not specifically for palms can actually do more damage than good.

 A systemic fungicide and insecticide, both labeled as appropriate for palms, should be applied.  This will protect the palms from insect pests and fungi that normally would not be present.

 It is very important not to remove any fronds.  Palms need their green fronds to create new growth.  It is possible to kill an otherwise viable palm by over-pruning.

 In conclusion, palms that have been damaged by the cold need a little extra attention to facilitate recovery.  Once the palm is recovering, proper maintenance fertilization will keep all your palms healthy and will provides a number of benefits, including a larger, denser canopy, increased cold hardiness and accelerated recovery from storm damage.