El triste final de una palmera Phoenix Canariensis
[Gallery not found]Costa del Sol Noviembre 2008. Un día muy triste para todo nuestro equipo de mantenimiento y para los propietarios de este ejemplar centenario Phoenix Canariensis que ha sido el centro de atención de su jardín durante tantos años.
A pesar de haber realizado los tratamientos fitosanitarios recomendados por la Junta de Andalucía además de haber utilizado métodos de lucha biológicos para combatir al picudo rojo, esta palmera amaneció un día con sus hojas centrales caídas. Al subir nos encontramos con una masa putrefacta y mal oliente llena de pupas, larvas y escarabajos vivos, a penas 5 días después del último tratamiento exhaustivo. Para no poner en peligro las otras tres palmeras Phoenix Dactiliferas, no quedaba otra solución que la retirada inmediata de la palmera. Después de una llamada a la persona encargada del ayuntamiento para la retirada de palmeras afectadas entendimos que tendríamos que esperar demasiado tiempo así que los propietarios nos pidieron encargarnos de la retirada de su palmera.
En las últimas semanas entre los profesionales de jardinería están saltando todas las alarmas: ven caer a las palmeras a centenares. A esto se suma la impotencia ante las escasas actuaciones por parte de las autoridades administrativas para paliar esta grave epidemia. Los propietarios de las palmeras deben llamar a su ayuntamiento para notificarle su palmera afectada. Sin embargo, las listas de espera para que el ayuntamiento retire dicha palmera son muy largos, estamos hablando de muchos meses. A esto se suma, que las autoridades no toman ningunas medidas contra aquellos propietarios que no tratan ni retiran a sus palmeras, resultando así un sin fin de palmeras muertas, reales nidos de enormes populaciones del picudo rojo.
En el caso de nuestra palmera, hubo varias palmeras muertas en los jardines vecinos. En un caso así, es casi normal que la palmera haya perdido su batalla contra el picudo rojo, aún habiendo sido tratada adecuadamente.
Sin más, cabe informarles, que el picudo rojo, ante tanta ignorancia y dejadez de los humanos ha invitado a su primo asiático, el aún más peligroso picudo negro, a compartir con él lo que queda de palmeras en el Mediterráneo.
21 Responses to “El triste final de una palmera Phoenix Canariensis”
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miércoles, 26 de noviembre 2008 a las 19:28
Is it absolutely necessary to remove the tree once the top has died. Does it become a risk?
jueves, 27 de noviembre 2008 a las 19:30
Dear Barbara: if the head of your palm tree has died, after some time it will fall down. It might be possible that the damage is on a lower part of the trunk. The palm tree could brake in two and fall. We had several examples in the last years, where palm trees have fallen, sometimes even damaging the house or other plants. Another problem is that if you do not remove the affected part of your palm tree, the red beetle will continue to develop inside the palm tree, even going further down the trunk and hundreds of new beetle population will grow up and then leave in search of other healthy palm trees. Of course, it is not absolutely necessary that you cut out even the roots. You can cut down the palm tree until a reasonable height and plant some covering plants around, using the remaining trunk as a support for your climbing plants. You can use some kind of ivy, for example “hiedra mineata” if the trunk is in the shadow or summer jasmine, passionflower, lonicera heckrotti or Wisteria, if the trunk is in the sun. Make sure that before planting you make a hole that’s big enough (3-4 times bigger than the pot of your new climber) and add very good soil. In Spain they sell MANTILLO which is not expensive and very good for this purpose. Jeannette de Buck. Decojardin
domingo, 16 de agosto 2009 a las 18:05
Thanks for the info Jeannette
sábado, 5 de septiembre 2009 a las 9:45
It is not necessary to cut infested palms. You just have to sanitized them. This operation must be obligatory. Most of the time if the operation is done in time, this will allow your palm to recover. It is extremely rare that palms are infested in the middle of the trunk with risks of falling down. Most of the time the RPW attacks palms at the basis of the leaves. The strategy to control this palm adopted by the spanish as well as the other european countries authority has been a total failure with a lo t of public money wasted with public and private patrimony destroyed. The basis of a right strategy is now well established (published in the journal Phytoma in 2008) and has been proved to be very efficient.
Regards.
domingo, 27 de septiembre 2009 a las 17:22
Dear Michel: you are right, and last months we can see more and more seriously affected palm trees that has been rescued by cutting out the bad parts and simultaneously by treating the palm tree every 6 weeks with ComBio organice Beatle treatment. We are preparing a news add to explain this procedure to encourage people to not cut but to treat correctly their palm trees. We would be happy to publish your recommendations at our website.
Your garden team, Jeannette de Buck
martes, 20 de octubre 2009 a las 15:39
We have just had our beautiful Palm tree destroyed by the red beetle. A few days ago I commented to my wife that the tree looked great and healthy, and a couple of days later it collapsed at the base with red beetle infestation. We have spanish friends who went to our town hall and got a permit for us to get it removed, which we did. When we were cutting it up we could see the devastation that was caused by the beetle, there was lots of beetle grubs or larvae in the tree, we cut it down to the roots then dowsed the ground and tree with petrol to kill the tree and remaining larvae, which we will leave for a couple of weeks before taking the stump out of the ground.
lunes, 26 de octubre 2009 a las 0:03
Dear Allan, i am very sorry for your palm tree. Sometimes it happens that the red beetle attacks the palm trees somewhere at the bottom or middle of the trunk. To see this on time is very difficult! And dangerous! Imagine that palm trees falls down on top of somebody. If you have more palm trees at your garden you should treat them with the Com Bio biological Palm treatment. We saved several seriously affected palm trees with this little hungry animals. They attach the larves of the red beetle and the more of them that are in the palm tree more of them will be killed. This treatment is a little bit more expensive. But you need to do it only each 6 to 7 weeks, the beetles that fly away to another palm tree will carry the little animals around and infect other beetle populations and finally it is not dangerous for you health and your environment. I will try to find a link to make it easy for you to buy this product.
jueves, 12 de noviembre 2009 a las 16:11
Hi Jeannette
We are being attacked by the red palm weevil here in the Algarve. It appears that the infestation here is much later than in Andalusia but Im sure unless we do something the end result will be the same.I would be very interested if you could let me know where to obtain Com Bio Palm treatment and how to apply.
Regards
jueves, 10 de diciembre 2009 a las 17:40
We have what we loosely call Pineapple trees in our Spanish property and have just received a message to say they have been attacked by beetles and one of them has fell over. Is this the same problem you are discussing with palm trees
sábado, 23 de enero 2010 a las 14:28
I would be very glad if someone could tell me how to save the sick palm trees. The problem in Greece is tremendous and thousands of palms are dying because of the read beatle. Eperts here claim there is no cyre about it
. Please let as know how we can find and apply your treatment with the Com Bio treatment.
Than you very much in advance.
viernes, 12 de febrero 2010 a las 13:54
Dear Nikos, in Israel, some years ago, they managed to handle this problem. They forced each owner of a palm tree to treat the tree by from the government approved companies. If all existing palm trees are treated and the infected material is correctly taken away, it is easy to save the palm trees. In Spain unfortunately is happening the same as in Greece. Private people can do what they want, nobody is controlling them. And public palm trees has to been treated by the town halls, and many of them has no money to do it properly. So if one single owner is trying to save his palm tree that is surrounded by hundreds of ill and not cared palm trees, he is really in trouble and he has to pay plenty of money on treatments until all the other palm trees will die. BUT YOU CAN SAVE YOUR PALM TREE! Good luck.
viernes, 4 de junio 2010 a las 12:22
Hello. We have a very tall palm tree on our terrace. Only 2 meters from the house!! Yesterday I found a strange dead beetle lying under the tree. I looked it up on the internet and it seems to be this “palm beetle” (pointy nose etc.). I had noted that the tree had been looking less healthy recently with quite a number of dead leaves. How do I determine if I have an infestation? How do I treat it? If it is too late….what do I do? Do I need to approach the town hall? Advice welcome.
domingo, 20 de junio 2010 a las 20:48
You mention “Com Bio biological Palm treatment” as a potential cure for diseased palms, I have been treating my palm for some weeks with a product that I get from my local Hiper Riego, but today have found a branch snapped off sue to being eaten away at the base, where can I obtain the Com Bio? Internet search produces nothing
Russ
jueves, 28 de octubre 2010 a las 19:00
Is this the same problem you are discussing with palm trees
jueves, 28 de octubre 2010 a las 19:01
We are being attacked by the red palm weevil here in the Algarve. It appears that the infestation here is much later than in Andalusia but Im sure unless we do something the end result will be the same.I would be very interested if you could let me know where to obtain Com Bio Palm treatment and how to apply.
Regards
viernes, 12 de noviembre 2010 a las 15:47
I am living in Ireland but we have residence also in Quesada Spain. Our gardener has advised me today that one of the palm trees in our garden has been infected with this beetle – I think it is too late for this palm tree but how can we save the remaining palm trees in the garden – also will other plantation be invaded by these beatles – please help
Thank you.
lunes, 19 de septiembre 2011 a las 14:51
My neigbour has a infected tree of the beatles and is dying fast. I have 6 wonderful palmtrees in my garden of about 40 years of age. My neigbour told me they will can not be bothered in doing anything about there tree. What right have I got to make something happening and to protect my trees.
costa brava
domingo, 8 de enero 2012 a las 12:27
Madeira Island where I have lived for 40 years, has now been badly effected by this plague brought over from the continent….it is an eyesore and tragic to see now hundreds of P. canariensis palms dead and standing. THe authorities are trying to help out, but to little avail. I hope my giant (very broad,and still low) palm will avoid it. ONe 50mts away is dead and I am now worried. I will look carefully into this Bio treatment, though it may be the one being used here, I will check.
miércoles, 15 de febrero 2012 a las 21:10
I HAVE ABOUT 60 PALM TREES IN MY GARDEN AND QUITE A FEW ARE BEING AFFECTED BY THIS BEETLE. WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP THIS INFESTATION.
miércoles, 29 de febrero 2012 a las 0:40
i seen cool articles there good hope.
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